Bio

Dr Ann Tutwiler is the Director General of Bioversity International, an international research for development organization that is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

As the Director General, Tutwiler is responsible for leading Bioversity International, forging effective research partnerships and overseeing the organization’s strategic priorities and research agenda.

Tutwiler has almost 30 years of experience in agricultural policy and development working in the public and private sectors. Tutwiler was formerly the Special Representative of the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in Geneva. She served as Deputy Director General, Knowledge, at FAO from January 2011 through November 2012, where she coordinated the development of cohesive Rome food agency positions on Rio+20 for FAO, with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and Bioversity International. As a member of senior management at FAO, she managed five technical departments including Agriculture & Consumer Protection, Natural Resources Management & Environment, Forestry, Fisheries & Aquaculture, Economic & Social Development and Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research & Extension.

From June 2009 to January 2011, she worked for the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), leading and coordinating USDA’s participation in the President’s ‘Feed the Future’ initiative and developing USDA’s international research strategy. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor of International Affairs for the U.S. Agency for International Development. She created and managed the agricultural markets program at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation from 2006 to 2009. Tutwiler was Government Relations Director for a multinational agribusiness firm for ten years and co-founded a global think tank in agricultural trade policy.

Tutwiler holds a master’s degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, where she received the John W. Kuykendall Award for Community Service in 2005. She holds certificates in Agribusiness from Purdue University and Harvard Business School.