Directories

Stella Melugin Coakley grew up on a small farm in the central San Joaquin Valley near Modesto, California. She earned a B.S. degree in plant sciences and an M.S. and Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of California at Davis. After receiving her Ph.D. degree in 1973, she joined the faculty of the University of Denver, first as a visiting professor and later as an associate research professor in Biological Sciences. From 1975 to 1976, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. In 1988, Stella moved to Oregon State University where she served as professor and head of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology for over 15 years. Since 2004, she has served as professor and associate dean for the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University and as associate director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.

In the role of associate dean and associate director, Stella works as a part of the leadership team in the College. Currently, she provides oversight for the research, education, and outreach programs for approximately one-half of the departments and branch stations, two centers/institutes and other programs within the college; she also serves as the college liaison to various university research centers and institutes.

Stella is internationally known for her research on the relationships among climate variation, global climate change, and plant disease epidemics.  She served on the Scientific Steering Committee of the Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, a project of the International Geosphere Biosphere Program.  Stella has been the recipient of research grants from various federal agencies including NSF, USAID, and USDA, and commodity groups.  She was the principal investigator on the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that served to make Oregon State University the flag-ship institution in the Pacific Northwest for the development of internship-based Professional Science Masters Degree Program. The Sloan initiative has generated new professional science masters degrees at Oregon State University, thereby fostering new and mutually beneficial links between industry and academia. This has contributed in a major way to the current state effort to increase the number of programs offering this degree. A strong proponent of collaboration between departments and colleges, Stella served as the president of the Oregon State University Faculty Senate in 2004 and has provided leadership for a variety of multidepartment projects throughout her career.

Stella has also provided scientific leadership at the national level, chairing a task force to improve post-award management for the USDA/CSREES, in Washington, D.C., in 2002 and 2003. She was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2000 and of the American Phytopathological Society in 2006.

Stella is married to James A. Coakley, Jr., an atmospheric scientist who is a Professor in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU. They have three daughters: Sarah (married to Charles Lewis) who is the minister of the Piedmont Presbyterian Church in Portland and the mother of Coakley Anna Lewis; Miriam (married to Darin Riherd) who is a full-time student in Criminal Justice at Portland State University while residing in Corvallis and mothering Moira and James; and Martha who is returning to college to work on a M.S. in physics after two years teaching as a Peace Corp volunteer in Namibia.

Stella enjoys her grandchildren, gardening, and especially, weed elimination.

Sonny was on the faculty at Mississippi State University from August 1982 through 1997.  As an insect physiologist, he worked on the integrative reproductive biology of insects. He was named head of entomology at Kansas State University in 1997. He was named KSU Presidential Outstanding Department Head in 2002 and University Distinguished Professor in 2004. 

From 2006-2009, Sonny served as Director of Agricultural Research Programs and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture at Purdue University.  He provided leadership for research programs in agriculture, food, and natural resources, including fiscal management, and regulatory functions assigned by the Indiana State Legislature. 

On August 1, 2009, Sonny became the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. He provides overall leadership for the College's programs at the Corvallis campus, at the OSU Cascades Campus in Bend, and OSU programs at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande; for-credit extended education; informal education through the Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Extension Program; and research at the main campus and 11 branch experiment stations throughout the state.  As chief administrative officer of the college, he is the principal external representative of the College and the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, and shapes and guides the College's external relations, marketing, legislative and alumni relations, friend-building, fund-raising, and development activities.  He is a member of the senior leadership team of the University, participating in institutional strategic planning, goal-setting, and resource allocation. He also works collaboratively with the deans of other colleges to help ensure cross-college planning, coordination, joint programs, shared faculty appointments, and other activities that advance the University's goal of collaboration and interdisciplinary education.

Sonny has been the recipient of research grants from various federal agencies such as NSF, NIH, USAID, EPA, USDA, state agencies, commodity groups, and industry.  He has mentored a number of students and postdocs.  He has published nearly 150 journal articles, book chapters, and a book.  He has received a number of awards and honors as a scientist and department head, including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, and Distinguished Graduate Alumnus of Cook College, Rutgers University.

Sonny is married to Gita, an associate dean in the Graduate School at Purdue.  Their daughter, Megha, a recent graduate of City University of New York, is an Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center.  Their son-in-law, Andrew Park, is an ER physician in the Level 1 Trauma Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center.  They reside in Kansas City.  Their dog, Atuk, is an Alaskan Malamute. 

Sonny enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, Apple computers, the Theatre, and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.