Most notably, she was the first woman in the university's history to receive a doctorate in agricultural economics.
WASHINGTON, November 12, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Uma Lele, PhD, president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, was selected by Marquis Who's Who for a prominent feature in the Washington/Baltimore Edition of The Wall Street Journal, published on July 2, 2024.
Widely recognized as a leading light in the field of agricultural economics, Uma Lele, PhD, has distinguished herself across more than five decades in research, operations, policy analysis, and evaluation at various organizations and institutions, including the World Bank and CGIAR. Taking office as president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) in 2021, she is the first woman to hold the position in the organization's history — a milestone she has achieved several times throughout her storied career.
Coming of age in India, Dr. Lele studied economics and statistics at Ferguson College, Pune University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, in 1960. Following this accomplishment, she went on to attend Cornell University, where she studied agricultural economics and attained a Master of Science in 1963 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1965. Most notably, she was the first woman in the university's history to receive a doctorate in agricultural economics.
Following Dr. Lele's graduation, she relocated to Canada and produced a son; she was subsequently employed by the World Bank. Her work in Africa formed the basis for her then-bestselling book, "The Design of Rural Development: Lessons from Africa," in 1975. Briefly working as a visiting professor at Cornell during this time, she returned to the World Bank in 1975 and went on to distinguish herself in multiple roles. In addition to serving as a senior advisor for what is now the Independent Evaluation Group, she led complex evaluations of the organization's forest strategy, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, and a team that co-authored a paper for the first Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development, contributing to the formation of a forward-looking roadmap for agricultural policy.
During her leave of absence from the World Bank, Dr. Lele held leadership positions at the University of Florida, where she was the director of international studies from 1991 to 1995 and led the Carter Center's global development initiative between 1992 and 1993, working directly with President Carter. Retiring from her work at the World Bank in 2005, she has continued to serve as a researcher, writer and lecturer while affiliated with the Institute of Economic Growth at the University of Delhi.
Outside of her primary career track, Dr. Lele's contributions to the wider industry have been remarkable in scope. She has co-authored articles that have appeared in many prominent publications, sat on innumerable expert panels, co-chaired international task forces, and established herself as a role model for women who aspire to break into the agricultural sector – a field that is traditionally dominated by men. To wit, she played a critical role in the creation of the Uma Lele Mentor Fellowship Award, an accolade that is bestowed by the American Agricultural and Applied Economics Association to women from developing countries.
In honor of her widespread achievements, Dr. Lele earned an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2023, as well as several other awards, fellowships and recognitions throughout the course of her career, such as the Clifton R. Wharton Jr. Emerging Markets Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, and the Dr. M. S. Swaminathan Award, to name only a few. Looking ahead, she plans to continue research, policy analysis and evaluation, as well as her mission of eradicating hunger.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #