Annual Meeting 2003
The 39th Annual Meeting of
The Association for International Agriculture 
and Rural Development

"On Renewing Commitment to International Agriculture and Rural Development"
Speakers and Panelists

Michael McGirr
U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Mike McGirr is the International Extension Program Leader for USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). He is responsible for developing and managing foreign projects in collaboration with cooperating U.S. universities. This past year he has provided leadership for the National Initiative to Internationalize Extension, an effort aimed at strengthening the global dimension of local extension programs in the U.S. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. McGirr managed the agency's Polish/American Extension Project that involved collaboration with 31 land-grant universities. He has also helped to develop agency initiatives in Egypt, China, Ukraine, southern Africa, and Central America. Mr. McGirr began his career in international development as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone (1977-80) and worked for several years as a Public Affairs Specialist for Peace Corps in the 1980's. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a Master's in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies.