Josette Lewis

Josette Lewis is the Director of Agricultural Development at Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., "an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health." In that role, Lewis is "responsible for expanding the company’s licensing and partnering activities, with an emphasis on developing world opportunities." Before taking the job with Arcadia in November 2010, she was the Director of the Office of Agriculture, Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a position she took in 2009. In that role:


 * "she held a leadership role in development of the Administration’s global initiative on food security; developed a new strategy for agricultural research; and developed numerous new partnerships with universities, agricultural companies and nongovernmental organizations. In this position she oversaw a budget of more than $40 million and a staff spanning agricultural research, policy, agribusiness development and natural resources."

Prior to that, she served as USAID's Senior Biotechnology Advisor for eleven years, "overseeing USAID's biotechnology activities globally, with an emphasis on Africa."

Lewis initially joined USAID in 1994 as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Technology and Diplomacy Fellow working on farmer-participatory sustainable agriculture research. For many years, she "led USAID's agricultural biotechnology effort and served as a technical advisor to USAID on issues and policies pertaining to biotechnology." In that role, she oversaw "USAID activities globally, with a significant emphasis on Africa, including support for research and technology development with public and private sector partnerships, technology transfer, intellectual property rights, bio-safety regulatory development, and public outreach."

Lewis earned her Bachelor of Science in Genetics from University of California, Davis and her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She was the 2002 recipient of the AIARD (Association for International Agricultural & Rural Development) Younger Professional Award.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * USAID Promotion of Agricultural Biotechnology
 * U.S. State Department Promotion of Agricultural Biotechnology
 * U.S. Department of State Biotechnology Outreach Funds

External Resources

 * [Dr Josette Lewis, USAID on Vimeo ], GCARD Conference Day 2, March 29, 2010.
 * Josette Lewis, USAID: The Global Food Security Initiative, YouTube, January 6, 2010.