Josette Lewis is the Director of Agricultural Affairs for the Almond Board of California. She most recently served as associate vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund, where she focuses on ecosystems and sustainable agriculture. She previously served as the associate director of the UC Davis World Food Center and also worked with Arcadia Biosciences as the Director of Agricultural Development, to expand the company’s licensing and partnerships particularly in developing countries. Prior to joining Arcadia, Dr. Lewis spent 16 years with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Most recently, she served as Director of the Office of Agriculture, where she played a leadership role in the development of the Administration’s global initiative on food security; development of a new strategy for agricultural research, and initiated numerous new partnerships with universities, agricultural companies, and non-governmental organizations in the U.S. and developing countries.