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The World Food Prize Foundation announced today that Ellen Lupkes has joined its staff as Senior Manager I, Global Youth Programs and Partnerships.
“Ellen brings an array of experience to the global youth team and holds a direct knowledge of partnerships and programming,” said Mashal Husain, President, World Food Prize Foundation. “With an extensive background in agricultural education in developing countries, Ellen will bring a valuable perspective and we are thrilled to see her contributions to the Foundation’s mission to inspire the global fight against hunger.”
As Senior Manager I of Global Youth Programs and Partnerships, Ms. Lupkes will work closely with the Director of Global Youth Programs and Partnerships to provide support for the development of Global Youth Institute and Iowa Youth Institute programming. Creating unique and engaging content and activities, Ms. Lupkes will advance the experiential learning of students. Beyond engaging with youth, Ms. Lupkes will execute outreach, partnership management and event coordination.
“I am excited for the chance to work with passionate and innovative youth who are dedicated to making the world a better place,” said Lupkes. “As an Iowan, getting to have a small part in furthering Dr. Norman Borlaug’s legacy is truly a privilege.”
Ms. Lupkes brings a wealth of experience in global agricultural education, having made significant contributions to agricultural programming in both developing countries and U.S.-based initiatives.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Lupkes worked as the team lead at AgriCorps in Ghana, where she managed nine agricultural professionals, facilitated training programs and coordinated fellows, teachers, advisors and students throughout a series of workshops. She was later promoted to Program Facilitator, which took her to Liberia, where she led training programs for 16 staff members and 150 teachers in agricultural innovation.
Returning from Ghana, she worked as a County Youth Coordinator for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach where she developed agricultural lessons and materials for Madison County which were distributed to nearly 2,000 students.
Ms. Lupkes graduated from Iowa State University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communication and international agriculture. While attending Iowa State, she worked with the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, compiling and contributing valuable data to the organization.