WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2010 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the following statement regarding the announcement that Ann Tutwiler, USDA’s Coordinator for the Global Food Security Initiative, will join the UN Food and Agriculture Organization early next year as Deputy Director General for Knowledge, the first woman to hold a Deputy Director General position in FAO’s history:
“As USDA’s Coordinator for the Global Food Security Initiative, Ann played a key role in designing and implementing the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future, and realigned USDA resources to increase access to food by accelerating sustainable agriculture sector growth. Ann was also instrumental in creating and launching the Norman Borlaug Research Initiative to align US government research on global food security and improve research collaboration to help combat global hunger.
“Ann has been a leader in global food security efforts at USDA and her considerable talents will make her an excellent addition to FAO as it continues to pursue its global food security mandate. I applaud FAO for recognizing Ann’s strong qualifications and am very pleased that she will be providing key leadership to this important international agricultural organization. Ann’s colleagues and I look forward to continuing to work with her to achieve global food security and agriculture-led economic growth as she assumes her new position as the first woman Deputy Director General of FAO since its founding in 1945.”
