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The following includes an excerpt from a news release issued by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, to Retire at End of 2004

During the ASPB Plant Biology 2000 meeting in San Diego, Gordon Conway received the ASPB Leadership in Science Public Service Award and presented the perspectives of science leaders talk.

December 9, 2003 (New York)—Gordon Conway, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2004, after having led the foundation for more than six-and-a-half years. Mr. Conway, 65, will return with his family to his home in London.

“Serving as president of the Rockefeller Foundation is a special honor and privilege,” Conway said. “I am proud of the role the Foundation has played in addressing a range of critical issues faced by the world’s poor, from its work to increase food production and tackle critical diseases, improve access to employment and affordable housing, and sustain the cultural and creative energies of artists and communities throughout the world.”

“Gordon has been a superb president, charting a solid course for the Rockefeller Foundation for many, many years to come,” said James F. Orr, III, chairman of the board of trustees. “I speak for my fellow board members and the foundation staff in saying that we owe a debt of gratitude to Gordon for his outstanding leadership, vision, and compassion. I look forward to working with him on a productive year ahead.”

In an article from the ASPP News (volume 27, number 5, September/October 2000) Conway noted, after being presented the Leadership Award during Plant Biology 2000, the important role scientists play in addressing the needs of the world’s hungry. He mentioned the need for a new Double Green Revolution that would meet the nutritional requirements of people in the developing world. Sophisticated approaches [are] needed in plant genetics; more effective and environmentally benign agricultural practices, improved distribution systems, and efforts to better tap the talents of poor farmers themselves are all essential.

http://www.rockfound.org/display.asp?context=1&Collection=1&DocID=636&Preview=0&ARCurrent=1