Photo of George Washington Carver (left) courtesy of the National Peanut Board

The Tuskegee University Food and Nutritional Sciences Department (FNS) and its Food and Nutritional Sciences Advisory Board (FNSAB) are pleased to announce the dynamic line-up of plenary and featured speakers for the inaugural George Washington Carver Lecture Series taking place Oct. 30, 2014, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the Tuskegee, AL campus.

The event will feature a range of expert lectures highlighting Carver’s many humanitarian achievements and ground-breaking accomplishments in the field of food and nutrition science under the theme, “Impact of George Washington Carver: Innovations in Food and Nutrition Sciences in the 21st Century.”

Confirmed key speakers include:

• Mehmood Khan, executive vice president and chief scientific officer, Global Research & Development, PepsiCo
• Catherine Woteki, under secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Research, Education, and Economics mission area
• Margaret Bath, senior vice president of Research, Quality and Technology, The Kellogg Co.
• Leandris Liburd, associate director for Minority Health and Health Equity, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Dumas Siméus, chief executive officer, Siméus Foods International, Inc., and founder, Siméus Foundation and Organisation Sové Lavi, and
• Kori Reed, vice president, Cause and Foundation, ConAgra Foods

The lecture series also will bring to the podium three leading Tuskegee academics:

Ralphenia D. Pace, professor of nutrition and head of FNS; Adelia C. Bovell-Benjamin, research professor of food and nutritional sciences, FNS, and Olga Bolden-Tiller, associate professor of animal sciences and head, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. A panel discussion moderated by Louisiana State Senator Sharon Weston Broome will feature insights on a holistic approach to feeding a hungry world from Larry Keener, president, International Product Safety Consultants, Inc., Haile Mehansho, president, Haile Mehansho Consulting, LLC, and Loretta E. Hicks, lieutenant colonel (retired), U.S. Navy.

The new full-day event is part of Tuskegee’s year-long celebration marking the 150th anniversary of Carver’s birth and honoring his 47-year legacy of scientific achievement during his tenure at Tuskegee University.

For George Washington Carver Lecture Series program, speaker, sponsor and online registration information, visit www.carverlecture2014.eventbrite.com.