Jacob Hunter

Jacob Hunter joined the World Food Prize Foundation in August 2026 as Director I, Donor Relations. In his role, Hunter works closely with the President and CEO to lead fundraising efforts, cultivate major donor relationships and advance the Foundation’s long-term financial sustainability.

Hunter previously served the World Food Prize Foundation as Director of Iowa Education Programs and Director of Social Media. He led the Iowa Youth Institute, expanding the number of participating schools by 21% and student participation by 28%, while also supporting the Borlaug Dialogue, World Food Prize Laureate Announcement and other Foundation programs. He has remained involved with the Foundation as a volunteer.

Prior to rejoining the Foundation, Hunter served as a lead agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at North Scott Community School District, where he helped lead the development of the district’s $18.7 million Regional Innovation Center. He co-led efforts that secured more than $4 million in public and private funding for the facility and its programs while developing partnerships among education, industry, government and community organizations. He also expanded North Scott’s agricultural education program from a part-time position to a three-teacher department and established a 27-member veterinary medicine advisory council focused on workforce development and career pathways.

A leader in agricultural education, Hunter has served in numerous state and regional leadership roles, including with Iowa FFA, the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa and the Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education. His work has earned honors including the Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year, Iowa FFA Distinguished Service Award, Quad City Engineering and Science Council STEM Teacher of the Year and the World Food Prize Foundation Distinguished Service Award.

Hunter earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and life sciences education from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in school leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education.