Dr. Louise Fresco
Dr. Louise Fresco was born in Meppel, the Netherlands. Her graduate work in Zambia and UN volunteer services in Papua New Guinea led to further extensive international experience in Africa and Latin America. She received her Ph.D. in Tropical Crop Science from Wageningen University and then served as Professor of Plant Production Systems and Chair of the Department of Agronomy at the same institution.
From 1997 to 2006, Dr. Fresco held various positions at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, including that of Assistant Director-General of the Agriculture Department in Rome, Italy. She is now Professor of Foundations of Sustainable Development in International Perspective at the University of Amsterdam.
Dr. Fresco has served in various capacities (member, director, etc.) at numerous national and international institutions including the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, the Real Academia de Ingeniería in Spain, the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Asia Vegetable Research Development Center and CIRAD. She has served as President of the Advisory Council for Research on Nature and Environment in the Netherlands, Vice-Chair of the Council of the United Nations University, and is a member of the Trilateral Commission, the Supervisory Board of Rabobank and Crown member of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands. She currently serves as non-executive director at Unilever and has been appointed as a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) as well as a member of the independent review committee of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the InterAcademy Council.