Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, MPH, MSW
Carrie Henning-Smith is a Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Co-Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, and Co-Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Program. She is also the Principal Investigator of the NIA-funded Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging (INRPHA) and is the 2026 President of the National Rural Health Association.
Henning-Smith holds a BA in international relations and gender studies from Claremont McKenna College; master’s degrees in public health and social work, along with a certificate in gerontology from the University of Michigan; and a PhD in health services research with a minor in demography from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on rural population health and health policy, with a particular emphasis on aging, social well-being, and mental health.
Christina D. Economos, PhD
Christina Economos is a prominent leader of interdisciplinary research in childhood obesity, community-based interventions, and nutrition science. She is Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, Professor at the Friedman School, and Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Her pioneering research has brought evidence-based, systems-level solutions to the forefront of policy and practice. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Neha Kothari, PhD
Neha Kothari is the National Program Leader under USDA’s Agricultural Research Service’s Crop Production and Protection unit, and her portfolio includes National Plant Germplasm System. A plant breeder by training, Dr. Kothari earned her Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from Texas A&M University and has built a multidisciplinary career spanning plant breeding, genetic resources, and germplasm conservation. Her scientific work has centered on the evolving role of germplasm collections as critical engines for innovation, positioning them as dynamic platforms for discovery, resilience, and agricultural advancement.
She has held leadership roles across numerous research initiatives and professional organizations, including service on the Genetic Resources (NORGEN) Task Force; work as an expert advisor to the U.S. Plant Treaty Interagency Group; and nomination by the United States to the Ad Hoc Group on Conservation and Sustainable Use (ACSU) under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. She is currently serving a four-year term with the executive committee for the National Association for Plant Breeding.
Roland Fumasi, PhD
Roland Fumasi is an executive vice president and the North American head of Rabobank’s RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness Animal Protein & Dairy team. He leads a group of analysts specializing in animal agriculture and brings extensive experience in agribusiness research, international market development, and agricultural finance. Fumasi began his twelve-year career with RaboResearch as a Senior Analyst and has since held several leadership roles.
Before joining Rabobank, he was a senior executive in the equipment industry. He also worked as a Research Associate at Texas A&M University’s Agricultural & Food Policy Center, focusing on specialty crops, beef cattle, and biofuels. He earned his PhD in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M in 2013. Fumasi also holds BS and MS degrees in Agribusiness from Cal Poly, where he conducted award-winning specialty crops research. Earlier, he was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and a marketing director in the animal health industry.
