R. Elaine Turner, Ph.D., is Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Florida (UF) where she provides leadership for academic programs across the 16 departments and schools that comprise UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Serving more than 5,000 students in 22 undergraduate and 22 graduate majors, CALS is one of the largest colleges of its kind in the nation. Dr. Turner has a strong commitment to promoting excellence in teaching and academic advising and holds a faculty appointment in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. Dr. Turner earned her undergraduate degree in dietetics from Kansas State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in nutrition from Purdue University. She served as a faculty member at Clemson University for 10 years before joining the UF faculty in 1996. Prior to her appointment as Dean in April 2014, Dr. Turner served CALS as Associate Dean and Senior Associate Dean. She has supported the UF Mindfulness Creative Campus Initiative.