Elizabeth "Beth" Bechdol
Beth Bechdol | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2020 | |
| Leader | Qu Dongyu |
| Deputy Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture | |
| In office 2005–2014 | |
| Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services | |
| In office 2002–2005 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Indiana, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University Purdue University |
| Occupation | Agricultural economist |
| Profession | Public servant |
Elizabeth "Beth" Bechdol is an American agricultural economist who has served as Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) since 2020.
She oversees FAO portfolios including emergency response and resilience, resource mobilization and partnerships, and technical programmes and cooperation.[1] She also provides oversight for FAO's Committee on Agriculture and the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention.[2]
Bechdol's career spans leadership roles in private sector, United States federal and state government as well as international organizations.[3]
Early life and education
Bechdol was raised on a multi-generational family grain farm in rural Indiana. In public remarks, she cites her on-farm upbringing as influencing her professional interest in agricultural policy, food production systems and rural development.[4]
She earned a Bachelor of Science in International Law and International Affairs, cum laude, from Georgetown University. She also completed a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, where she received the Outstanding Master's Thesis Award.[5]
Career
Private sector and policy advisory work (1996–2001) Bechdol began her professional career at Sparks Companies Inc., an agricultural consulting and market analysis firm based in McLean, Virginia (later Informa Economics).[5] She rose to become the firm's first female Vice President and advised agribusiness, government, and development clients on global trade trends, United States farm policy, agricultural technology, and risk management. Her work included contributions to international development and transition-economy projects in regions such as Eastern Europe and North Africa.[6]
United States federal service (2001–2005) In 2001, Bechdol entered public service as Deputy Staff Economist for the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.[7]
From 2002 to 2005, she served as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).[8] Her responsibilities included senior-level coordination of domestic farm programs and international agricultural trade and food assistance policies.
Indiana state government and agribusiness leadership (2005–2014) In 2005, Bechdol returned to Indiana as deputy director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, a newly created agency where she worked on domestic and international trade and market development projects.[9]
She subsequently joined the law firm Ice Miller LLP in Indianapolis as Director of Agribusiness Strategies, working in the firm's food and agribusiness practice.[10]
Agbioscience and innovation leadership (2014–2020) From 2014 to 2020, Bechdol served as the inaugural President and chief executive officer of AgriNovus Indiana, the state's initiative to advance the agbiosciences sector.[11] [8] AgriNovus supports collaboration among government, industry, and academic institutions to promote agricultural innovation, and develop next-generation talent for food, agriculture, and bioscience industries.[12] [13]
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2020–present) Bechdol was appointed Deputy Director-General of FAO in 2020.[8] As a member of FAO's senior management team, she oversees major organizational portfolios, including emergency and resilience programming, resource mobilization, and South-South and triangular cooperation.[1] She also oversees two of FAO's technical divisions—the Plant Production and Protection Division and the Land and Water Division[6] and manages FAO's North America Liaison Office in Washington, D.C.[13]
At FAO Bechdol has participated in public discussions and high-level UN fora on risk-informed food security policy and the coordination of humanitarian and development responses in settings affected by conflict, market volatility, and agrifood system disruptions.[14][15] [16] She also developed and secured approval for the FAO Strategy for Private Sector Engagement.[17]
Board memberships and advisory roles
Bechdol has served on a range of boards and advisory bodies in the United States. These include:
- The National FFA Board of Trustees[18]
- The Purdue Research Foundation[19]
- The Farm Foundation Round Table[20]
Awards and honors
Bechdol has received several professional and civic recognitions for her contributions to agriculture and public service. These include:
- The IFAMA International Women in Agriculture 2025[21]
- Certificate of Distinction, Purdue University College of Agriculture[22]
- Indiana Commission for Women Torchbearer Award for Agriculture.[23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Beth Bechdol | FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations". AboutFAO.
- ↑ "Ms. Beth Bechdol | Office of the Special Adviser on Africa". www.un.org.
- ↑ "Beth Bechdol". GAIN.
- ↑ "Beth Bechdol: From the Family Farm to Feeding the World". March 14, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://ag.purdue.edu/department/agecon/_media/daa/bechdol-elizabeth-a.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The War in Ukraine and Global Food Security".
- ↑ "Congressional Salaries of Beth Bechdol | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/98b5da78-620f-497c-ad43-6d962557c3fc/content
- ↑ https://www.in.gov/icw/files/2008_winners_bios.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ "Farm World – weekly farm newspaper source for ag news, classifieds, auctions". www.farmworldonline.com.
- ↑ Bahamonde, Raquel (February 20, 2020). "AgriNovus Indiana names acting CEO; Bechdol to transition to UN post".
- ↑ "About Us".
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "News | FAO in North America | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations". FAO-LOW.
- ↑ "FAO's Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol calls to invest in agriculture, scale up anticipatory action and build resilient agrifood systems". FAO-LON.
- ↑ "Ms. Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): remarks to the Security Council". Climate Security Mechanism.
- ↑ "A bridge with the UN system, on the road to transforming our agrifood systems". FAO-LON.
- ↑ "FAO's Strategy for Private Sector Engagement 2021-2025". openknowledge.fao.org. Archived from the original on 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
- ↑ "National FFA Organization, Foundation name new CEO". Farmers' Advance.
- ↑ "Bechdol Now Full-Time With AgriNovus". Inside INdiana Business.
- ↑ https://www.farmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2008-2012-annual-report.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ↑ "International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) - Fellows | Distinguished Service | Life Members". www.ifama.org.
- ↑ "Certificate of Distinction". Purdue University - College of Agriculture.
- ↑ "Past Recipients". ICW. March 18, 2021.
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