Curriculum Vita
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Robert L. Thompson
Curriculum Vita, July 2005

412 Mumford Hall, MC-710 1301 West Gregory Drive Dept. of Agricultural and Consumer Economics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois 61801

Voice: (217) 333-1313 Fax: (217) 333-5538 Email: rlt@uiuc.edu

Website: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/thompson

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Implementing a program of classroom teaching, extension education and research on U.S. agricultural policy, competitiveness and agricultural trade.

Participate actively in the global debate on the WTO agricultural trade negotiations as Chairman of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council and as a member of the USDA-USTR Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade.

Co-Chair, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Global Agriculture Task Force.

Member, Editorial Board, Choices Magazine (American Agricultural Economics Association).

Frequent presentations at national and international conferences and to corporate boards and senior management on a strategic vision for world agriculture, the WTO agricultural trade negotiations, and agricultural research investments. Clients included John Deere Credit, Syngenta, Nestle, Monsanto, Unigrain (France), Sparks Commodities, Grain Growers of Canada, Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (U.S.), the World Food Program, U.S. Grains Council, Argentine Sociedad Rural, Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Danish & Swedish Food Economics Institutes, Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment, New Zealand Institute for Economic Research, and the Public Diplomacy program of the U.S. State Department.

Served as Chairman (pro bono) of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council.

Served as Senior Fellow (pro bono), National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, Washington , D.C.

WINROCK INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT,
Morrilton, Arkansas

Chief executive officer for Winrock International, a not-for-profit corporation and private non-governmental organization, with agriculture, forestry and natural resources, renewable energy, rural employment and enterprise development, and leadership and human resource development programs in 40 countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and rural Arkansas; a 250-acre headquarters campus, including a 27-guest room conference center; and a $53 million endowment. Total budget of $35 million and world-wide staff of about 300.

Led successful strategic planning and repositioning of Winrock International to tighten the focus of its mission on increasing agricultural productivity and rural employment, while protecting the quality of the environment. This resulted in significant growth in private sector partnerships, voluntary technical assistance, domestic-international rural development linkages, and global gender and women's leadership programs.

Led successful growth in project support from grants and contracts by one-third from $24 million in 1993 to almost $32 million in 1996, from a more diverse donor base, while reducing overhead costs by over one million dollars and core-funded U.S.-based staff by one-third and decentralizing many functions to the field.

Through over 100 speeches and dozens of media interviews in over 40 countries heightened awareness of Winrock International to enhance grantsmanship, fund raising, and partnerships.

Increased budgetary discipline and improved quality and timeliness of financial management information, with resulting improved financial performance, including an increase in indirect cost recovery from 12 to 18 percent of total direct costs.

Implemented team building, in-service training, and a new personnel grade structure and career ladder for staff.

Chief administrative officer for Purdue University's School of Agriculture and the State of Indiana's Agricultural Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension Service, and state agricultural regulatory services, including administration of state seed, feed, fertilizer and pesticide laws; Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service; check-off programs; inspection of eggs, fruits, and vegetables; and licensing of milk trucks and milk testers; with a total staff of over 1,800 and budget of $92 million.

Spearheaded successful grassroots campaign to increase recurring State of Indiana appropriations to Purdue University for agricultural research and extension by $4 million per year.

Expanded annual giving to the School of Agriculture from $600,000 per year in 1987 to over $7 million per year in 1993.

Led successful strategic planning and repositioning of Purdue Agriculture's teaching, research and extension programs, including 20% downsizing of campus-based faculty and 15% downsizing of county extension field staff.

Rebuilt enrollment in School of Agriculture from 1650 in 1986-87 to over 2300 in 1992-93, with consistent placement of over 93 percent of graduates.

Organized successful internationalization of Purdue Agriculture, with significant increase in overseas study and internship opportunities for undergraduates, international content of core courses, overseas sabbaticals by faculty, and research linkages with leading laboratories all over the world.

Led expanded public affairs and media relations program to heighten profile of Purdue Agriculture to enhance recruitment and placement of graduates and fund raising from individual and corporate gifts, and state appropriations.

Received USDA's Public Service Award for leadership of Purdue Agriculture's response to the great drought of 1987.

Served as Co-chair, Committee on Future Directions for Purdue University , 1993.

Interviewed and quoted regularly on agricultural policy issues in the agricultural and business press.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Washington, D.C.

As chief economist of USDA, advised the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administration on economic issues for agricultural policy formation and implementation of $25 billion farm programs.

Responsible for the economic research, statistics and outlook functions of the Department of Agriculture with a staff of 2,000 and budget of $100 million.

Spokesman for the Administration to the United States Senate and the House-Senate Conference Committee on the 1985 farm bill.

Member, Board of Directors, Commodity Credit Corporation.

Testified regularly before Congressional committees and addressed industry groups and the public on agricultural, macroeconomic and trade policy issues.

Quoted regularly and interviewed on agricultural economics issues by the general and business press.

PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS, Washington, D.C.

Participated in interagency preparations for 1985 farm bill and Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. Carried out staff analyses and briefed Council members on current food, agricultural and trade policy issues and legislation. Represented the Council on interagency bodies concerned with food, agricultural, and trade issues, including the Cabinet Council Working Group on Future Farm Policy. Wrote chapter on Food and Agriculture in 1984 Economic Report of the President and contributed to chapters on industrial policy and trade policy in the 1985 Economic Report of the President.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY, West Lafayette, Indiana

Developed a nationally recognized research program on international agricultural trade, with supporting work on the effects on macroeconomic policy on agriculture and the role of trade in agricultural development.

Authored over 115 research and popular publications.

Served as major professor for 22 graduate students and on thesis advisory committees of 33 graduate students.

Two Master's students supervised received the American Agricultural Economics Association's outstanding M.S. thesis awards, 1976 and 1980.

Obtained $345,000 in outside grants and contracts to support research program.

Taught courses on international trade, agricultural development, agricultural policy and applied welfare economics.

Chaired agricultural economics graduate program review committee and Ph.D. preliminary examination committee.

Served in the University Senate and on the University Graduate Council.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS, Laxenburg, Austria

Participated in development of computable general equilibrium model for food and agricultural policy analysis.

Designed trade policy scenarios to be analyzed with model.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Washington, D.C.

Helped design the research program for the then newly reorganized International Economics Division of the Economic Research Service.

Reviewed USDA's global Grains-Oilseeds-Livestock Model and recommended reformulations to be made when the model was updated.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY, West Lafayette, Indiana

Carried out Ph.D. thesis research on Brazilian agricultural development under Ford Foundation grant.

Served as Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Vicosa in Brazil , where I taught graduate courses in production economics in Portuguese and supervised thesis research.

Carried out M.S. thesis research on exchange rate policy in Brazil .

Recipient of National Science Foundation Traineeship.

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTARY SERVICES, INC., Pakse and Vientiane, Laos

Participated in the rice short course at International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, the Philippines .

Worked with Lao agricultural extension and research services on introduction of high-yielding rice varieties from IRRI.

Conducted farmer-field demonstrations, variety trials and fertilizer experiments.

Carried out economic analysis of new rice varieties and taught an extension agent short course.

EDUCATION

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

HONORS AND AWARDS

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Dalhousie University , May 7, 1999 .

Doctor of Science, honoris causa, Pennsylvania State University , May 15, 1999 .

Fellow, American Agricultural Economics Association, 1993.

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1991.

Foreign Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, 1992.

Foreign Member, Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 1993.

Honorary Scientist, Rural Development Administration, Korea , 1997.

First recipient of Purdue University 's Agricultural Research Award, given each year for outstanding cumulative research contributions for the past 10 years, 1982.

Co-recipient of the American Agricultural Economics Association Award for Quality of Communication, 1979 and 1991.

Elected to Gamma Sigma Delta and Alpha Zeta, national agricultural honoraries, and Sigma Xi, national scientific research honorary.

Humanitarian Award, American College of Nutrition , 2 October 1999 .

Justin Smith Morrill Memorial Award “in recognition of your demonstrated leadership and significant contributions to the principles of higher education in the food and agricultural sciences,” presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, Nov. 12, 1995.

Agricultural Vision Award “presented to Robert Thompson, whose effort and foresight have advanced the future scope and diversity of agriculture,” presented by National Forum for Agriculture, March 4, 1997 .

USDA Superior Service Award, 1989.

Outstanding alumni award, Cornell University 's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 1988.

Sagamore of the Wabash , the State of Indiana 's highest honor, by Governor Evan Bayh, for service as Dean of Agriculture at Purdue University , 1993.

Indiana Wildlife Federation's Agriculture Conservation Award, 1993.

National 4-H Alumni Award, 1992.

Chicago Farmers' Agriculturalist of the Year Award, 1992.

Honorary Empire Farmer Degree, New York State Future Farmers of America , 1986.

Centennial Honor Roll, Alpha Zeta, the national agricultural professional fraternity, 1997.

Presented McLean Memorial Lecture, University of Guelph , October 6, 1987 .

Presented J. Norman Efferson Memorial Lecture, Louisiana State University , October 12, 1987 .

Presented Fifth Annual Distinguished Lecture Series, College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University , April 8, 1996 .

Presented D.W. Brooks Lecture, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia , October 1, 1996 .

PUBLIC SERVICE

Member, International Policy Council on Agriculture, Food and Trade, 1987-date (Chairman, 2000-date; Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, 1997-2000).

 Member, USDA-USTR Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade, 2005-date.

Member, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (Co-Chair, Global Agriculture Task Force).

Member, Farm Foundation's Bennett Agricultural Roundtable, 1987-date.

Member, Council on Foreign Relations, 1994-date.

Member, Bretton Woods Committee, 1995-98; 2005-date

Member, Dean's Advisory Council, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 1997-2004.

Chair, Pacific Food Outlook, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, 1997-99.

National Academy of Sciences Panel to Study the Research Program of the Economic Research Service, 1997-99.

Member, Board of Directors, International Agribusiness Management Association, 1993-99 (Executive Committee, 1996-99).

President, International Association of Agricultural Economists, 1994-97. (Past-President, 1997-2000).

Member, Board on Agriculture of the National Research Council, 1987-92.

Chair, Advisory Council of the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy at Resources for the Future, 1987-92.

Member, Board of Directors, Southern United States Trade Association, 1997-98.

Member, Commission on International Trade, Development, and Cooperation, 1996-97.

Member, Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1994-96.

Member, Indiana Commission on Agriculture and Rural Development, 1987-93.

Member, Board of Directors, the Farm Foundation, 1988-93 (Vice-Chairman, 1990-91; Chairman 1991-92)

Member, Board of Directors, Institute for Science in Society, 1991-93.

Member, Board of Directors, Indiana Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition, 1987-93.

Member, Board of Directors, Indiana 4-H Foundation, 1987-1993.

Member, Board of Directors, Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association, 1987-93.

Member, National Advisory Council, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), 1990-98.

Member, the French Government's Club D'Experts en Economie Agricole Internationale, 1988-89.

Member, Danish Council for Research Policy's international panel to review Denmark 's national agricultural research system, 1990.

Member, Board of Directors, USDA Graduate School, 1985-87.

Member, National Commission on Agricultural Trade and Export Policy, 1985-86.

Served as a member of the Task Force on Domestic Agricultural Policy Alternatives of the National Agricultural Forum, 1983-85.

Member, Editorial Council, American Journal of Agricultural Economics , 1984-85.

Reviewer for American Journal of Agricultural Economics , Western Journal of Agricultural Economics , Economic Journal ( U.K. ), and the Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics ( Australia ), 1970s.

Founding member of the USDA/Universities International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium, 1975.

External examiner for doctoral dissertations at the University of Guelph ( Canada ), Queensland University ( Australia ), and La Trobe University ( Australia ).

Served on the national Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy task force to prepare a white paper on international trade research needs, 1982-83.

Served the Social Science and Humanities Council of Canada to evaluate the quality and contribution of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics , 1981.

Reviewed grant proposals for the National Science Foundation, the Social Sciences Research Council of Canada, and the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund.

BIOGRAPHICAL LISTINGS

Who's Who in the World

Who's Who in America

Who's Who in American Education

Who's Who in Science and Engineering

Who's Who in Finance and Industry

Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America

Who's Who in the Midwest

Who's Who in the South and Southwest

Who's Who in the East

American Men and Women of Science

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

American Agricultural Economics Association

American Economic Association

International Association of Agricultural Economists

American Association for the Advancement of Science

International Agribusiness Management Association

CORPORATE BOARDS

Rabobank, North American Agribusiness Advisory Committee, 1998-2003.

National Cooperative Bank, 1985-97 (Chair, Finance Committee, 1995-97).

PSI Resources (and its wholly owned subsidiary, PSI Energy), 1988-94 (Audit Committee).

Vigoro Corporation, 1993-96 (Co-Chair, Public Policy Committee, 1995-96).

Terra Industries, Inc., 1997-98 (Audit Committee)

Kincannon and Reed, a private agribusiness executive search firm, Advisory Board, 1997-98.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Portuguese: Read, write, and speak well.

Spanish: Reading and listening knowledge.

Danish: Read, write, and speak well.

French: Read well, fair speaking and writing knowledge.

Lao: Had good speaking and fair reading knowledge in 1968-70, with no use since then.