USDA Foundation board member nominations deadline is April 28, 2014 by 5 PM ET
The C-FARE
Board is invited to submit names of agricultural and applied economists employed
by industry, non-profit, and or academic institutions who are qualified to
govern the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research according to the Board
responsibilities and FFAR mission and goals outlined below. Please note, the nominees are not
required to be in industry, but
must be nominated by someone in industry. C-FARE will work with industry contacts
to submit the nominations.
C-FARE
Deadline: Wednesday, April 23 by 11:59 PM
ET.
To
submit nominations, please ask the nominee for the following:
I. If
they are not a member of industry, please indicate who from industry is willing
to nominate them in addition to the
information below.
II. If they are a
member of industry, they only
need to provide the following:
·
Contact
information—Name, position,
institution/company, email, phone number.
·
Biographical
sketch—Paragraph form,
no longer than two pages. Please emphasize skills and experience related to tech
transfer, work with industry, understanding of USDA REE (and NSF) programs,
emerging needs for ag sector, mentorship (next gen. mentorship), and ability to
manage innovative and visionary research programs.
·
(Not required, but
recommended) Foundation Board Experience—State any
experience related to Foundation Board grant management (300 words).
·
Statement of
Qualifications—Please emphasize
the ability to identify the emerging needs for the ag sector, student and
professional development program involvement, and ability to manage
organizations to implement visionary action.
Of
Notable Importance
USDA
Summary of Industry Board Member Responsibilities: The
Foundation's Board will be responsible for governing the organization and
ensuring it succeeds in its mission. To that end the Board members will oversee
the mission and operation of the Foundation, including: Approving programs and
monitoring their effectiveness, coordinating Foundation activities with federal
research programs, awarding grants, and ensuring financial solvency and raising
resources.
FFAR
Board Appointment Process: The initial Board is to be appointed
by the ex-officio
board members designated in the statute. The ex-officio members are: The Secretary
of Agriculture, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and
Economics, the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service, the Director
of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Director of the
National Science Foundation. The nominees
are not required to be in industry, but must be nominated by someone in
industry.
USDA
Deadline: April 28, 2014
by 5 PM ET.
Letters
of Support: Congressional Affairs, Research,
Education, and Economics, Room 214-W, Whitten Building, United States Department
of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250-0321, fax
number 202-260-8786, email FFAR@usda.gov.
Background
Information on FFAR:
Summary:
In accordance with Sec. 7601 of Pub. L. 113-79, the United States Department of
Agriculture announces solicitation for nominations to fill 15 vacancies on the Foundation for
Food and Agricultural Research. Seven (7) representatives are to be selected from lists of
candidates provided by industry.*
*Eight
(8) representatives are
to be selected from a list of candidates provided by the National Academy of
Sciences in a separate process (C-FARE/AAEA Completed Nominations on April
8).
Section 7601 of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79) created a new Foundation for Food and
Agriculture Research:
(1)
To advance the research mission of the Department by supporting agricultural
research activities focused on addressing key problems of national and
international significance
including—
(A) plant health,
production, and plant products;
(B) animal health,
production, and products;
(C) food safety,
nutrition, and health;
(D) renewable
energy, natural resources, and the environment;
(E) agricultural and
food security;
(F) agriculture
systems and technology; and
(G) agriculture
economics and rural communities; and
(2)
to foster collaboration with agricultural researchers from
the Federal Government, State (as defined in section 1404 of the National
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) governments, institutions of higher education
(as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C,
1001)), industry, and nonprofit organizations.
In
general, the Foundation shall:
(A) Award grants to, or enter into
contracts, memoranda of understanding, or cooperative agreements with,
scientists and entities, which may include agricultural research agencies in the
Department, university consortia, public-private partnerships, institutions of
higher education, nonprofit organizations, and industry, to efficiently and
effectively advance the goals and priorities of the
Foundation;
(B) in consultation with the Secretary—(i)
identify existing and proposed Federal intramural and extramural research and
development programs relating to the purposes of the Foundation described in
subsection (c); and (ii) coordinate Foundation activities with those programs so
as to minimize duplication of existing efforts and to avoid conflicts;
(C) identify unmet and emerging agricultural research
needs after reviewing the roadmap for agricultural research,
education, and extension authorized by section 7504 of the Food, Conservation,
and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7614a);
(D) facilitate technology transfer and release of
information and data gathered from the activities of the
Foundation to the agricultural research community;
(E) promote and encourage the development of the next
generation of agricultural research scientists; and
(F) carry out such other activities as the
Board determines to be consistent with the purposes of the
Foundation.
