USDA ARS chief innovation officer to present lecture for K-State's MLK Observance Week

Chavonda Jacobs-Young, chief innovation officer for the Agricultural Research Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will be the keynote speaker at Kansas State University's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week luncheon.

"Dr. Jacobs-Young brings extraordinary expertise and has a distinguished career, most recently as the USDA’s under secretary for Research, Education and Economics and chief scientist advising the secretary of agriculture," said Rana Johnson, vice president for access and opportunity. "That expertise, along with her international acumen and other esteemed leadership roles, and her exceptional qualifications make her the ideal choice to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during our weeklong celebration."

Jacobs-Young will speak at the MLK Presidential Luncheon and Lecture at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, in the Amy Button Renz Family Banquet Room in the K-State Alumni Center.

As the research, education and economics under secretary, Jacobs-Young directed USDA’s comprehensive agricultural research efforts. In that position, she led more than 8,500 employees in five component organizations, including the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Office of the Chief Scientist.

Before becoming under secretary and chief scientist, Jacobs-Young held various other leadership positions in the department, including Agricultural Research Service administrator and associate administrator for national programs, inaugural director of the Office of the Chief Scientist and acting director of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

She also previously served as a senior policy analyst for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and as an assistant professor of paper science and engineering at the University of Washington.

She is an elected fellow in both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Public Administration. Among many other awards and recognitions, Jacobs-Young has earned Presidential Distinguished and Meritorious Rank awards in recognition of federal civil service.

Jacobs-Young earned her master's and doctoral degrees in wood and paper science, in addition to a bachelor's in pulp and paper science and technology, from North Carolina State University. Additionally, Jacobs-Young graduated from American University's Key Executive Leadership in Public Policy Implementation Program.

Tickets for the lunch are $25 and should be purchased before Thursday, Jan. 25. Registration, as well as additional information on K-State's Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week, is available at k-state.edu/mlk.