Our Team

The World Food Prize Foundation staff members are dedicated to fulfilling the Foundation's mission of elevating innovations and inspiring action to advance the many contributions to human development that increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all.

Mashal Husain President Effective February 1, 2025, Mashal Husain will be President of the World Food Prize Foundation, leading the organization’s mission to elevate global food security and agricultural innovations. Her appointment to this role underscores her extensive leadership experience and deep commitment to advancing the Foundation’s legacy. Since joining the Foundation in... [ View ]

Nicole Barreca Prenger Senior Director II, Global Programs and Strategic Communications Nicole Barreca Prenger rejoined the World Food Prize Foundation in August 2023 and was promoted in January 2025 to Senior Director II, Global Programs and Strategic Communications. In this expanded role, she oversees all global programming while continuing to lead strategic communications efforts, working closely with Foundation CEO Thomas J.... [ View ]

Alyssa Brown Senior Manager II, Global Programs and Strategic Engagements Alyssa Brown joined the World Food Prize Foundation in February 2023. In her role as Senior Manager, International Dialogues, Alyssa coordinates the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue and Iowa Hunger Summit. Both events are flagship offerings of the World Food Prize Foundation that bring together leaders for discussions on the... [ View ]

Austin Castillo-Leovan Manager I, Youth Programs and Partnerships Austin Castillo-Leovan joined the World Food Prize Foundation in September of 2020. In his role as Manager, Youth Programs and Partnerships, Austin is responsible for assisting the Director of Youth Programs and Partnerships in the coordination, innovation and expansion of the Foundation’s youth empowerment and education programs around the world.... [ View ]

Zachary Clemens Senior Manager I, Communications Zach Clemens joined the World Food Prize Foundation in February 2025. In his role as Senior Manager I, Communications, Zach writes and designs media content, handles media relations, developes strategic social media plans and analyzes performance metrics for continuous improvement. Prior to joining the World Food Prize Foundation, Zach served as... [ View ]

Renee Cooper Senior Manager I, Global Youth Programs and Partnerships Renee Cooper joined the World Food Prize Foundation in August of 2023. In her role as Senior Program Manager, Global Youth Programs and Partnerships, Renee manages the World Food Prize Foundation’s USDA Wallace-Carver Fellowship and Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, and supports the Foundation's Youth Program Alumni engagement efforts. Prior to joining the... [ View ]

Ellen Franzenburg Director, Awards and Lectures Ellen Franzenburg joined the World Food Prize Foundation in 2018 as Director of Awards and Lectures. In August 2019, she also took on the role of Director of International Internships through the end of 2020. As Director of Awards and Lectures, her responsibilities include facilitating the nomination and selection processes for... [ View ]

Monica Gatrost Manager II, Administrative Operations and Events Monica Gatrost joined the World Food Prize Foundation in October of 2022 as Manager, Building Events. In this position, Monica assists the Foundation’s administration and facilities team in coordinating the management and execution of private events at the Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates. She also supports the overall function... [ View ]

Molly Hart Manager I, Administrative Operations and Archive Molly Hart joined the World Food Prize Foundation in January of 2024. In her role as Manager I, Administrative Operations and Archive, Molly assesses and preserves collections, while assisting with developmental responsibilities including fundraising, grant writing and donor relations. In addition, Molly manages budgeting and transactions, offering support to the... [ View ]

Kate Levasseur Manager II, Administrative Operations and Archives Kate Levasseur joined the World Food Prize Foundation in July of 2021 as Manager for the Archive department. In this position, Kate works closely with the Senior Director of Strategic Communications to make the Foundation’s archived materials widely accessible and available to the public. This role strives to preserve and... [ View ]

Sydney Maras Senior Manager I, Communications Sydney Maras joined in the World Food Prize Foundation in February 2025. In her role as Senior Manager I, Communications, Sydney develops strategic social media plans, analyzes performance metrics, develops impactful web content and serves as an executive assistant to the Foundation's president and CEO. In 2018, Sydney served as a... [ View ]

Angeline Neo Coordinator II, Communications and Graphic Design Angeline Neo joined the World Food Prize Foundation in June 2024. In her role as Coordinator II, Communications and Graphic Design, Angeline works closely with the Senior Director of Strategic Communications and assists with the facilitation of the World Food Prize Foundation’s social media channels, press releases, newsletters, graphic design... [ View ]

Rebecca Picard Director, Global Youth Programs & Partnerships Rebecca Picard joined the World Food Prize Foundation in September of 2021. In her role as Director of Global Youth Programs and Partnerships, Rebecca is responsible for leading the Foundation's efforts to engage, train, empower and inspire youth to address global food insecurity and sustainability issues. Prior to joining the World... [ View ]

Jon Wogman Director, Global Youth Programs and Partnerships Jon Wogman joined the World Food Prize Foundation in February 2022. In his role as Director, Global Youth Programs and Partnerships, Jon is responsible for providing operational oversight and support to the World Food Prize Foundation’s Youth Institute programs across the U.S. and globally. He also coordinates the Iowa Youth Institute... [ View ]

Vincent Pandey Coordinator II, Global Programs and Strategic Engagements Vincent Pandey joined the World Food Prize Foundation in March 2025. In his role as Coordinator II, Global Programs and Strategic Engagement, Vincent supports the Foundation’s mission through a variety of tasks. He provides research and writing support for large-scale events like the Borlaug Dialogue, manages event registration and web... [ View ]

Ellen Lupkes Ellen Lupkes joined the World Food Prize Foundation in April 2025. In her role as Senior Manager, Youth Programs and Partnerships, Ellen works closely with the Director, Youth Programs and Partnerships to manage, guide and support all aspects of Youth Institute programming - with a special focus on the Global... [ View ]