Tom Vilsack

After a 12 year run as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will be the next CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation.

Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s tenure as leader of the Des Moines-based organization is set to end January 31.Tom  Vilsack will take over on March t.

Tom Vilsack said during a recent Radio Iowa interview that his interest in the agriculture sector was rooted in his work as a Mount Pleasant lawyer representing farmers during the Farm Crisis.

“As a mayor, as a state senator, as a governor and as secretary I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in, to encourage and support programs that will advance opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers,” Tom Vilsack said, “because I remember the pain of the Farm Crisis of the ’80s.”

Tom Vilsack turned 74 in December  said,

“My hope is I get a chance to figure out ways in which I can continue to make a contribution. I don’t think I’m ready for retirement and I don’t think I’d be very good at it,…I hope that I’m able to continue focusing on ways in which I can showcase the work of American agriculture, that I can showcase opportunities to expand rural economies and the farm economy to give small and midsized producers a chance. I also have been working extraordinarily hard on nutrition and food security issues both domestically and globally.”

The World Food Prize Foundation announced Tom  Vilsack’s hiring this morning. “The World Food Prize Foundation has a phenomenal and important history of advancing innovation to address global food security,” Vilsack said in a written statement. “I am honored to have the opportunity to build on that legacy, working closely with Mashal Husain and the talented team to extend the Foundation’s impact worldwide. I look forward to forging new partnerships, helping bring to life new solutions in the fight against hunger and championing efforts to ensure a sustainable and equitable food system for future generations.