The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City is delighted to welcome Dr. Marty Vanier to the Council's May Luncheon at the American Royal on Thursday, May 14. Marty Vanier currently serves as director of operations at the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center on the Kansas State University campus.  
 
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has named Marty to be the senior program manager for strategic partnership development with the National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF).
 
As part of her new responsibilities, Marty will connect with internal and external stakeholders, including government entities, the livestock community, the animal health industry and educational institutions. Marty said she wants to see the end users of NBAF research assist in identifying the needs and issues important to them. She suggests this group can help assess threats and risks to U.S. agriculture and have a stake in outcomes of research conducted at NBAF. 
 
Construction on the $1.25 billion NBAF will begin in May and is expected to be completed in 2020. The animal disease research laboratory is on the northeast corner of the K-State campus, adjacent to the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center.