Graduation

Fellows Honored at APLU Meeting

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

Twenty-two 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 Austin, TX. 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 Fellows honored include: 

Antoine J. Alston, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Studies, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, NC A & T State University

Jenna Anding, Professor and Associate Department Head for Extension, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Texas A&M University

Mark Balschweid, Department Head, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Mary M. Beck, Professor & Department Head of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mississippi State University

Cynda R. Clary, Associate Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University

Geoffrey E. Dahl, Professor & Chair of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida

John Dole, Associate Dean and Director, Academic Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University

Sharon M. Donovan, Professor and Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair, Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois

Leslie D. Edgar, Professor and Assistant Dean of Student Programs, Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, University of Arkansas

David Gerrard, Professor and Head, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech

David A. Golden, Executive Assistant to the President, University of Tennessee

Gregg Hadley, Assistant Director, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Community Development, K-State Research and Extension, Kansas State University

Tasha M. Hargrove, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Tuskegee University

Robert L. Houtz, Professor and Chair, Department of Horticulture, University of Kentucky

Jay F. Levine, Professor and Interim Department Head, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, NC State University

Edward C. Martin, County Extension Director, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona

Jianghong Meng, Professor and Director, Joint Institute for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, University of Maryland

Gretchen Neisler, Director, Center for Global Connections, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University

Jack Odle, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Animal Science, NC State University

J. Mike Phillips, Department Head and Professor, Plant & Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mississippi State University

Carlos A. Risco, Chair and Professor, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida

Christina Sherry, Medical Science Liaison, Scientific and Medical Affairs, Abbott Nutrition

Scott Steinmaus, Department Head Horticulture and Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

George Wardlow, Professor and Department Head, Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology, University of Arkansas

Alex Winter-Nelson, Director, Office of International Programs, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois

Eric Wommack, Deputy Dean & Assoc. Dean of Research and Graduate Programs, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware

Henry Zerby, Department Chair of Animal Science, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University