An Iowa-based group that strives to alleviate world hunger and awards an annual prize honoring individuals for their efforts to improve food availability , on Tuesday announced a leadership change as the group works to expand its international focus.
Mashal Husain, chief operating officer of The World Food Prize Foundation, will become president, replacing Terry Branstad , the former U.S. ambassador to China and Iowa governor, who will retire, the organization announced in a news release.
The food prize was founded by Normal Borlaug, an Iowa native awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his part in the "Green Revolution," which dramatically increased agricultural production and reduced the threat of starvation in much of the world.
Husain, who was born in Pakistan and later lived in Tanzania, Thailand and the Philippines, said her international background was in keeping with Borlaug's work and the foundation's efforts to expand its efforts in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world. She has worked at the foundation for 16 years.
"I grew up all over the world and many of these places are places where Normal Borlaug spent a lot of his time, so I feel a deep connection to him," Husain said in an interview. "Having lived all over the world, I've witnessed poverty and hunger. I've been surrounded by it since I was a little girl."
