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Former Heifer President Luck to Speak at Bumpers Distinguished Lecture Series in April

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Jo Luck, the retired president and CEO of Heifer International, is scheduled to be the featured speaker in the third annual Dale and Betty Bumpers Distinguished Lecture Series in April.

Bumpers Dean Mike Vayda said Luck, who was Heifer’s president and CEO from 1992 to 2010, dedicated her life to fighting hunger and poverty across the world.

“What she was able to accomplish as president of Heifer International is truly inspirational,” Vayda said in the University of Arkansas news release. 

Luck, who also was Heifer’s director of International Programs from 1989 to 1992, helped grow the organization’s budget from $7 million to more than $130 million. She also helped expand programs and projects into numerous countries.

Under Luck’s leadership, Heifer received various awards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission’s “Salute to Greatness” in 2003, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 2004, the Sierra Club of Arkansas Conservation Award in 2005, the Copernican Award in 2006, the Arkansas Press Association Headliner of the Year in 2006, and the Humanitarian Award from Bon Appétit in 2008, among others.

Luck was co-recipient of the World Food Prize in 2010, earned for her work to ensure availability and sustainability of food to people in need around the world.

The April event is hosted by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas and co-sponsored by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. 

Interim Dean of the Fulbright College, Todd Shields, called Luck an “inspirational humanitarian who embraces the philosophy of peace through education and understanding.”

“Our students and faculty will enjoy learning from her experiences, and we are honored to be part of her visit to campus,” Shields said in the release.

The event is free and set for 2 p.m. April 3 in Old Main’s Giffels Auditorium. Seating is available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

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