Graduation

Fellows Honored at APLU Meeting

The Food Systems Leadership Institute Fellows Honored by Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

Twenty-five Fellows of the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) were honored during a ceremony at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in New Orleans, LA. The Fellows were recognized for their accomplishments in completing the FSLI executive leadership development program and for contributions they have made to their individual organizations and the broader higher education and food systems.

The FSLI is a 2-year program designed for experienced leaders in academia, government, and industry. Through a dynamic curriculum that includes three executive style residential sessions, individual coaching, mentoring, and personal projects, the FSLI seeks to enhance personal leadership ability, develop skills and knowledge for organizational change, and broaden perspectives on integrated food systems.

Fellows report that the FSLI experience has had a significant impact on their leadership abilities. Leadership growth can be measured in many different ways, and more than a third of the Fellows have experienced promotions, selection to lead high-profile initiatives, election to university-wide leadership posts, and other recognitions. Other Fellows are using their enhanced leadership and broader food systems perspectives to lead change from their current positions.

The FSLI is a program of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. It was created with financial support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and is operated in a partnership between North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

The FSLI Fellows honored, Cohort 12 include: 

Derek Aday, Professor and Head of Applied Ecology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State University

John Blanton Jr., Department Head, Animal and Dairy Science, Mississippi State University

William W. Bowerman, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland

Theressa Cooper, Assistant Dean for Diversity, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Iowa State University

Rosalind Dale, Associate Dean and Extension Administrator, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension, N.C.  A&T State University

Brian E. Farkas, Professor and Head, Food Science, Purdue University

Robert W. Godfrey, Director of Agricultural Experiment Station, University of the Virgin Islands

Gerald Holmes, Director, Strawberry Center, College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Sean Hurley, Professor, Department of Agribusiness, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Jeffrey Hyde, Interim Associate Dean and Director of Extension, Penn State University

David Ivan, Director Greening Michigan Institute, Extension, Michigan State University

Gary Jackson, Director, Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES), Mississippi State University

Andy Kouba, Professor and Department Head, Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University

Wayne Mackay, Professor Department Head Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences, University of Arkansas

Alan G. Mathew, Professor and Head, Animal Science, Purdue University

Dawn Mellion-Patin, Vice Chancellor for Extension, Southern University Agriculture Research and Extension Center

Kelly F. Millenbah, Senior Associate Dean and Director, Academic and Student Affairs, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University

Alison Motsinger-Reif, Professor, Bioinformatics Research Center and Department of Statistics, and Director, Bioinformatics Consulting and Service Core, NC State University

Grace Wasike Namwamba, Professor and Chair, Human Ecology, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Roger Rennekamp, Associate Dean and Director, Ohio State University Extension, The Ohio State University

Liz Snyder, Associate Professor Department of Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorge and Alaska Food Policy Council (AFPC) Co-Chair

Megan Terp, Senior Research Scientist, Global Product Development, Abbott Nutrition

Quentin Tyler, Associate Dean and Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University

Joy K. Ward, Associate Dean of Science Research and Dean’s Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas

Mike Yoder, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Associate Director, State Program Leader, 4-H, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences,  NC State University