Our Board of Directors

Our distinguished board of directors includes voting members as well as ex-officio members designated by Congress. The board of directors guides our strategy and organizational governance. The ex-officio board positions support our close partnerships with the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Appointed Board Members

Kyle Bridgeforth

Kyle Bridgeforth

Co-Owner/Operator
Bridgeforth Farms
Doug Buhler headshot

Doug Buhler, Ph.D.

Vice Chair, FFAR Board of Directors
Associate Vice President, MSU Office of Research and Innovation,
Michigan State University
Doug Cameron, Ph.D.

Doug Cameron, Ph.D.

Technology Investor and Advisor
Joe Del Bosque

Joe Del Bosque

Owner
Del Bosque Farms
David Donnan

David Donnan

Business Leader and Adjunct Professor
Northwestern University
Dan Glickman headshot

Hon. Dan Glickman

Board Chair Emeritus, Past Chair, FFAR Board of Directors
Executive Director, Congressional Program Aspen Institute
Krysta Harden headshot

Krysta Harden

President and CEO
U.S. Dairy Export Council
Denise Heard headshot

Denise Heard, DVM, MAM, ACPV

Vice President, Research Programs
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association
Mark E. Keenum

Mark E. Keenum, Ph.D.

Chair, FFAR Board of Directors
President
Mississippi State University
Venkata Kishore

Venkata Kishore, MBA-Ph.D.

Vice President and Head of Smallholders and Sustainability – Vegetable Seeds
Bayer Crop Science
Michael Ladisch, Ph.D.

Michael R. Ladisch, Ph.D.

Director of the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering; Distinguished Professor
Purdue University
Carolyn Lawrence Dill headshot

Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences,
Colorado State University
Chris Mallett headshot

Chris Mallett, D.Phil.

Treasurer, FFAR Board of Directors
Retired, Corporate Vice President, Research and Development
Cargill, Inc.
Pam Marrone headshot

Pam Marrone, Ph.D.

Co-founder & Executive Chair,
Invasive Species Corporation and Invasive Species Research Institute;
CEO and Founder,
Chestnut Bio Advisors
Ben Noble

Ben Noble

Executive Vice President and COO
Riceland Foods, Inc.

Donald Nkrumah, MBA-Ph.D.

Senior Program Officer, Animal Nutrition
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Stanley Prusiner, M.D.

Professor of Neurology and Director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
University of California, San Francisco
Danita Rodibaugh headshot

Danita Rodibaugh

Secretary, FFAR Board of Directors
Farmer, Rodibaugh & Sons
Polly Ruhland

Polly Ruhland

Chief Executive Officer
United Soybean Board
Alton Thompson, Ph.D.

Alton Thompson, Ph.D.

Executive Director
Association of 1890 Research Directors

Ex Officio Board Members

Tom Vilsack

Tom Vilsack

Ex-Officio, Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Chavonda Jacobs-Young

Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D.

Administrator
U.S. Department of Agriculture-Research, Education,& Economics

Susan Marqusee, Ph.D., M.D.

Assistant Director
Directorate for Biological Sciences – National Science Foundation
Manjit Misra, Ph.D.

Manjit Misra, Ph.D.

Director
U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Simon Liu headshot

Simon Liu, Ph.D.

Acting Administrator, Agricultural Research Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Founding Board Members

Dr. Nancy Creamer

2014 - 2024

Dr. Kathryn Boor

2014 - 2022

Dr. Deborah Delmer

2014 - 2022

Dr. Rob Horsch

2014 - 2020

Pamela Johnson

Board Vice Chair
2014 - 2018

Dr. Terry McElwain

2014 - 2022

Dr. Yehia ‘Mo’ Saif

2014 - 2019