A newly created External Advisory Committee for International Programs in the College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois will provide feedback on ACES international activities and offer advice and support to develop partnerships and identify external opportunities. 

“I feel extremely fortunate that these board members agreed to give their extremely valuable time to serve on this committee. The collective experience and expertise of this group is remarkable, and the international programs of ACES stand to gain a great deal from the committee’s input,” said Alex Winter-Nelson, associate dean of international programs for the College of ACES.

The committee convened in early April to review its purpose, become familiar with current programs of ACES International, and to discuss and provide initial reflections. The distinguished members include:

• Dr. Jimmy Smith, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute
• Dr. Robert Zeigler, Director General Emeritus of the International Rice Research Institute
• Mark Richardson, Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain at OSI Group
• Dr. Usha Barwale Zehr, Director & Chief Technology Officer of Mahyco Seeds
• Dr. Sam Eathington, Chief Science Officer of The Climate Corporation
• Dr. Earl Kellogg, Professor Emeritus and Associate Provost of the University of Illinois

At the conclusion of the first meeting, the committee submitted a report of reflections and recommendations. 

“The committee was able to distill some very important impressions about our international programs in a limited amount of time.  This initial meeting was just the beginning of our interaction and it established the willingness and ability of this group to focus its expertise on helping us take international programs to a higher level,” said Winter-Nelson.

The external advisory board will reconvene annually and will remain involved remotely in the meantime.