Anne Alonzo will join Corteva Agriscience as the company's senior vice president for external affairs and chief sustainability officer, effective April 20, 2020. She will report to Chief Executive Officer James C. Collins, Jr. and have responsibility for setting strategy and leading the company's external affairs function, which includes corporate communications, global corporate responsibility, government & industry affairs, and product advocacy.
She will be based in Washington, D.C. and lead the company's office there, filling a position that was previously held by Krysta Harden until her departure in February of 2019. Dana Bolden, Chief Communications Officer, has been leading the company's external affairs team on an interim basis since that time.
Most recently, Alonzo served as President and CEO of the American Egg Board, the checkoff arm of the U.S. egg industry, where she directed national campaigns in advertising, public relations, consumer education, retail, food service, export marketing and egg nutrition.
“I am delighted to welcome Anne Alonzo to Corteva. As a highly experienced leader in our industry she has a unique blend of experience across the public, not-for-profit and corporate sectors that will greatly benefit us as we work to advance a sustainable global agriculture ecosystem,” said Collins. “We established Corteva as a new kind of agriculture company and Anne’s expertise and experience will accelerate the progress we have already made to drive more sustainable, collaborative practices across our business.”
Prior to joining the AEB in 2016, Alonzo was appointed by the White House to serve as Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, the federal marketing agency at the USDA. She previously served as the vice president for global public policy and corporate affairs at Kraft Foods (now Mondelez International) leading all global corporate affairs work in the areas of sustainability, tariffs, tax, trade and health and wellness, as well as global issues management.
“With its global presence, industry-leading pipeline and an experienced team of innovators, Corteva is ideally positioned to meet its goal of ensuring progress in the agriculture industry for generations to come, driving value for all of its stakeholders,” Alonzo said. “Corteva has set out to lead the industry and I am excited to join a team that is already demonstrating its commitment to building an agricultural ecosystem that supports people, progress and the planet.”
Prior to her roles at the AEB, USDA and Kraft Foods, Alonzo was a senior vice president at the National Foreign Trade Council, deputy assistant secretary at the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and environmental attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City coinciding with the NAFTA negotiations as well as a senior regional counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V, Chicago, IL.
Alonzo recently served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Council on Agriculture, Small Business and Labor; Board of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and is a member of The Chicago Network of Chicago’s leading professional women as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Anne is also part of the Latino Corporate Directors Association and is a fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors. She has also received many recent awards including Chicago United’s People of Color Award, Latino Leaders “Maestro” Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, named to the prestigious Who’s Who in Hispanic Chicago” by Negocios Now for two consecutive years, Corporate Excellence Award by Remy Martin and recognized by LATINO Magazine with its Brava (courage) award for exemplary leadership supporting and mentoring Latinas across the United States.
Alonzo holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a JD from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Kent College of Law.
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