Saturday, April 21, 2018

MSU prez to lead BIFAD board


STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum has been designated chairman of the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD) by President Donald J. Trump, according to the White House. BIFAD was created in 1975 under Title XII (Famine Prevention and Freedom from Hunger) of the Foreign Assistance Act. The board’s mission is to draw on higher education’s scientific knowledge to advise America’s international assistance efforts. The president appoints BIFAD’s members, primarily academics with expertise in global food security and world hunger. Prior to becoming MSU president, Keenum was appointed Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture by President George W. Bush in 2000. In 2014, he was appointed to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) under President Barack Obama; and unanimously elected to chair its board in 2017. Keenum began his career at MSU as a faculty member with the Extension Service and the Department of Agricultural Economics. He went on to serve as chief of staff to former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). (Source: MSU 04/20/18)

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