POTUS selects Angle to lead NIFA; senior board member to serve as interim CEO
IFDC Press Release
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Contact: Andy Thigpen (256-381-6600, ext. 299; athigpen@ifdc.org; @IFDCNews)
September 25, 2018 – Muscle Shoals, Ala., United States – Dr. J. Scott Angle, president and CEO of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), has been nominated by President Donald J. Trump to be the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
NIFA is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. The agency administers federal funding to address the agricultural issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.
“It’s a great honor to be appointed to such a high position in agriculture research and education,” Angle said.
Angle is scheduled to begin work at NIFA in late October 2018.
The IFDC Board of Directors (BoD) unanimously selected ex-officio board member Patrick (Pat) J. Murphy to be the interim president and CEO. Murphy has served on the IFDC BoD since 2004 and as chair of the board’s Audit Committee until 2017. He is a retired international banker and has extensive experience in international economic development. He has lived and worked in Panama, Guatemala and Iraq, and worked in many other developing countries.
“Dr. Angle’s appointment to such an important position in the Department of Agriculture is recognition of a long and successful career in agricultural sciences,” Murphy said. “We all appreciate what Dr. Angle has done for IFDC and wish him continued success in directing the USDA’s important research efforts to safeguard and grow our nation’s agriculture.”
Angle expressed his approval of the BoD’s decision.
“Pat has been on the IFDC board for many years,” Angle said of Murphy’s selection. “He has a deep understanding of both its opportunities and challenges. IFDC has a bright future, and Pat will ensure a smooth transition between permanent CEOs.”
The IFDC BoD has established a search committee comprising board members and senior IFDC staff. They plan to utilize an international search firm to seek qualified candidates. The BoD hopes to interview candidates through the remainder of 2018 and have a new leader selected and onboard by early 2019.
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The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) began in 1974 with the mission to improve soil fertility and crop nutrition in tropical regions. Since then, IFDC has grown to encompass an array of agricultural solutions — from market development to policy advocacy, fertilizer technology development to project management in the field, and farmer mechanization to micronutrient research.
