UC Davis International Agricultural Development Program Welcomes Dr. Erin McGuire as New Executive Director
The UC Davis International Agricultural Development (IAD) Program is pleased to welcome Dr. Erin McGuire as its new Executive Director. McGuire is a graduate of the IAD Graduate Program herself and is excited to be back leading "one of the world's best international agricultural programs."
In this position, she aims to bring the UC Davis program to the forefront of global food systems work and create new connections for students, international organizations, and global universities.
"UC Davis is one of the best-positioned universities to make an impact on the Sustainable Development Goals through its best asset: students and faculty," she said. "My time in the graduate program prepared me, both topically and professionally, to do meaningful work in some of the places where it is needed most. I am very happy to continue to contribute to that success."
Priorities for the Year Ahead
McGuire will work with the broader IAD leadership and faculty to embed IAD deeper into the global food systems community, and align with organizations and practitioners doing the most important work in the field. This will include:
Connecting IAD to global leadership — launching an external advisory board drawn from the world's leading food systems organizations, research institutions, and policy bodies
Activating the alumni network — formalizing what is already one of the program's greatest assets: a global community of practitioners and researchers working across agriculture, food security, and sustainable development
Embedding students in real work — expanding partnerships with NGOs, government agencies, and research organizations to anchor the professional capstone in meaningful, field-based collaboration
Supporting a curriculum for the complex problems ahead — integrating professional skills, systems thinking, and practitioner knowledge into every stage of the program
Creating career pathways — pairing students with alumni mentors and building the professional development infrastructure to help graduates step directly into leadership roles in food systems work
Dr. McGuire was most recently the Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, where she led global agriculture and nutrition policy efforts and managed a network of 200 global scientists over 10 years. Her extensive research network spans the globe, and she brings deep experience in global food systems and sustainable agricultural innovation to the role. She also founded and leads Responsible Innovations, a network of global scientists focusing on equitable food systems solutions. She is deeply committed to nutrition, horticulture, and socially equitable outcomes. You can read more about her previous work in this New York Times article.
McGuire in 2014 as an IAD graduate student working in Ghana
If you are interested in getting involved please let us know. Fill in this intake form here, or you can email Dr. McGuire at [email protected].