Alan Leshner and John McDonnell Join Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation's Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation announced today the appointments of Dr. Alan Leshner and John McDonnell to the organization's board of directors. The Foundation leads a non-partisan coalition of scientific, consumer and producer groups to educate stakeholders about the importance of funding agricultural research, especially the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the flagship competitively awarded grant program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"We cannot afford to sit complacently as the rest of the world catches up to our scientific prowess," said Dr. Leshner. "While U.S. funding for basic research has remained static, South Korea is doubling its science budget and China is quintupling its budget. Our farmers cannot feed the world working off of the scientific achievements of decades past. They need cutting edge developments."

Dr. Leshner served as Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Executive Publisher of the journal Science from 2001 to 2015. He also served as Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA and Deputy Director and Acting Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Leshner held a variety of senior positions at the National Science Foundation, focusing on basic research in the biological, behavioral and social sciences, science policy and science education.

"I am pleased to join this effort since I believe that investments in high quality agricultural science are important to holding down food costs, enhancing food safety, strengthening our economy, and preserving the environment for future generations," said John McDonnell.

For the past 15 years, Mr. McDonnell has helped establish an entrepreneurial ecosystem in St. Louis to enable start-up companies to commercialize life science research breakthroughs. He is founding chairman of the board of BioSTL, a non-profit established to encourage capital formation, stimulate entrepreneurial activity, support regional efforts, and promote St. Louis life science developments with local, state, and federal government agencies.  McDonnell retired as Chairman of the Board of McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1997 after a more than 35-year career at the company. He served as chairman and chief executive officer from 1988 to 1994. He later served on the Board of Directors of The Boeing Company from 1997 to 2012.

"We are honored to welcome Alan Leshner and John McDonnell to our board of directors," said Dr. William Danforth, Chairman of the Board of the SoAR Foundation and Chancellor Emeritus of Washington University in St. Louis.  "Dr. Leshner and Mr. McDonnell bring an enormous amount of expertise and are committed to the SoAR Foundation's mission of boosting U.S. agricultural research.  By putting America's best minds to work, we will ensure that a new age of agricultural innovation begins now.  Together, we will create 21^st century solutions to nourish our families, strengthen US competitiveness, and improve people's health both here and worldwide."

About the Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation
The SoAR Foundation leads a non-partisan coalition working to educate stakeholders about the importance of agricultural research and focus more of our best minds on feeding America and the world.  The SoAR Foundation advocates for full funding for the Agriculture Food and Research Initiative (AFRI) to encourage top scientists from multiple disciplines to address agriculture-related challenges in order to improve public health and strengthen our economic competitiveness.

SOURCE Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation