Charlie Stoltenow, NDSU Extension assistant director of agriculture and natural resources, and John McEvoy, professor and head of the microbiological sciences department, have been selected to attend the fall 2019 Food Systems Leadership Institute.
The institute is an executive leadership development program for academia, industry and government. The program emphasizes leadership, skills for organizational change and an interdisciplinary perspective of food systems. The experience prepares leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to invent and reinvent the food systems of the future.
"The FSLI program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that allows me to interact with and learn from some of the brightest and most experienced leaders in agriculture,” Stoltenow said. “It is also an opportunity to be confronted and stretched by issues facing agricultural systems and sustainability. My goal is to bring back new skills that help me provide solutions to complex and ever-changing challenges in agriculture.”
Participants work with expert instructors, leadership development coaches and an upper-level mentor to increase their leadership abilities. The program combines leadership theory with practical experience, often in the context of food systems and higher education.
“An exciting aspect of FSLI is being part of a cohort of leaders with diverse perspectives on food systems,” McEvoy said. “I plan to use my experience in FSLI to help develop interdisciplinary approaches to sustainably enhance food production.”
The FSLI is a two-year program. The first year includes intensive executive education-style residential learning sessions at three university locations. Participants perform assessments to increase their self-awareness of their leadership style. The results are used to develop and implement a personal development plan, which participants prepare with the help of a professional coach. Participants continue to develop their skills through interactive distance learning between residential sessions.
During the second year, participants apply what they have learned to develop and carry out an individual leadership project.
FSLI is an Association of Public and Land-grant Universities program. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation provides the initial funding. North Carolina State University is the host site, and The Ohio State University and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, are the residential sites responsible for the program’s implementation.
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