RICK FOSTER, PH.D.
Board Past Chair
As Tenured Professor and Endowed Chair in Food, Society and Sustainability; Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU), Rick Foster’s primary responsibilities were in working across the university on community food system and sustainability issues affecting rural and urban communities in Michigan and selected global cities facing food, water, and energy issues now and in the future. Sustainability, community engagement, social justice and equity, connected knowledge platforms, and partnerships undergird this body of work. Teach classes, conduct outreach, and conduct research.
Also as Founding Director of Greening Michigan Institute, Michigan State University Extension Rick lead the development of the new Greening Michigan Institute with a focus on enhancing the human and the natural resources of Michigan to address the development of a new, diversified future economy based on Greening and Sustainability principles. He supervised 55 place-based Extension Educators and affiliated MSU faculty teams in Natural Resources, Community Food Systems, Government and Public Policy, and Sustaining Community Prosperity.
Prior to his work at MSU Rick was the Program Vice President at W.K. Kellogg Foundation. His primary responsibilities were in guiding comprehensive, philanthropic programming and social change activities in Higher Education, Agriculture and Food Systems, Rural Development, and Leadership. Served as an officer and member of the Executive Leadership/Management team with responsibility for vision and management of foundation-wide planning and design efforts. Rick also provided executive leadership for the following strategic programming initiatives:
• National Food Protection Center, Battle Creek, MI – $7 million
• Food and Society Initiative – $49 million
• Food and Fitness Initiative – $19 million
• Food Systems Professions Education Initiative – $40 million
• Integrated Farming Systems Initiative – $35 million
• Rural People, Rural Policy Initiative – $32 million
• Managing Information with Rural America – $17 million
• Mid South Delta Initiative – $65 million
• People and Land (Michigan Land Use Policy) – $18 million
• Groundwater Education in Michigan – $28 million
• Kellogg Leadership for Community Change – $15 million
• Kellogg National Leadership Program