Leadership

The Initiative is led by cochairs Catherine Bertini, former executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, and Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Catherine Ann Bertini is a professor of public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She previously served as UN under secretary-general for management (2003-05) and as executive director of the UN World Food Program, the world's largest international humanitarian aid agency (1992-2002). She was credited with assisting hundreds of millions of victims of wars and natural disasters throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Before serving in the UN, Ms. Bertini was USDA assistant secretary for food and consumer services where she ran the nation's $33 billion domestic food assistance programs.


Dan Glickman is a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, based in Washington, DC. He previously served as chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Prior to joining the MPAA in September 2004, Mr. Glickman was the director of the Institute of Politics located at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government (August 2002-August 2004). Mr. Glickman served as the U.S. secretary of agriculture from March 1995 until January 2001. Before his appointment as secretary of agriculture, Mr. Glickman served for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Kansas' 4th Congressional District. During that time, he served as a member of the House Agriculture Committee.

The Advisory Group provides leadership, strategic oversight and guidance for all project activities.

• Doug Bereuter, former member, U.S. House of Representatives
• John Carlin, visiting professor and executive-in-residence, Kansas State University
• Wendy J. Chamberlin, president, Middle East Institute
• Jason Clay, Senior Vice President, Markets, World Wildlife Fund
• Gordon Conway, professor of International Development, Imperial College London
• Gebisa Ejeta, distinguished professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Purdue University
• Mark E. Keenum, president, Mississippi State University
• Jo Luck, president & CEO, Heifer International
• Earl Pomeroy, former member, U.S. House of Representatives
• Kenneth M. Quinn, president, The World Food Prize Foundation
• Paul Schickler, president, Pioneer Hi-Bred
• Ritu Sharma, co-founder and president, Women Thrive Worldwide
• Robert L. Thompson, professor emeritus of Agriculture Policy, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Ann Veneman, former executive director, United Nations Children’s Fund and former secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Joachim von Braun, director, Center for Development Research, University of Bonn
• Derek Yach, senior vice president, Global Health & Agriculture Policy, PepsiCo

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