The president of Farm Foundation is going to reture. Neil Conklin, who took office in 2008 and is the sixth person to lead Farm Foundation in its 82-year history, says he will retire effective December 2016.
“Neil has been key in fulfilling the Trustees’ goal to position the Foundation as the leader in helping public and private-sector leaders address the critical issues that are shaping the future today,” said Mark S. Scholl, Chairman of the Farm Foundation Board of Trustees. “He has staunchly protected the Foundation’s position of non-advocacy.
“But as Neil so often says, non-advocacy does not mean no action,” Scholl continued. “Under Neil’s leadership, the Foundation’s work has addressed such varied topics as food prices, global trade, conservation, renewable energy, agricultural productivity, and now, the Soil Renaissance. Neil has kept the focus on the Foundation’s unique ability to help stakeholders better understand the complexity of and options to address the multitude of issues shaping the future.”
“With the challenges in agriculture and the food system today, it is both an honor and a great responsibility to lead Farm Foundation. The Foundation is a unique resource to this nation’s agriculture, food and rural sectors,” Conklin said. “I still have much I want to accomplish at the Foundation, but I felt it important to give the Trustees adequate time to find the right person to be the Foundation’s seventh President.”
A search committee is beginning the process of finding a successor.