Dr. Donald Nkrumah Joins FFAR Board of Directors

November 21, 2022

WASHINGTON (November 21, 2022) – The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is honored to announce that Dr. Donald Nkrumah, vice president of global genetics and precision animal health at Zoetis, Inc., is joining the FFAR Board of Directors.

Dr. Donald Nkrumah is an esteemed leader of animal and agricultural biotechnology R&D,” said FFAR Board Chairman Dr. Mark Keenum. “His decades of overseeing agricultural research, as well as conducting his own pioneering research, and his alignment with FFAR’s mission make him an incredible addition to the FFAR Board of Directors. Mark E. Keenum, Ph.D.
Chair, FFAR Board of Directors
President
Mississippi State University

At Zoetis, Inc., Nkrumah leads genetics and precision animal health R&D efforts, where he oversees teams of animal scientists, bioinformaticians, artificial intelligence data scientists and molecular and computational geneticists who are focused on new product innovation in precision livestock farming.

Today, we know that agricultural production based on the use of conventional farming tools and technologies to steadily drive productivity growth usually results in significant costs to both producers and the environment,” said Dr. Nkrumah. “Application of data and analytics through precision agriculture is revolutionizing how farmers use advanced insights to attain optimal productivity and profitability growth whilst significantly minimizing their environmental footprint. Donald Nkrumah, MBA-Ph.D.
Senior Program Officer, Animal Nutrition
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Before joining Zoetis, Inc., Nkrumah served as the senior program officer for animal production at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was previously associate director of livestock genetics and genomics research and product development at Pfizer Animal Health (now Zoetis). Nkrumah also previously worked as a senior research scientist for livestock genetics and genomics at Merial Limited (now Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH). He also previously studied and conducted livestock research at the University of Alberta Bovine Genomics Laboratory in Edmonton, the University of Bristol Vet School, and the Sasakawa Center for Agricultural Extension Education at the University of Cape Coast. Nkrumah has co-authored many publications and five patents in various livestock genetics and genomics matters.

Nkrumah holds a bachelor’s degree in general agricultural science from the University of Cape Coast, a master’s degree in meat science and technology from the University of Bristol, and a doctorate degree in animal science from the University of Alberta. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University. He recently completed an Executive Leadership Program through McKinsey & Company.

We are honored to have Dr. Nkrumah join the FFAR Board of Directors,” said FFAR Executive Director Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin. “His robust knowledge of animal genomics, bioinformatics, animal nutrition and environmentally sustainable animal production will provide an important perspective to FFAR’s research. Saharah Moon Chapotin, Ph.D.
Executive Director

###

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement USDA’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Connect: @FoundationFAR