Fw: Chairman Lincoln's Statement on the Appointment of Dr. Roger N.Beachy, Ph.D. as Director for the new National Institute of Food andAgriculture at USDA

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From: "Lincoln, Lincoln Communications (Lincoln)"
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:15:33 -0500
Subject: Chairman Lincoln's Statement on the Appointment of Dr. Roger N. Beachy, Ph.D. as Director for the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture at USDA

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2009

Contact: Katie Laning Niebaum, Leah Vest DiPietro

(202) 224-4843

 

 

 

Chairman Lincoln's Statement on the Appointment of Dr. Roger N. Beachy, Ph.D. as Director for the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture

 

Washington – The Honorable Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today issued the following statement on the appointment by President Barack Obama of Dr. Roger N. Beachy, Ph.D. as Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

 

"I look forward to working with Dr. Beachy as he leads the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  He is internationally known for his groundbreaking research on developing virus-resistant plants through biotechnology, and his leadership of the Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center in St. Louis, Missouri, has prepared him well for this new position," stated Chairman Lincoln. "Enhancement of our research capabilities in agriculture will have large impacts on our ability to produce the food, fiber, and fuel needed in this country and abroad, and I remain a strong supporter of these initiatives."

 

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has been established to improve the oversight, administration, and execution of competitive research grants at USDA.  NIFA will also provide enhanced support for the research, extension, and higher education programs conducted at America's land-grant universities and related institutions.  It will assume all authorities from the Cooperative State, Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and house all competitive grant programs.  NIFA was established by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008.

 

Dr. Beachy is the founding president of the not-for-profit Danforth Center. In this role, Dr. Beachy has been responsible for developing and implementing the Danforth Center's strategic direction, recruiting its staff, and formulating its research programs.  Prior to joining the Danforth Center, Dr. Beachy headed the Division of Plant Biology at The Scripps Research Institute from 1991-1998, a leading biomedical research center in La Jolla, California. Dr. Beachy was also previously a member of the Biology Department at Washington University in St. Louis from 1978 to 1991, where he was Professor and Director of the Center for Plant Science and Biotechnology.

 

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