Our Team

Our program operates under the leadership of a diverse and innovative faculty and student team, representing a variety of experiences and backgrounds in international programs. Interested in partnering with us? Are you an international scholar or student who would like to conduct research at NC State? Are you a NC State student interested in international opportunities? Whatever the reason, feel free to contact us. We’re happy to connect with you.

Team
Graduate Trainers

Past Staff and Graduate Trainers
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Team

Jose Cisneros, Director, CALS International Programs
Jose Cisneros has extensive experience in international agriculture and business, and entrepreneurial development and solutions. He has participated in numerous international agricultural projects and has trained farmers, NGO trainers, and government officers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe. At NC State, Cisneros founded CALS Global Academy, an initiative to train international professionals in agriculture and life sciences. He also developed the most comprehensive database of international activities among peer colleges of agriculture. Cisneros is the founder of AgriFoodGateway and the Global Agribusiness Program at the University of Missouri. As an entrepreneur, he has started six businesses in the horticulture, poultry, consumer retail, and mobile electronics industries. Contact: jose_cisneros@ncsu.edu.

Adrienne LaBranche Tucker, Ph.D., Assistant Director
Adrienne has a background in agriculture and environmental science and holds a Ph.D. in environmental planning, M.S. degree in turfgrass science, and a B.S. degree in ornamental horticulture. Dr. Tucker’s research experiences include investigating plant drought stress tolerance in response to exogenous applications of plant growth stimulants, and alternative water source planning to meet non-potable irrigation needs. Dr. Tucker has worked as a sustainability director in higher education to provide customized training and program development. Prior to joining the CALS International Programs Office, Dr. Tucker lived in France for two years. As the assistant director, Dr. Tucker oversees and manages the CALS International Programs’ initiatives including Research Pack Abroad, CALS SAIGE and additional programs to increase CALS global engagement.
Contact: adrienne_tucker@ncsu.edu

Mirza Farzana Halim, CREdO Program Coordinator
Farzana holds MS in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management and Masters in International Studies, both from North Carolina State University. Originally from Bangladesh, her research and project implementation experience encompasses agricultural settings in both developed and developing countries. She examined women’s entrepreneurial challenges and opportunities in diversified farm households across North Carolina as part of her thesis research. With an undergraduate degree in Business Administration she also has experience of conducting value chain analysis in addressing market inefficiencies in agricultural sectors in her home country. Her educational and professional experience combined lends a unique lens to analyze agricultural challenges and tailor systemic solutions in various parts of the globe. Contact: mfhalim@ncsu.edu

Andrew Ofstehage, Ph.D., Global Academy Program Coordinator
Andrew grew up on a small South Dakota farm and has been interested in agriculture since he was a child. While studying agronomy and agricultural business at South Dakota State, study abroad experiences in Peru and Ghana sparked his curiosity in the diverse ways farmers make their livelihoods on the soil. As a master’s student at Wageningen University he studied social science methods and conducted research on how Bolivian quinoa farmers made the global quinoa boom work for them. He went on to earn his PhD in Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a dissertation on transnational soybean farmers in Brazil and carried our further research at Cornell University as a postdoctoral associate. At NC State, Andrew coordinates Cochran programs, private trainings, and online-facing educational programs for Global Academy. Contact: alofsteh@ncsu.edu

Mara Cuebas-Irizarry, Graduate Student Faculty Database Coordinator
Mara is a PhD student in Microbiology, and previously received a MSc and BSc in Industrial Microbiology from University of Puerto Rico. Mara serves the office as two roles: as the Faculty Database manager and as a Graduate Student Trainer for CALS Global Academy. “One of my goals as a “Latina” is to be an active listener to our “latinx” community members’ ideas and concerns in order to develop research goals. Being able to work as a trainer with groups of Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú and Ghana, has given me an opportunity to learn about other cultures, and problems that they are facing in agriculture. I feel that I am actively learning about new topics natural resources, food systems and sustainability. This has been a great opportunity to grow as a scientist and educator.”
Contact: mfcuebas@ncsu.edu

Renee Long, Program Specialist
I am a 3rd year undergraduate student majoring in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems with a concentration in Community Food Systems. Before transferring to NC State, I worked as a chef in Chicago where I began to question where our food comes from and how much work goes into growing the ingredients we use. Those questions led me to Central Illinois, where I worked on two organic vegetable farms one of which had their own restaurant. After I fell in love with farming I decided to get my A.S degree in agriculture at Heartland Community College while continuing my work on the farm. I have been able to travel to 11 countries which has broadened my perspective on international agriculture and the issues that people are faced with around the world. These experiences have given me a desire to study sustainable agriculture in hopes of being able to work alongside others so they can be self-sufficient. I believe that starting with the local food system can have a big impact on the larger community and transform our food system as we now know it. I am excited to work in the International Programs office as it is a great opportunity to build relationships with our Fellows and others visiting from around the world. I am looking forward to learning more about what agricultural issues they experience and how we can help.
Contact: rlong3@ncsu.edu

Rick Brandenburg, Ph.D.
Wm. Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor
Departmental Extension Leader
Commercial Turf and Peanuts
Associate Director of Global Extension
Contact: rick_brandenburg@ncsu.edu

Lina Quesada-Ocampo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Management, diagnostics, population genetics, and genomics of vegetable pathogens
Program Director of WolfPack Colombia
Contact: lmquesad@ncsu.edu

Peter Ojiambo, Ph.D.,
Professor
Epidemiology and integrated management of plant diseases
Program Director of CREdO Kenya
Contact: pojiamb@ncsu.edu