The Agribusiness Development Corporation has appointed Wendy Gady as its new executive director.
The agency announced the appointment last week, and Gady was slated to start in the role on Monday. According to the announcement, Gady was selected following “an extensive candidate search by ADC’s board of directors.”
“We are delighted to welcome Wendy as our new executive director,” Warren Watanabe, board of directors chairperson, said in a statement. “Her exceptional leadership skills, strategic insights, and focus on broad engagement across the agriculture sector make her the ideal choice to lead ADC. We have great confidence in her ability to bring a wide variety of stakeholders together to discuss concepts and ideas for building our local, sustainable food supply.
“Director Gady will be responsible for fulfilling the ADC’s charter through aggressive, measurable goals for the entire state of Hawaii,” he added. “We are confident that Wendy will reach across the entire state to create new and lasting levels of agriculture growth and sustainability with and for all food sustainability stakeholders.”
Created in 1994, the Agribusiness Development Corporation is a state agency that works to support agricultural production and agribusiness ventures, in accordance with food needs, for the state of Hawaii.
According to the agency, in addition to managing various farming operations, Gady has experience in grant writing, leasing ag land, running farmers markets and more. She also has worked with farm operators to help them develop business plans.
“During her career, Gady has worked with staff, boards, communities, producers, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders in keeping ag land in diverse production across Oahu,” agency officials said in the announcement. “Her hands-on experience includes working with producers to gain land and water access, expanding row and orchard crop market access, and working with groups in completing feasibility studies for expanding value-added products.”
According to ADC, Gady “is interested and open to exploring new research, technology, and uses for ADC lands, and value-added production.”
In a statement, Gady said she is “humbled” to lead the organization, and noted that the Covid-19 pandemic “showed our state why we need to push harder for food independence and sustainability here.”
“ADC will be a pivotal part of our state’s effort,” Gady said.
