Shaping the Future of Agri-food and Rural DEVELOPMENT
University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada 29-31 October, 2025
The Honourable Robert Black, P. Ag. (Hon)
Senator for Ontario
Bio
The Honourable Rob Black has worked in the rural, agricultural and leadership arenas for much of his working career. He has had close involvement with 4-H Canada and 4-H Ontario and other leadership programs, such as Junior Farmers and the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP). He credits his involvement in these programs with allowing him to develop the skills that would lead him to apply to be a senator. He is a past president of the Canadian 4-H Council. Rob was Ward 5 representative on Wellington County Council. He is also a past manager of the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund and president of the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association and the Wellington County Historical Society.
Rob worked with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for 15 years. Following his time at OMAFRA, he spent five years as the executive director of 4-H Ontario. He then accepted the role of executive director of The Centre for Rural Leadership, which morphed in to the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI). In 2012, in recognition of Rob’s significant contributions to 4-H across Canada over many years, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013, Rob was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Program Director Award from the International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leadership (IAPAL) and in 2016 was made an honourary member of the Canadian 4-H Council. In 2024, Rob was made an honourary member of the Canadian Society of Soil Science.
Rob applied to be a senator in July 2016, after some prompting from his son, Tayler. In February 2018 he received a call from the Prime Minister, summoning him to the Senate to represent the province of Ontario. The Prime Minister told Rob specifically that he wanted him to bring his background in agriculture, rural community development and leadership development to the Senate. Since Feb. 27, 2018, Rob has been working on several issues of importance to Canadians through his role and is the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and a member of Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament and the Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.
Rob served as the chair of the Canadian Senators Group (CSG) from its inception in 2019 until October 2023. In February 2021, Canadian Western Agribition recognized Rob as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in Agriculture. In July 2021, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association recognized Rob as the 2021 Produce Champion. The annual Produce Champion award is given to a Member of Parliament or Senator who has been supportive of the produce industry and effective at bringing industry issues to the forefront on Parliament Hill. In March 2023, Rob was a recipient of the Hal Rogers Fellow Award, the highest honour conferred by the Kin Canada Foundation. This award is infrequently bestowed and reserved for those who have made a significant difference to their communities at the local, provincial, or national level.
Rob and his wife Julie live north of Fergus, ON and have four grown children and three grandsons
See full bio
Cees Leeuwis
Professor, Collaborative Research, Communication and Change at the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation group at Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Bio
Cees Leeuwis is professor of Collaborative Research, Communication and Change at the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation group at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
He studies processes of socio-technical innovation, scaling and transformation in networks, collaboration between different disciplines, research for development policy, the functioning of innovation support systems and the role of innovation platforms, science communication, extension and brokers therein. One of his key reference books includes Communication for Rural Innovation: Rethinking Agricultural Extension
He works in many societal domains, including sustainable agriculture, natural resources management, poverty related diseases and inclusive value chains.
Previously, Cees Leeuwis was professor and chair of the Communication and Innovation Studies group (2002-2012) and professor and chair of the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation group (2012-2021).
Deb Stark
The Board of Governor, University of Guelph (incoming chair)
Bio
Deb calls herself a leader and a learner with a lifelong interest in Canadian agriculture and the people who feed us. She is a former Deputy Minister of OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness) and Chief Veterinary Officer for Ontario.
She spends her time volunteering and sitting on boards, including the University of Guelph (Incoming Chair), the Golden Triangle Angel Network, Veterinarians Without Borders Canada, and, most recently, the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network.
Laurens Klerkx
Full Professor of Agrifood Innovation and Transition at the University of Talca, Chile, Visiting full professor at Wageningen University
Bio
Laurens Klerkx is Full Professor of Agrifood Innovation and Transition at the University of Talca, Chile, and visiting full professor at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Initially trained in plant production systems science, he has moved to doing social science on innovation in agrifood systems. His interests and expertise are in agricultural extension, agricultural innovation systems, transformative innovation policy, agrifood digitalization, and most recently agrifood tech start-up ecosystems. With his team of PhD and postdoc researchers, as well as international colleagues, he has published widely on these topics over the past 20 years. He was editor-in-chief of The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension and is currently editor of Agricultural Systems.
Chloe McCulloch
Head of SAC Consulting, SRUC
Bio
Chloe McCulloch is Head of SAC Consulting, the consultancy division of SRUC – Scotland’s Rural College – a unique institution which combines academic teaching, applied research and on-the-ground consultancy to support the rural and agricultural sectors. She heads a 200-strong team delivering independent advice to farming and land-based businesses across Scotland.
Chloe has deep expertise in the design and delivery of government-funded advisory services. She was formerly responsible for the operational strategy of the Farm Advisory Service (FAS), Scotland’s national programme providing one-to-many advice for farmers, crofters and land managers. In her current role, she remains strategically involved, including liaison with government stakeholders.
A graduate of SRUC, Chloe first trained as an agricultural consultant and has worked with a wide range of farm types. With over two decades of experience in rural consultancy, she plays a key role ensuring SAC Consulting works in close alignment with SRUC’s education and research arms, embedding practical knowledge exchange across the organisation’s work.
Jennifer Struthers
Senior Consultant & Team Leader SAC Consulting
Bio
Jennifer Struthers has led a team at SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, since 2010, providing technical and business advice to over 400 dairy and livestock farming clients. With extensive experience in government-funded advisory programs, she contributed to Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) and developed initiatives like FASTV and FAS Connect to promote peer-led learning. Jennifer also facilitates the Clyde Valley Wader Group, a conservation network focused on protecting bird species like Lapwing and Curlew, which won a Nature of Scotland Award. In addition to her consultancy work, she manages a 700-acre upland beef and sheep farm with her husband while raising two children.
Elsa Vasseur
Associate Professor William Dawson Scholar Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence (WELL-E)
Bio
Dr. Elsa Vasseur is an Associate Professor in Animal Science at McGill University, a William Dawson Scholar, and Co-Chairholder of the Research and Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence (WELL-E). Her interdisciplinary research integrates technology, animal welfare, and sustainability in livestock systems, with a focus on dairy production. With an international academic background and a PhD from Université Laval, she previously led the Industrial Research Chair in the Sustainable Life of Dairy Cattle (2016–2022) and actively contributes to academic and scientific committees across Canada. Vasseur works closely with farmers and institutional partners to develop practical, innovative solutions that enhance animal well-being, farm profitability, and environmental sustainability.