An educator who puts students first, Dr. Jim Hess brings over four decades of transformative leadership to his role as Oklahoma State University's president. His remarkable journey from small-town Oklahoma to the presidency demonstrates the power of education to change lives. Born in Henryetta, Oklahoma, Dr. Hess earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Northeastern State University before completing his doctorate at Oklahoma State University. Hess was named president by the Board of Regents in April 2025 after serving as interim president since February 2025.

Dr. Jayson Lusk is the vice president and dean of agricultural programs at Oklahoma State University. He leads the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies: OSU Extension and OSU Ag Research. Dr. Lusk is no stranger to campus, having been a Regents Professor and researcher in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics from 2005 to 2013. He was department head at Purdue University prior to returning to OSU in 2023. His research and expertise center around food policy, emerging food issues, consumer behavior, and livestock and meat technology and marketing, to name a few.