Board of Trustees

Dr. Rodney D. Cooke Mr. Andrés Casas Dr. Linley Chiwona-Karltun Mr. Jim Eckles Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime Mr. Esteban Chong Dr. Barbara Wells Dr. Jorge Luis Maicelo Quintana Dr. Helen Hambly Odame

Dr. Rodney D. Cooke is currently Board Chair of CIP, and works as an independent consultant in agriculture and rural development. He served as Director of IFAD’s Policy and Technical Advisory Division (PTA) since 2000. IFAD is an International Financial Institution and a Specialized United Nations Agency whose mission is to enable poor rural people to overcome poverty. Its main objective is to provide direct funding and to mobilize additional resources for programs designed to promote the economic advancement of the rural poor. From 1995-2000 Dr. Cooke was Director of CTA (ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, Wageningen, The Netherlands), whose programs reflect and respond to ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) needs. He has also served as Deputy Director NRI (Natural Resources Institute, Chatham, UK), Head of Natural Resource Management Division (1992-1995) and as Deputy Director NRI, Head of Finance and Central Services Division, including leader of Marketing Group (1989-1992).

Dr. Cooke obtained his BSc. In Biochemistry and his PhD. in Protein Chemistry and Enzymology from Bristol University, UK. He was a Visiting Scientist (plant biochemistry) at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, in 1970.

His key expertise is in institutional appraisal, corporate planning and management of change; project identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; R&D management and technology transfer and training programmes. His experience includes short and long-term assignments in Latin America, Africa, India and S-E Asia.

Andrés Casas, Agronomist (Perú) is Professor at Univ. Nac. Agraria La Molina (UNALM) since 1979. He has been Head of the Vegetable Research Center (1990 – 1995) and Head of the Department of Horticulture (2009 – 2011), both of UNALM. He obtained his B.S. in Agronomy from Univ. Nac. Agraria La Molina and his M. S. in Vegetable Crops from Univ. of California at Davis. He is working in vegetable crops production and post harvest handling. Main areas of research are native vegetables germplasm evaluation, asparagus production and post harvest handling, production technology in peppers, onions, artichoke and cucurbits (plant density, fertilization, irrigation). He has published several research papers and bulletins. He has been President of the Sociedad Peruana en Horticultura (Peruvian Society in Horticulture) participating in the organization of local meeting and international symposia related to vegetable crops (asparagus, peppers, artichoke).

Dr. Chiwona-Karltun´s (Sweden/Malawi) training includes a PhD in International Health from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition from Uppsala University, Sweden and a Bachelor´s degree in Food Nutrition and Institutional Management from East Carolina University, USA.

Dr. Chiwona-Karltun is currently serving as a lecturer and research fellow at The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Sweden since 2002. Dr. Chiwona-Karltun conducts multidisciplinary research that include food safety and food security with particular focus on complementary food-feed-energy systems that are central to rural and urban Africa populations in achieving good nutritional and health outcomes. She has published peer-review papers, book chapters, teaching materials, popular science, media debates, conference papers, and is currently editing a book. Dr. Chiwona-Karltun has also served at the International Foundation for Science (IFS) as a Scientific Coordinator and trainer in partnership with the African Women in Agriculture Research and Development (AWARD 2008-2010).

Additionally, Dr. Chiwona-Karltun serves in several national and international managing and advisory boards of scientific, government, social and economic organizations. For example, she is a member of the AMBIO a journal of the Human Environment and The African Nutrition Society. Dr. Chiwona-Karltun is the co-founder of the Chinangwa ndi Mbatata Roots and Tubers Enterprise (CMRTE) in Malawi that has membership of over 3000 farmers and more than 80% are women. Dr. Chiwona-Karltun is also a founding member of The African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora-Europe (AAAPD) and The Network of African European Women Scientists (NAWES). Dr. Chiwona-Karltun is involved in social entrepreneurial activities that include empowering Africans interested in farming and agribusiness with capabilities that enable them to positively affect their livelihood trajectories. For example, Women in Agribusiness Sub-Saharan Africa Alliance (WASAA) and Market Matters Incorporated (MMInc). Dr. Chiwona-Karltun has recently received scientific recognitions as an African Agricultural Role Model by the Modernizing African Food Systems Consortium (MAFS). Dr. Chiwona-Karltun was born and raised in Malawi and has been living and working in Sweden for the last twenty-six years.

Jim Eckles (USA) joined the CIP board of trustees in 2015. He is currently a partner in the agribusiness consulting company “The Context Network” where he manages projects around the world for organizations involved in agriculture. He is responsible for the Context business in Latin America (www.contextnet.com).

Eckles has worked close to agriculture for 40 years. His experience includes farming in Belize and managing businesses for multinational companies such as Cargill, ICI and Zeneca. He managed seed companies in both Mexico and Brazil. He was highly involved in the early development of agricultural biotechnology through the 1990s. He has been a management consultant to agribusiness since 2000.

Eckles is an expert at strategy, business development and implementing alliances between organizations. He has established and managed many development collaborations with academic and scientific organizations and is skilled in technology licensing. He is a certified M&A advisor.
Eckles has a degree in Anthropology from the University of Texas and a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University. In addition to English, he speaks Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.

Her Excellency Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, until early 201 7 has been the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission (AUC).

Prior to holding this post, she held several senior positions in the Government of the Republic of Uganda including Commissioner of Agricultural Planning, and Commissioner for Women in Development.

Mrs. Tumusiime holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, a Masters degree in Economics, Planning and Managing Rural Development, and a Diploma in Women and Development.

Throughout her career, she has demonstrated leadership and championed causes such as Women’s empowerment, poverty eradication, sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, strategic planning and partnership building, among others.

Her portfolio at the African Union covered multiple ministerial sectors ranging from crop agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, land and water, environment, climate change, disaster risk reduction to rural development.

She did mobilize and closely worked with other Pan African Institutions and Development Partner Agencies in the above areas to secure and provide support to the African Union member states.

Her efforts have yielded increased responses in the framework of the comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme (CAADP) and other AU flagship programmes for priority setting for agriculture.

Further, she spearheaded the coordination of Africa’s preparations for global climate change negotiations and the formulation of a continent wide climate change strategy in addition to steering Africa’s preparation of the Disaster Reduction Action Plan in line with the global Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015.

Her expertise and experience as well as commitment have won her a number of key positions on regional and international organizations, such as membership of the high level Advisory Panel of UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction), Advisory Board of EXPO 2015 dedicated to the theme: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, Governing Board of the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC), Chair of the Governing Council of the African Fertiliser Financing

Mechanism (AFFM), Board member of GAIN, member of the Global Panel on Nutrition, among others.

In April 201 7, Rhoda Tumusiime was named as the New African Woman in Agriculture.

Esteban Chong (Peru) is Certified Public Accountant graduated from the Universidad del Pacifico. He holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a DipIFRS from the ACCA. He is a Professor of Accounting at the Universidad del Pacifico where he is also Chairman of the Admission Council. He was a member of the Advisory Committees of the Business and Accounting School and the Graduate School in Auditing. Former Vice-Dean of Accounting at Universidad del Pacifico.

Retired Territory Senior Partner in PwC for Peru and Bolivia. Previously he was the Head of Assurance for Peru, Risk Management Partner for Peru and Bolivia and a Member of the Regional Oversight Board where he was Chairman of the Partners’ Admission Committee. He has over 35 years experience leading audit engagements for a wide range of industries, including consumer products, mining and services.

He is currently Member of the Board of Procapitales, KR Agrícola, KR Proyectos and Inmobiliaria Los Alerces. He has been Vice-President of CONFIEP, the main Peruvian association of privately-owned companies, member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Peru, Asociación Invirtiendo en el Peru – inPeru and was the former President of the Peruvian Institute of Independent Auditors – IPAI

Dr. Wells is a seasoned senior executive with extensive domestic and international leadership and management expertise. She has over 30 years of experience in developing commercial, technical and regulatory strategies for the launch of conventional seed and seedling products and products of renewable energy, crop protection and plant technology in agricultural and forestry markets throughout the world. She has a Ph.D., Agronomy/Weed Science, Oregon State University, MS, Plant Pathology/Nematology, and BS with Honors, Horticulture, University of Arizona.

Her previous post was Vice President Global Strategy, Agrivida, Inc., a firm that develops feed-stocks for the production of biofuels and bio-products from non-food agricultural residues and dedicated biomass crops. This was preceded as President of BHW Enterprises, a company specialized in providing consulting services in agriculture and renewable energy. From 2002 to 2012 she was President and Chief Executive Officer of ArborGen, Inc., a global forestry tree seedling, and tree breeding business. She led the transformation of the organization from a tissue culture start-up company to a fully operational business with over $30 million in revenues, and commercial sales of over 250 million tree seedlings. Prior to joining ArborGen, Dr. Wells was Vice President responsible for growth initiatives and investments in Latin America for Emergent Genetics, an agricultural investment firm.

In her early career, she worked in field product development with Monsanto where she moved from a scientific representative role to the leader of the development team across the world for many crops: tree crops, fruits and nuts, cotton, and others. Throughout her career, Dr. Wells and has worked with farmers and applied her science to improve the productivity of the farmer, framing science for applied solutions at the farmer level.

Dr. Wells has spent a large part of her life outside of the USA. She grew up in Peru and Bolivia, was based in Brazil for several years and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. Her move to CIP corresponds with her ambition to improve the livelihoods of the world’s poor farmers, and to drive forwards the mission of CIP in rural development.

Jorge Maicelo Quintana is the Head of Peru’s National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), where he oversees national efforts to manage innovation and agrobiodiversity for farmers through the development of sustainable technologies.

Dr. Maicelo has more than 30 years of experience in the field of agriculture and development. Prior to becoming the Head of INIA in July 2019, he held various senior leadership roles in public sector organizations and ministries. Between 2007 and 2014, he served as Director of the graduate school at the National University Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza (UNTRM) and Executive Director for the Research Institute for Sustainable Development of the Andean Amazon (INDES-CES). In 2018, he was nominated as Deputy Minister for Development and Agricultural Infrastructure and Irrigation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

He holds a master’s degree in agricultural technology and a PhD in sustainable agriculture from the National Agricultural University La Molina (UNALM), Peru. As part of his graduate studies, he completed programs on agroecosystem analysis at Iowa State University, biotechnology at the University of Wisconsin, production systems at the University of Gottingen, and economic development at Obihiro University.

Professor Helen Hambly Odame joined the CIP Board of Trustees in 2020. She currently works in the Ontario Agricultural College of the University of Guelph, where she has been an Associate Professor in the Capacity Development and Extension program since 2003.

Broadly defined, her research traverses information, knowledge and communication in agricultural and rural innovation systems, supporting innovation among farmers and other stakeholders. Dr Hambly currently leads Canada’s largest research project focused on agricultural and rural broadband infrastructure, Regional and Rural Broadband, and is a member of research teams addressing climate-smart soils, digital agriculture and rural resilience.

Dr Hambly has worked for more than 30 years experience in international agricultural research, communication and capacity development. Prior to joining the University of Guelph, she has worked at the CGIAR, World Bank, United Nations and the International Development Research Centre. Between 2012 and 2018, Dr Hambly also served as the Chair of the Independent Steering Committee of the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas.

Hambly has also served as vice president at Farm Radio International and Journalists for Human Rights. She is widely recognized for her longstanding training activities and gender analysis for smallholder agriculture with research networks and projects in Peru, Nepal, India and Ghana. International projects in which she participated include: Mobilizing Knowledge for Sustainable Agriculture in Sri Lanka with the University of Alberta; and rural communication and farmer field school assessments with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Dr Hambly holds a PhD in Environmental Studies from York University, Canada.