2021 World Food Day Program Booklet

World Food Day 2021 | A Virtual Interactive Program

Our ACTIONS are our

FUTURE

Program Speakers Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., is the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) Dean and Director of Land-Grant Programs. D’Souza assumed this role on July 1, 2018 after serving as Director of the Division of Resource Economics and Management at West Virginia University.

He completed his Ph.D. at Mississippi State University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Paraguay, a visiting scholar in Costa Rica and at the Wallace Institute, Greenbelt, MD. D’Souza had sabbatical appointments at universities in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. His research emphasizes sustainable development with an emphasis on the role of niche agricultural products within the context of natural, financial, and human capital development. Dr. D’Souza acknowledges that taking the college to the next level will require strategy, dedication, investment, and a cutting-edge learning environment for students.

Brian Rowland the 11th Mayor of Prairie View, Texas in which he has served 11 years on Prairie View City Council, Position #1. Brian is the Managing Principal for Visionary Leadership, LLC. Visionary Leadership is a consulting company specializing in business development and organizational leadership; providing organizational training on cultural competency, equity and inclusion, and leadership development strategies. He is a Registered Representative with Voya Financial Advisors Inc. and Rowland Financial and as has been in the financial services industry for 15 years. Mayor Rowland brings more than 20 years of experience in community organizing, social justice advocacy, and leadership solutions in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He has a state, regional and national reputation for outstanding leadership and community involvement. He was an instrumental force in the successful restoration of the Prairie View A&M students’ right to vote, a nationally recognized court case.

Mayor Rowland has received local and national recognition/awards for his work on social justice and advocacy including the Young Champions of Justice Award from the Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights, Texas NAACP State Conference Torchbearer Award, and the YMCA of Greater Houston Minority Achiever’s Award. He is determined to achieve professional and personal growth as he strives to impact the future of Texas and this country. Rowland works through numerous community affiliations throughout the state of Texas and nationally such as the, Texas State Conference for NAACP Branches (Membership Chair & Co- Chair Economic Development), Texas State Association of African American Chamber of Commerce (Fmr. Vice Chair & Secretary), Texas Association of Black City Council Members (Vice President), Boy Scouts of America Troop 1906 (Assistant Scoutmaster ), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.-Epsilon Tau Lambda (President Emeritus), Prairie View Chamber of Commerce ( President Emeritus), and Prairie View Volunteer Fire Department (Fmr.Board Member). Mayor Rowland received a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Tarleton State University, a Masters of Community Development (M.CD), a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A&M University.

Jocelyn Brown Hall is the Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office for North America based in Washington, DC. Prior to this role, she served as the Deputy Regional Representative for the FAO Regional Office for Africa, where she oversaw 47 FAO country offices and guided strategy and communications around food security, agriculture, climate change, agrifood trade, animal and plant health, among other topics. She has also served as the FAO Representative for Ghana, where she worked with ministries of agriculture, fisheries, social protection and trade on advancing issues such as healthy school meals, rehabilitating lands contaminated by illegal mining, sustainable aquaculture and fish smoking, and digitalization of agriculture data. Before joining FAO, Jocelyn was Deputy Administrator in the Foreign Agricultural Service, where she led the USDA’s USD $2 billion food and technical assistance programs in low- and middle-income countries. She oversaw the world’s largest international school meals program, serving over 4 million school children globally, and numerous fellowship programs that served tens and thousands of agriculturalists. She also served as the lead expert on USDA’s technical relationship with international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, and various international research centers.

US Ambassador Eric M. Bost (ret.) is the Interim Director of the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development at Texas A&M University AgriLife Research.

The Institute is a university-based organization dedicated to helping small-holder farmers out of poverty and hunger through agricultural science. The Institute has worked in over 45 countries world- wide in its four-decade old history. As Interim Director, he directs and provides leadership to all aspects of the organization including international development programs, budget and fiscal oversite and international training. He has also served as Texas A&M’s Vice President for Global Initiatives, overseeing international programs that led to formal research, teaching or exchange agreements with more than 125 institutions in over 45 countries. In July 2006, Bost was appointed by the President of the United States as Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, leading one of the largest United States embassies in the world and the largest United States embassy on the continent of Africa.

He directed the largest overseas health related program operated by the United States government, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Prior to serving as Ambassador, he was appointed in 2001 as the United States Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Service, responsible for the leadership and administration of 15 domestic nutrition assistance programs.

From August 1997 to June 2001, Ambassador Bost served as Commissioner and CEO of the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS) where he oversaw an annual budget of $5 billion and 18,000 employees in more than 500 statewide offices. Bost has traveled to more than 143 countries and delivered policy presentations to the Bundestag (Germany), Knesset (Israel) and the Great Hall of the People (China) just to name a few.

Ambassador Bost has spoken on over 100 university campuses world-wide. He has been interviewed by several news organizations: newspapers, radio, and television stations, both domestically and world-wide.

Bost graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a graduate degree from the University of South Florida. Ambassador Eric M. Bost is a recipient of the Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service.

Cindy Long was appointed as Administrator of USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) on Sept. 13, 2021. Ms. Long previously served as the Deputy Administrator for FNS Child Nutrition Programs. She was responsible for all aspects of federal administration of the child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. In this role she has led FNS’ implementation of the most significant restructuring of these programs in a decade. Ms. Long has also served FNS in other roles, including leadership of FNS regional offices and research and analysis initiatives in support of domestic nutrition assistance programs.

She has vast experience in budget and appropriations issues, including several years with the Office of Management and Budget. She also has extensive experience in the private and nonprofit sectors. Ms. Long has a MPA in public policy and economics from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and a BA in economics from the University of Notre Dame. She has received numerous recognitions and awards, including multiple USDA Honor Awards.

Jenna Anding is currently a Professor and Extension Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. A registered and licensed dietitian, Dr. Anding holds a BS degree in Agricultural Education and MS and Ph.D. degrees in Nutrition from Texas A&M University.

Jenna has been employed by Texas AgriLife Extension Service for more than 20 years; during this time, she has developed educational programs on topics that include food preservation, food safety, and nutrition. She has also secured more than $50 million dollars in contracts, grants, and gifts to support AgriLife Extension programming efforts which include the Better Living for Texans (BLT) SNAP-Ed program. This program serves limited-resource audiences and provides the education and skills to individuals and families that enable them to improve their diets, adopt targeted skills that improve their food security and increase their access to healthier foods. More recently Anding has expanded her work to include helping communities adopt PSE (policies, systems and environmental change) to address healthy food access and opportunities for increasing physical activity.

Noel M. Estwick, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Agribusiness in the Prairie View A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Human Sciences’ Nutrition and Human Ecology program. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy from Texas Southern University. His research interests include improving the emergency management process, especially among underserved populations and persons with functional and access needs. In 2017, he participated in the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) Division of Family and Consumer Sciences Visiting Scholar Program. The program advances collaboration between NIFA and its Land-Grant University (LGU) partners. As a Visiting Scholar, Estwick explored the needs for increasing participation of 1890 LGUs in the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and now leads the 1890-EDEN Advisory Group.

Ali Fares, Ph.D., is an expert in water-energy-food nexus, water security, and climate change impacts on agriculture, natural resources, and the environment. He contributed to Florida’s citrus nitrogen best management practices, Hawaii’s water use allocation, bioenergy mandate, and Texas’s future crop irrigation requirements under climate change scenarios. He received $ 27 million to fund his research. He is the Editor of several books: Climate Change and Extreme Events, Advances in Water Security Book Series. He provided an analysis on sugarcane water allocation for the County of Maui, Hawaii and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on the Nā Wai’ Ehā landmark case adjudicated by Hawaii Supreme Court. He is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, and the co-recipient of several national awards.

Prof. Fares received his PhD and MS Degrees from the University of Florida and BS in Engineering from Tunisia.

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