Dr. Kim Kidwell
Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Pilot Light Board of Directors
Dr. Kim Kidwell has served on Pilot Light’s Board of Directors since March of 2024. She was first introduced to Pilot Light through a chance connection with Alex DeSorbo-Quinn, the executive director. Realizing their common interest in food education and nutrition, they established a collaboration to expand Pilot Light’s Fellowship program to more cities throughout Illinois. This has evolved into the new Feeding Futures program.
Career History
Dr. Kidwell serves as the Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she assists the Chancellor with the development of high-priority, high-impact, multi-stakeholder initiatives. She provides leadership in pursuing resources and developing new and sustained partnerships with academic institutions, foundations, federal and state agencies, alumni, and the private sector. These collaborations are designed to better position the University to lead scientific discoveries and innovations that will inspire and empower tomorrow’s sustainable food, agriculture, nutrition, and health systems.
Dr. Kidwell previously served as the Dean and the inaugural Robert A. Easter Chair in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a proud alum of ACES where she earned bachelor’s degrees in both genetics and development and agriculture science. Dr. Kidwell received her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She previously held the role of executive associate dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. Dr. Kidwell is a nationally respected scholar and award-winning teacher. She also is an accomplished spring wheat breeder, developing more than 20 wheat varieties for Washington State farmers. Her research led to multiple patented discoveries and addressed genetic aspects of wheat improvement.
Dr. Kidwell’s goals are to improve student learning; drive sound, innovative research; and cultivate external partnerships to improve the lives and livelihoods of people in Illinois and beyond.
Why do I support Pilot Light?
The best way to create a paradigm shift in society is to educate and connect with young people, and focusing on teachers as a conduit to youth is both brilliant and effective. The trust and respect needed to influence these young people is built into the model. After nearly 30 years of attempting to change food awareness in students and to elevate interest in careers in agriculture with nominal success, Pilot Light’s approach gave me renewed hope. By engaging with teachers and students at an early stage, food experiences become a foundation for expanding knowledge while creating a platform for wellness. My hope is that students exposed to Pilot Light’s “food connects us all” philosophy will become the teachers of generations that came before that struggle with nutrition, as well as role models for future generations around creating healthy relationships with food.
Favorite Food Education Standard: FES #1: Food Connects Us to Each Other
Food connects us to each other’ resonates most with me for two reasons: 1) I have shared many meals with people at places around the globe and can attest to the connecting powers of sharing a meal with others no matter where they are from; and 2) as a wheat breeder, improving the milling and baking quality of flour extracted from grain from the varieties we developed was our primary goal.
To be successful, a variety had to produce a large volume of grain that produced large quantities of flour that was useful for making high quality food products. I refer to this as the ‘seed to soul’ experience. It starts with planting (seed) and transitions to harvesting grain, extracting flour and producing food products, and ends with someone consuming the end-product, which impacts an individual’s health (soul). Those who are fortunate have a good food experience every day, which should never be taken for granted. Food truly does connect us all.
A favorite food memory or recipe:
When I was an undergraduate at University of Illinois, I worked with Dr. John Laughnan, the father of the sweet corn industry in Illinois and across the globe. He was a fabulous teacher and scientist who sparked my interest in plant genetics. I made the connection between improving plants through genetics and enhanced food quality while working in his research program, which inspired my career. He also instilled in me the importance of being a great mentor. To this day I aspire to motivate and guide young people similarly to how he inspired me. He believed in me more than I believed in myself at a very important time in my life. My greatest moments in academia mirror that experience with students I have been privileged to work with. I will be forever grateful for having the opportunity to pass the torch he handed to me on to others.
Reach me: via email at kkidwell@illinois.edu