Dear all,
This is a note of gratitude to Jonathon Landeck, who is retiring from the
North American Millets Alliance as of today, the end of 2024. His work and
ideas over the last three plus years has been essential in developing NAMA,
and he will be missed.
Jonathon and I are old friends, having both done graduate work at Michigan
State University (although overlapping only briefly) and having been
colleagues in Peace Corps staff. In late 2021 - the year when the UN
General Assembly set 2023 as the International Year of Millets - I
contacted Jonathon to ask if he'd be interested in doing something to mark
that Year and promote millets in the US. That was the earliest beginning of
what later became NAMA.
We met Joni Kindwall-Moore (virtually) in early 2022, and shortly after
that, together founded NAMA.
Many of you will recall his role in emceeing many of the Millets Webinars
we did in collaboration with the University of Missouri in 2023. However
much of his role with NAMA was behind the scenes, in regular meetings,
discussions, and external contacts.
While we wish Jonathon and his family well, in his next chapter, we would
like to assure you that NAMA is still very active, We welcomed a new member
of our leadership group, Gary Wietgrefe not long ago, and although we are
now back to three members, we are continuing our work and also developing
new plans.
Anyway, thank you again, Jonathon! Happy New Year to you and yours and to
all our friends, colleagues, and supporters!
Don
Don Osborn, PhD
(East Lansing, MI, US)
North American Millets Alliance
