The Land Institute Names New President

The Land Institute has named Rachel Stroer as the new president of the agriculture research organization.

Stroer, the third president of the institute, is the first woman to lead the organization in its 40-year history.

She joined the institution in 2015 and served in various roles, including the chief strategy officer. In this latest role, the institute said Stroer led the development of a strategic plan to move it into a vision that perennial grain crops can feed humanity and sequester carbon on a global scale.

Stroer also served as the institute’s chief operating officer and helped with the transition of co-founder and first president Wes Jackson to his successor and her predecessor, Fred Iutzi.

Before joining the institute, Stroer worked on the efforts to rebuild Greensburg after an EF5 tornado struck the community in 2007. Those efforts included a large-scale, sustainability-focused reimagination and rebuild of the community. The institute said she also worked for a publicly traded company and assisted in due diligence and investor relations for a successful $250 million acquisition and public offering.

Born and raised in Salina, she has a bachelor of arts degree from New York University’s Gallatin School and a master’s in business administration from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two sons.

The chairman of The Land Institute’s board of directors, Ken Levy-Church, said the board is excited for the leadership, vision and energy Stroer brings to the organization.

“She has been invaluable in the broadening of our work over the last six years, and we are excited to watch the organization grow under her leadership,” Levy-Church said. “The next chapter for (The Land Institute) is one of great promise and great challenges as we work to accelerate the adoption of perennial agriculture globally. We feel confident Rachel is the leader we need now.”