Dean and CEO's Biography

Biography

Benjamin Wolfe, Ph.D., has served as dean and CEO of K-State Olathe since June 2022. In this role, he provides executive oversight of Kansas State University's innovation campus in the greater Kansas City region and serves as dean of the College of Applied and Professional Studies. His leadership spans campus operations, academic programming, applied research, and community and industry engagement.

K-State Olathe is one of three partners in the Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT), a voter-approved public investment that supports education, research, and workforce development in Johnson County and serving the greater Kansas City region. Under Wolfe's leadership, the campus has pursued an ambitious strategic agenda focused on growing learner access, expanding applied research, and diversifying revenue to ensure long-term campus sustainability.

Recent milestones include the launch of the Advanced Manufacturing Hub and its anchor facility, the Bulk Solids Technology Center, which provides hands-on industry training and applied research capabilities for the region's manufacturing sector. Wolfe has also led development of new academic programming through the College of Applied and Professional Studies, including undergraduate degree completion pathways designed to serve adult learners across the Kansas City metro area.

Before joining K-State Olathe, Wolfe served as associate dean of the School of Professional Studies and the University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park, where he helped develop more than 20 new degree and certificate programs, oversaw JCERT-related academic offerings, and served as a faculty member in environmental studies. Wolfe has spent more than 20 years in higher education.

Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Wolfe and his wife, Lyn, have called Olathe home since 2001 with their four children. He earned his bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, his master's degree in geology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Kansas.