Graduation

Fellows Honored at APLU Meeting

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

Twenty-nine Fellows of the Food Systems Leadership Institute (FSLI) were honored during a ceremony at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) annual meeting. The Fellows were recognized for their achievements in completing the FSLI executive leadership development program and for their contributions to their organizations as well as the broader higher education and food systems.

The FSLI is a two-year program tailored for experienced leaders in academia, government, and industry. Featuring a dynamic curriculum that includes three executive-style residential sessions, individual coaching, mentoring, and personal projects, the FSLI aims to strengthen personal leadership skills, equip participants with knowledge for organizational change, and expand their perspectives on integrated food systems.

Fellows report that the FSLI experience has greatly improved their leadership skills. Leadership growth can be assessed in many ways, and over forty percent of the FSLI Fellow Alumni have received promotions, been chosen to lead high-profile initiatives, been elected to university-wide leadership roles, and received other recognitions. Other Fellows are applying their enhanced leadership abilities and broader food systems perspectives to drive 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. It is operated in a partnership between North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. More information on the FSLI is available at www.fsli.org.

Carmen Bain

Associate Dean for Academic Innovation/Professor of Sociology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences/Department of Sociology, Iowa State University

Anton Bekkerman

Director, NH Agricultural Experiment Station and Associate Dean, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire

Mark Blevins

Assistant Extension Administrator, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences – Cooperative Extension, NC A&T State University

Renee Boyer

Assistant Dean Graduate Research Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech

Heike Buecking

Director, Division of Plant Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri

Mary Burrows

Associate Dean of Research for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, Virginia Tech

Kimathi Choma

Assistant Dean for Student Success, College Health Initiatives, and Retention, Kansas State University

Ann Christy

Associate Dean and Director for Academic Programs, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University

Ann De Lay

Associate Dean for Student Success and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Mengmeng Gu

Director of Campus Extension Programs, Office of Engagement and Extension, Colorado State University

Mark Hargrove

Professor and chair, Agriculture and Life Sciences/ Biochemistry, Iowa State University

Raj Khosla

Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean, Washington State University

Jinhee Kim

Associate Dean/Associate Director, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources/University of Maryland Extension, University of Maryland

Barry Lambert

Acting Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Tarleton State University

Jay Lillywhite

Associate Dean / Director Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University

Kevin Lin

Interim Department Head and Professor, Experience Industry Management Department, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Brian McCornack

Department Head and Professor, College of Agriculture, Department of Entomology, Kansas State University

Derek McLean

Dean and Director, Agriculture Research Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Andy Michel

Associate Dean and Director, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Wooster Campus, Ohio State University

Dan Moser

Interim Dean, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University

Justin Quetone Moss

Department Head, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State University

Kari Pilolla

Interim Department Head, Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Becky Sartini

Interim Dean, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island

Michelle Schroeder-Moreno

Director, Center for Environmental Farming Systems, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University

Senay Simsek

Head, Professor, College of Agriculture, Department of Food Science, Purdue University

John Stier

Associate Dean-Academic & Faculty Affairs, Herbert College of Agriculture, University of Tennessee

Jeyam Subbiah

Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Development, University of Arkansas

Harsha Thippareddi

Associate Dean for Research, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia

Junjie Wu

Department Head, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Dept of Agricultural & Resource Economics, North Carolina State University