Kayla Kruse (formerly, Arnold) is the CFAES Graduate Education Program Manager for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. In this position, Kayla fills a vital role providing strategic leadership to the gradaute programs across the college. She is responsible for coordinating graduate programs and services across the college, supporting graduate student success, and spearheading new recruitment strategies to increase graduate enrollment for the college's 12 graduate programs.
Additionally, she is responsible for overseeing the college's annual Fellowship competition, the CFAES Annual Poster Competition, and can assist graduate students with funding opportunities as available. She is passionate about scientific communication, with experience writing research impact statements, as well as the annual USDA-NIFA Plan of Work and Report of Accomplishments. She also offers related workshops to improve scientific communication skills, such as Communicating Science and Writing an Effective Project Narrative.
Kayla started at the Ohio State University in 2016, after graduating from Kenyon College with a B.A. in Economics and Environmental Science. While at Ohio State, she has completed two Master's degrees: a Master's in Environment and Natural Resources and Master's in Public Administration.
Kayla serves as the staff advisor to the college's Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) and is a member of the CFAES Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force. Previously, she has held positions on both the CFAES Staff Advisory Council and the Wooster Campus Staff Council (holding position as chair in the latter). Kayla regularly volunteers for Pelotonia and is a co-Captain for the college's team CFAES-Sustains Life. She is also a member of the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management (NAGAP) and the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA).
She has trained as an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist and worked within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. Kayla enjoys spending time outdoors with her partner and two dogs when she is not working, especially being in the field identifying trees and birds.