I'm a retired old man - Internationalist - with 30 years experience in some 35 countries.
Everything I know - I learned growing up on a farm.
Before retiring I was a Senior Program Manager and Agricultural/Natural Resources Scientist in the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. My primary responsibilities included direction of the Technical Assistance Group of 20 technical specialists working with programs to prevent or mitigate natural and human-caused disasters globally. Previously I was with USAID's Bureau for Science and Technology with responsibility for global projects dealing with soil resources and dryland agricultural systems. I began my international career by taking leave from Texas Tech University to join the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Peru. We remained in Peru subsequently with one of the 15 International Agricultural Research Centers and later with Utah State University. Concurrently, I was research advisor for the Office of Water Resources in Peru's Ministry of Agriculture and adjunct professor of soils and irrigation in the National Agrarian University. Previous to Texas Tech, I was a research scientist with the USDA and earlier I was a Kansas farmer
I like diversity: people, food, environments, , music. ----- almost perfect contentment for me is to spend late Friday afternoon/early evening with my partner/spouse of 50 years (2009) on our patio with several kinds of wine, several kinds of breads, several kinds of cheese, several kinds of olives, and maybe a little smoked salmon or some pate as we watch trees grow, squirrels play in the 100 ft trees, chipmunks play in the grass, the birds sing, woodpeckers climb trees, flowers bloom and peaceful quiet burst forth.
