IFDC, Dr. Amit H. Roy Retires after 37yrs of Service

IFDC is a public international organization addressing critical issues such as international food security, the alleviation of global hunger and poverty, environmental protection and the promotion of economic development and self-sufficiency through the use of agricultural technologies including fertilizers and other inputs.

IFDC was established, in part, because by 1975, the Tennessee Valley Authority's National Fertilizer Development Center (NFDC) began receiving an amount of international assistance calls that exceeded the capabilities of the Center's staff to fulfill both international demand and domestic programs. A year earlier at the Sixth Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in his speech "The Challenge of Interdependence" urged the creation of an international fertilizer institute and promised U.S. contribution through facilities, technology and expertise. The result of Kissinger's urgency became the International Fertilizer Development Center, a non-profit organization incorporated under the state laws of Alabama, which began its service by answering the international calls once fielded to the NFDC. In March 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carterdesignated IFDC a public international organization "entitled to enjoy the privileges, exemptions, and immunities conferred by the International organisations immunity act.

Dr. Amit H. Roy joined IFDC in 1978 as a chemical and special projects engineer and became president and CEO in 1992. Under his leadership, IFDC’s mission has expanded to addressing global food security, agribusiness, economic development and the environment. Roy played a key role in organizing the landmark Africa Fertilizer Summit in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2006. In 2008, Roy spoke before the Hunger Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives about the role agro-inputs such as fertilizers and seeds have in providing long-term solutions to global food security. In 2010, IFDC launched the Virtual Fertilizer Research Center, Roy’s response to the global need for a new generation of fertilizers. In 2012, he was appointed to the Steering Committee of the Global Nutrient Management Project of the United Nations Environment Programme. He co-leads the Global TraPs project with Fraunhofer Gesellschaft of Germany. Roy’s work has taken him to more than 100 countries. He is now leading IFDC in the development of the next generation of fertilizers, which will more effectively release nutrients when crops need them. Roy is also working to expand IFDC’s successful fertilizer deep placement (FDP) technology from Bangladesh to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Before coming to IFDC, Roy was a process engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. While at Georgia Tech, he developed an innovative thermal storage system for a solar energy power plant and researched basic premises for converting water and carbon dioxide into useful fuels using high temperature solar energy. He also developed an innovative heat shield that was used by NASA in the U.S. Space Shuttle program to protect critical optical and electronic components of the shuttle. Roy earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech. There, he served as a charter member of the Lions Club and was elected to the Graduate Student Senate. He received a bachelor’s degree with honors in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India.

President and CEO of IFDC, Dr. Amit Roy, will retire after 37 years of service on December 31, 2015. The IFDC board of directors selected Dr. J. Scott Angle to succeed Roy as the organization’s president and CEO effective October 1, 2015. In the three-month overlap, Roy will work with Angle to ensure a smooth transition. An internationally known soil scientist, Angle is currently the Dean and Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“On behalf of the IFDC board and staff, I am deeply grateful for Amit’s dedication and visionary leadership. He shaped the organization into the holistic agricultural development center it is today,” said Dr. Jimmy Cheek, chairman of the IFDC board of directors and chancellor of University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “I look forward to welcoming Scott. His distinguished career in agricultural sciences and research makes him an excellent candidate to guide IFDC’s work into the future.” “Since my first day, I have admired the organization’s ability to use research to improve lives,” said Roy. “I would like to thank our staff, past and present, for their commitment to a food-secure world. Under Scott’s leadership, I am confident that IFDC will expand its efforts to strengthen global agriculture.”

Angle has extensive experience in agricultural science research and management. He was the Interim Executive Associate Dean and Director of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He was a Fulbright Scholar and has authored or co-authored more than 300 scientific papers, reports and other publications. Angle received his bachelor and master’s degrees at the University of Maryland and his doctorate at the University of Missouri. “I am honored to build upon Amit’s legacy and look forward to joining IFDC’s talented staff,” said Angle. “Together, we will continue our efforts to achieve IFDC’s vision of a productive and well-fed world.”