Dr. Jessica Leatherwood is a recent addition to the faculty in the Department of Animal Science at Tarleton State University where she serves as an Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator. She received her degrees (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.) from Texas A&M University in Animal Science, with her graduate program centering on equine nutrition and physiology. Dr. Leatherwood currently teaches undergraduate courses within the the equine discipline as well as graduate courses, such as experimental design in agriculture. She is excited for the opportunity to complement existing faculty that have a strong interest in achieving teaching excellence. In addition to the classroom, while a faculty member at Texas A&M, Dr. Leatherwood co-developed an international horsemanship program as she believes in providing opportunities for high-impact learning experiences. She has obtained funding for students to participate in international experiences by conducting four-day horsemanship clinics in Europe, Oceania, and South America. She hopes to develop a similar program for students at Tarleton State University. Her efforts in teaching have been awarded, most recently as the recipient of the 2022 Dean’s Achievement award for Career Teaching, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.
In addition to her success as a teacher, Dr. Leatherwood has maintained an active and successful research program securing over $2.2 million for research in equine nutrition and physiology. This funding has been put to good use, training many graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Leatherwood has trained11 M.S. students, 2 Ph.D. students, and has served on 18 committees for M.S., M.A. and Ph.D. students, and currently has 1 Ph.D. student and 4 M.S. students in her program. This has led to authorship of 31 peer-reviewed journal articles, 83 conference papers and abstracts, 7 research reports, and 4 popular press publications. She also encourages undergraduates to participate in her research projects and since 2013, she has provided over 100 undergraduates the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with horse handling, sample collection, and laboratory analyses. In 2019, she received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Equine Science Society in recognition of her research, teaching and outreach accomplishments.
Dr. Leatherwood and her husband Cole reside in Dublin, TX with their two children, Charlie and Kelly. She is excited to learn more about her new academic home in combination with the opportunity to promote student development and learn more about fellow members of the Tarleton State University family.