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As WISHH’s Executive Director, Gena Perry leads the strategic trajectory of WISHH’s market development and long-term trade opportunities for U.S. soy in developing and emerging markets. She joined the American Soybean Association/WISHH Program in March 2019 managing the AMPLIFIES poultry Food for Progress project in Ghana and then serving in a strategic capacity for the organization. She came to WISHH after nearly four years with AgriCorps, a non-profit focused on agricultural education in Ghana and Liberia. Gena served as an AgriCorps Fellow in Koforidua, Ghana where she worked in the 4-H Ghana office helping build capacity for staff and trained 4-H advisors and agriculture science teachers on experiential learning pedagogy. Gena received her bachelors and masters degrees in Agribusiness from the University of Georgia. Gena enjoys traveling, hiking with her dog and attending live music shows.
With over 16 years as Marketing a Strategy Professional on three continents, Mr. Alidu’s experience includes roles at Millicom (Marketing Director – Africa), Commercial Manager for Mobile Financial Services and Head of Product Innovation. SMS Brand Manager at Dell Inc and Merchandising Manager at Payinc Group, both in the USA. He was the Sales and Marketing Officer at Ecobank Ghana Ltd and the Entrepreneurship Director and Marketing Director at the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre.
Samuel is the founder and CEO of the Yedent Agro Group of Companies Ltd., a leading agro processing company based in Ghana, West Africa, with a mission to bring nutrition, affordability, and convenience to cereal and legume staple foods eaten within the region.
He is a strong advocate in the fight against malnutrition through enhanced agricultural value chain and food systems
Scott Gaffner currently serves on the Executive Committee as Secretary for the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health program (WISHH). Based in Illinois, Scott also serves as an At-Large Director of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA). He raises soybeans and corn on his family’s centennial farm. He is a representative for ISA’s Soy Innovation Center and is also on the executive board of the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC).
Gaffner attended Lincoln Christian University, Greenville University, and Western Illinois University and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He served as a lieutenant with the Illinois State Police for nearly 30 years, owns other small businesses, including an internet service provider and Scooter’s Coffee franchise, and instructs as an adjunct professor at Greenville University. He and his wife, Jamie, have two children.
Juan E. Andrade is an associate professor of global food and nutrition at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville. He holds a B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences from Zamorano University, Honduras, and a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Purdue University. Dr. Andrade’s long-term goal is to develop sustainable strategies that can be used to deliver adequate nutrition, especially micronutrients, to residents of low-resource countries and thereby help to promote human health and economic development. His research interests are focused on innovative concepts for food fortification, point-of-use sensing technologies for micronutrients in fortified foods, reformulation of relief food products, and service, experiential learning education programs. Dr. Andrade is an affiliated faculty in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for African Studies at UF. He is also a research affiliate at the USAID’s Livestock Innovation Lab (LSIL – hosted at UF) and the PI of the Human Nutrition Team at the USAID’s Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL – hosted at Illinois). Dr. Andrade is a member of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the American Society for Nutrition.