STARKVILLE, Miss.—Darrell Sparks, a longtime Mississippi State faculty member, has been named acting dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and acting director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
Sparks will step into these acting roles on November 1, as Scott T. Willard, current dean and director, assumes the position of interim vice president for research and economic development for the university.
Sparks has served as associate dean for the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences since 2022 and has held numerous leadership positions at MSU, including associate and interim state chemist, director of the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory and faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Sparks is a proven leader and talented administrator, said Willard.
Author's summary: Sparks takes interim leadership role at MSU.