Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Mark Bell has accepted the Vice Provost–Statewide Programs/Strategic Initiatives position. Mark, who has served as director of the UC Davis International Learning Center since 2007, will join UC ANR on May 1 in the offices at 2801 Second Street in Davis.

In this newly created position, Mark will provide leadership for a unified UC ANR program with strong statewide, campus and local presences. He will oversee the California Institute for Water Resources, Nutrition Policy Institute, the five UC ANR Strategic Initiatives and the nine UC ANR Statewide Programs. In addition, he will coordinate the Division's participation in the UC Presidential Initiatives, including the Global Food, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UC-Mexico and Carbon Neutrality initiatives. Mark's record of success working with international extension systems in the combined roles of manager and field researcher makes him the ideal choice to serve as Vice Provost–Statewide Programs/Strategic Initiatives.

UC ANR can benefit from his skills and experience in leveraging research-extension linkages, adult education and information technology for agricultural development.Prior to joining UC Davis, Mark, who speaks Spanish, worked for nine years at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico and 11 years at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.

At IRRI, he led development of the Rice Knowledge Bank – the world's major repository for rice-oriented training and extension materials aimed to help developing countries. He is currently leading development of Ag Extension, eAfghan Ag and e-China Appleat UC Davis International Learning Center.

As vice provost, he will serve on the UC ANR Program Council and collaborate closely with the Vice Provost of Cooperative Extension and the Director of the Research and Extension Center System.

Mark has a Ph.D. in soil science and bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Queensland in Australia and a master's degree in soil science from the University of Reading, U.K.

We must thank the search committee members for their unflagging efforts to find an extraordinary leader who possesses the unique set of skills needed to help us build on UC ANR's current successes and direct our programs toward the needs of California's future.

I know many of you have already met Mark Bell and collaborated on projects with him. Understanding the breadth of work that we do, the wide array of agencies and organizations that we partner with and the diverse clientele that we serve will help Mark quickly get up to speed.

Please join me in congratulating Mark on his new position and welcoming him to UC ANR.

Sincerely,

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

 

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