The President's Blog

Thank you for your greetings over the past several weeks. I have enjoyed an incredible first week at the World Food Prize Foundation and am grateful for the welcome received here in Iowa and around the world. I am truly honored to be assuming the role as president, and I applaud the contributions and successes of the Foundation over the past many years. My first order of business is to maintain the momentum and extend the impact of WFPF. 

In December, I spent several weeks on the road to ensure a prompt start to my tenure. During that time, I met with some of our donors, partners and advisors. In meetings with the stellar WFPF staff, I learned more about program priorities and opportunities to evolve the work of the Foundation. Gaining insight and feedback from the WFPF community is critically important to me as we start our journey to develop the next era of the organization. 

In the weeks ahead, I will learn more about our programs and operations, and will keep gathering feedback. I plan to visit with many of our valued partners around the world and here in Iowa to hear the ideas about how the World Food Prize Foundation can deliver an even greater impact in the future. I will use your input, and our own strategic priorities, to shape a comprehensive strategic plan for the Foundation.  

The Foundation is committed to engaging the global leadership and today’s youth in achieving food security, while also supporting and recognizing innovators in agriculture and the food system. We will continue to encourage youth around the world to enter and stay in agriculture in order to feed the world. I believe that key stakeholders must address the tough issues and work collaboratively, if we are going to achieve global food security while protecting our most valuable resources. My tenure will be marked by several principles I hold dear:

• Engage diverse points of view and allow for open, constructive debate on the critical issues;
• Identify shared priorities and opportunities for collaboration to achieve faster results; and
• Communicate results, solicit feedback and be open to changes and adjustments along the way.

Many have asked me why I took this job. My answer is simple: This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to extend Dr. Norman E. Borlaug’s mission by honoring the work of those feeding the world and a unique opportunity to support youth and young professionals in the mission of eliminating global hunger. I am committed to examining the most pressing agriculture and food systems challenges, highlighting important progress every year and bringing diverse stakeholders together to drive greater impact. 

Let me close by thanking Ambassador Kenneth Quinn for his dedication and commitment to building the World Food Prize Foundation to be the organization it is today. I appreciate his gracious support of me during the past several months during our leadership transition. 

I look forward to working with the WFPF community to map the Foundation’s next era that hopefully will contribute even more to Dr. Borlaug’s mission of ending world hunger on the face of the Earth.