Dr. Mike Tokach was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was raised on a 4th generation diversified family farm. In 1991, he joined the staff at Kansas State University and in 2013 was promoted to University Distinguished Professor; the highest rank the university bestows its faculty. His leadership is central to the workings of a progressive swine nutrition research team that has made Kansas State University the “go to” place in applied swine nutrition research. During his nearly 30-year tenure at K-State, Dr. Tokach and his team have published over 350 refereed journal articles, and generated over 20 million dollars in grants and fellowships. Furthermore, his research program has fostered the growth and development of nearly 100 graduate students, serving as major professor for 24 of them. Dr. Tokach has led a highly successful program because he has had the vision to build and lead a faculty and graduate student team who share his same passion, values, and goals for the swine industry.