PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marie K. Thompson
DATE: October 21, 2004
Dr. Peter McPherson Named IFDC’s New Board Chair
 Muscle
Shoals, AL (U.S.A.), October 21, 2004—Today IFDC’s Board of
Directors elected Dr. Peter McPherson as its new Chair. The Center’s
new Board Chair has ties to its first Chairman, Dr. John A. Hannah
in that McPherson’s grandfather nominated Dr. Hannah to be President
of Michigan State University (MSU) in 1941. Fifty-two years later
McPherson was selected as MSU’s 19th president.
This fall during MSU’s 150th anniversary celebration, McPherson
unveiled and dedicated the statue of Dr. John Hannah, the MSU
president whose leadership inspired him.
In announcing the appointment of McPherson, Dr. E. Travis York,
IFDC’s outgoing Board Chair, had this to say: “I am extremely
delighted that Peter McPherson has agreed to chair the IFDC. I have
known and worked with Peter for many years and know he will give
outstanding leadership to the Center.”
Concerning the announcement, Dr. Amit H. Roy, IFDC’s President and
Chief Executive Officer, said “On behalf of the management and staff
of IFDC, I extend a very hearty welcome to Dr. McPherson. We look
forward to his enthusiastic and dynamic leadership of our Board and
to many more years of continued progress.”
Because McPherson has had such a renowned career in international
agricultural development, academia, the financial world, and
governmental affairs, it is difficult to summarize his extensive
experience in a few pages. Even though he has served three U.S.
Presidents in various capacities and is widely respected by
politicians of both parties, this down-to-earth, soft-spoken,
unassuming man is proud of his roots. “I’m very proud of my family
history,” McPherson says. “I was born and raised on a farm near
Lowell, Michigan, which has been in my family for more than 160
years.”
McPherson’s career has taken him far from that Michigan farm to the
White House as Special Assistant to President Ford and Deputy
Director of the Presidential Personnel Office during the mid-1970s;
to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation as Chairman of the
Board during the 1980s; to the U.S. Agency for International
Development as Administrator during 1981-87; to the U.S. Treasury
Department as Deputy Secretary during 1987-89; to the Global Debt
Restructuring Administration as Executive Vice President during
1989-90; to the Bank of America as the Group Executive Vice
President of the Investment Management Group during the early 1990s;
and to Michigan State University as President from 1993 to the
present.
One detour along McPherson’s career path took him to Iraq for 5
months last year when he drew international attention by leading the
reconstruction of that nation’s economy. Never one to shy away from
a challenge, the new IFDC Board Chair brings a wealth of experience,
enthusiasm, and contacts with him.
Perhaps a venture that brings McPherson the most satisfaction is his
service as co-Chairperson of the Partnership to Cut Hunger in
Africa, whereby he is leading the effort to bring together forces to
uplift Africa. McPherson understands that “the real resource in the
developing world is the desire of people to get ahead.” He knows the
value of agriculture’s contribution to the betterment of human
welfare. In his words, “Whenever a prosperous agriculture sector
generates a dollar of income in developing countries, three dollars
of rural non-farm income are generated.” McPherson emphasizes that
the “judicious deployment of biotechnology and other improved
technologies could lead to an agricultural revolution in Africa even
more dramatic than the ‘Green Revolution’ of the mid-twentieth
century.”
Among McPherson’s honors is an award from the United Nations
Children’s Fund for “Outstanding Contribution to Child Survival.”
McPherson revealed his understanding of the value of children and
agriculture in a speech before the National Association of State
Universities and Land-Grant Colleges when he said, “Because children
are the building blocks of national development capacity, a
well-developed agriculture is thus critical to ensuring the
fundamental creativity upon which human capacity is built.”
Another of McPherson’s honors was the U.S. Presidential Certificate
of Outstanding Achievement for “continued demonstrated vision,
initiative, and leadership in efforts to achieve a world without
hunger.” The U.S. Secretary of State awarded McPherson the
Distinguished Leadership Award for his “distinguished contribution
to the development, management, and implementation of current
foreign policy.”
He has been appointed by President George W. Bush to chair the Board
for International Food and Agricultural Development. Additionally,
he chairs the Advisory Board to the Secretary of Energy. He is a
director of Dow Jones and Company, the publisher of the Wall Street
Journal.
After working his way through MSU, McPherson received a B.A. degree
in political science in 1963. During the intervening period
(1964-65) his interest in fighting world hunger was sparked when he
worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru by helping begin a U.S.
school feeding program. In 1967 he received an M.B.A. degree from
Western Michigan University and in 1969 a Juris Doctorate from the
American University Law School.
IFDC—An International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural
Development—is a public, international organization (PIO), which was
founded in 1974 to assist in the quest for global food security. The
nonprofit Center’s mission is to increase agricultural productivity
through the development and transfer of effective, environmentally
sound plant nutrient technology and agricultural marketing
expertise.
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