Former Director General of Bioversity International, Ann Tutwiler, has been appointed the Chair of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) Steering Committee. She joins WLE after serving as Director General of Bioversity International from 2013 to February 2019, and is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees, Bioversity International USA, Inc.
Tutwiler has nearly 30 years of experience in agricultural policy and development working in the public and private sectors. She served as Deputy Director General, Knowledge, at FAO from January 2011 through November 2012, where she coordinated the development of cohesive Rome food agency positions on Rio+20 for FAO, with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and Bioversity International.
“I am pleased to join WLE and I look forward to working with the rest of the Committee members who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge,” Tutwiler said. “This is a crucial time for WLE and its goals, as we look to enhance sustainable land, water and ecosystem management within agriculture. Innovative, sustainable solutions are needed more than ever, with increasing resource degradation and climate shocks impacting the most vulnerable and risking our food future.”
Tutwiler also worked for the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), from June 2009 to January 2011, leading and coordinating USDA’s participation in the President’s 'Feed the Future' initiative and developing USDA’s international research strategy. She has also served as Senior Advisor of International Affairs for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation from 2006 to 2009.
Tutwiler was Government Relations Director for a multinational agribusiness firm for ten years and co-founded a global think tank in agricultural trade policy.
She succeeds Johan Rockstrom, the former Executive Director of Stockholm Resilience Centre, now joint Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, and who served as WLE Chair until 2018.
“Ann joins at a crucial time for WLE, as global recognition of the need to invest in a transition towards sustainability in agriculture is growing. We are grateful to Johan for taking WLE so far,” said WLE Program Director Izabella Koziell. “Over the next two years, WLE will concentrate on pulling together all that we know of how to make this transition over for a better agriculture future.”
Also joining the WLE ISC are Diane Holdorf, Sasha Koo-Oshima, and Jo Puri. Holdorf is Managing Director of Food and Nature at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Koo-Oshima is currently the Deputy Director of Land and Water Division at the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). Puri is the Head of the Independent Evaluation Unit for the Green Climate Fund in Korea and was previously the Deputy Executive Director and Head of Evaluation at the International Initiative of Impact Evaluation (3ie).
“Diane and Sasha bring a wealth of experience and wisdom,” noted Koziell. “I should also point out how inspiring it is to see seven strong women serving on our Committee!”
View the WLE steering and management committee, as well as the program team. Follow new WLE ISC Chair Ann Tutwiler on Twitter: @AnnTutwiler