College of Agriculture & Natural Resources School of Packaging

Dr. Amy Radford-Popp (she/her/hers) is the Graduate Program Director for the School of Packaging and serves as the administrative supervisor of graduate studies, overseeing all components of graduate education, and promoting academic quality and integrity. Her role oversees the full life-cycle of our graduate student experience including: the recruitment of new and prospective students, student support and advising, the promotion of professional identity development, scholarship management, and experiential learning opportunities, to persistence efforts and preparation for graduation. As a liaison between the MSU Graduate School and the Dean's office within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, she leads the Graduate Education Team for the School of Packaging.  

With over 30 years of experience in higher education at multiple institutions, Amy has developed leadership, strategic planning, collaboration, coaching, mentoring, career education, and administrative program development experiences. In 1999, she came to MSU to pursue her PhD within the College of Education, while doing so she worked full-time in various residence life, student life, and academic advising roles. Her research focused on the intersections of leadership education, career and professional identity development, social and personal responsibility, and experiential education opportunities. 

As a first-generation college going student, she is committed to helping all students that she serves find their purpose and passion, and to connect and engage with various teaching, research, cooperative education, and scholarship experiences that will enrich their overall professional development. During her undergraduate experience, she had the unique opportunity to be the first student at her institution attend a semester study abroad experience at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia. During that experience, Amy fell in love with travel, cross-cultural experiences, and international education and has had the opportunity throughout her career to work with a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff including a high population of first generation, under-represented minority, and international students. 

For more than a decade at MSU, Amy worked in academic affairs within the College of Engineering and the Broad College of Business focusing on student success, retention and engagement strategies, leadership and career education, primarily through high-impact practices including: building a first year experience; leading undergraduate research initiatives including faculty mentoring, offering social impact and service learning; career exploration and industry networking; and fostering an inclusive student experience that promotes diversity and global outreach. As a former chief student affairs officer, she served on senior leadership teams and managed multiple student engagement programs: student success center, academic support and accommodations, career readiness, diversity strategic initiatives, housing and residence education, counseling, health, and wellness, women's leadership, campus safety, and leadership education. She has also held adjunct teaching positions at MSU, the University of Olivet, Lansing Community College, the University of Virginia, Greensboro College and North Carolina State University. 

As an inclusive leader and advocate, she prioritizes the importance of creating a culture of inclusion, belonging, wellness, and respect. On occasion, you may see her around campus, as one of her great loves is being outdoors and can often be found enjoying the beautiful surroundings of our campus grounds and gardens. 

Dr. Radford-Popp holds a Ph.D. in higher, adult and lifelong education from Michigan State University; a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Radford University in Virginia; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. Dr. Radford-Popp resides in Potterville, MI with her spouse Steve and twins Ricky and Katie who are active in the Charlotte Public Schools community.