Press Release

CNFA Elects Elin Miller as Chair

Veteran Agricultural Businesswoman to Assume Helm of CNFA Board

WASHINGTON, D.C. — CNFA (Cultivating New Frontier in Agriculture), an international agricultural development organization, announced that farmer and businesswoman Elin Miller has been appointed to chair the CNFA Board of Directors. Miller was voted into the position with the unanimous support of board members following CNFA’s fall board meeting at its Washington, D.C. headquarters.

Miller, who owns and manages the UmpquaNut hazelnut farm and Umpqua Vineyards in Oregon, replaces John J. Cavanaugh, an attorney and former U.S. Representative from Nebraska who has chaired the board since 2014. Cavanaugh will continue to serve as a member of the CNFA board.

“I am honored to have been able to contribute to the important advances that CNFA has made during my tenure,” said Cavanaugh. “I also am pleased to leave the chair in good hands. Elin brings CNFA a perfect balance of farming and corporate executive experience. I am confident she will provide the kind of high-quality, senior leadership required to further advance and expand CNFA’s enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives.”

CNFA works with businesses, foundations, governments and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food.

Miller formerly served in a number of top global leadership positions at Dow Chemical Co., including global vice president of public affairs, vice president of pest management, and vice president Asia Pacific. Among her government positions, Miller held an appointment as regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with oversight of Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. She also has held numerous leadership positions on the boards of for-profit and non-profit organizations.

“Elin has gained valuable insights into CNFA’s goals both in the boardroom and on the ground,” said CNFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Roy. “Her decades of experience gained at the top levels of business and government—combined with her service as a CNFA board member and her volunteer work in the Farmer to Farmer Program—have prepared her with an excellent set of tools to ensure CNFA accomplishes its mission.”

“I would like to thank the board for entrusting me with a new role in CNFA’s efforts to improve livelihoods through agriculture,” Miller said. “I look forward to working with the board to build on CNFA’s successes, and to expand our growing portfolio of public-private partnerships.”

In addition to her farming business, Miller also advises major corporations, offering them high-level counseling in strategic planning, regulatory and public affairs strategy, and C-suite recruitment.

Miller holds a Bachelor of Science in agronomy and plant protection from the University of Arizona, and is a graduate of the INSEAD Advanced Management Program.

CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, an international agricultural development organization, specializes in designing sustainable, market-led agricultural initiatives.  CNFA builds strong local and global partnerships, incorporates innovative approaches in its programs, and

fosters inclusive development to offer enhanced opportunities to under-served groups.  Since 1985, CNFA has managed more than $600 million in donor-funded agriculture development programs and has worked in 45 countries across the world in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia.

For more information, visit www.CNFA.org.

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Contact: publicrelations@cnfa.org

Phone: 202.296.3920