Tracy Kitchel

Dr. Tracy Kitchel serves as the CFAES Senior Associate Dean and ACEL Professor at The Ohio State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from the University of Missouri (2005), an M.S. (1999), and B.S. (1998) from The Ohio State University. His career includes roles as Assistant Vice Provost at the University of Missouri and Department Chair for ACEL. His research focuses on pre-service agricultural teacher preparation, educator resilience, and integrating innovative technologies like virtual reality into agricultural education. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles and serves as a leader in agricultural education policy and professional development.

Education:

• Ph.D., Agricultural Education, University of Missouri, 2005
• M.S., Agricultural Education, The Ohio State University, 1999
• B.S., Agricultural Education, The Ohio State University, 1998

Research Interests:

• Teacher education and retention strategies
• Climate change adaptation in agriculture
• Virtual reality applications in safety training
• Historical evolution of vocational agriculture programs

Professional Contributions:

• Leadership in CFAES faculty affairs
• Advocacy for agricultural teacher professional development
• Editorial roles for agricultural education journals

Labs/Teams: Active in ACEL's research initiatives focusing on teacher preparation and agricultural workforce development.