Since beginning his career in international agribusiness, Hoadley said he has seen tremendous improvement in agricultural systems in Latin America. "There are a lot more highly productive farms and more use of technology," he said. "But there is still a lot of inequality, which is not the same as poverty. Parts of the region are very advanced with impressive agricultural systems. But other parts are very backwards." Despite gains, the productivity of farms in that region lags well behind those in the U.S., Hoadley said. "The basic problem there is productivity," he said. Didn't grow up on a farm Growing up in New Hampshire, Hoadley's only exposure to farming was his mother's vegetable garden. But he was exposed to international issues at an early age and spent a year in Mexico City during high school. Hoadley entered the Peace Corps after graduating from Colby College in Maine with a bachelor's in political science. In Colombia, he worked with a group of small farmers, organizing cooperatives. "That's what really piqued my interest in agriculture," Hoadley said. "I spent three years in the Peace Corps, rather than the traditional two years." At Abt, he has found a good number of employees who also were in the Peace Corps.
Former university president Colombia RPCV Kenneth L. Hoadley joins Abt as principal associate and scientist in its International Economic Growth Division
Hoadley brings Latin American, agricultural expertise to Abt
Former university president joins international economic division in Bethesda
by Kevin James Shay | Staff Writer
Photo: Brian Lewis/The Gazette
Bethesda is a long way from Honduras. So Kenneth L. Hoadley can be excused for experiencing a bit of a culture shock.
Hoadley is settling into his new position with international research and program implementation company Abt Associates, following eight years as president of Zamorano University in Honduras.
"I'm still getting used to new technology such as smartphones," said Hoadley, 64, who recently joined Abt as principal associate and scientist in its International Economic Growth Division in Bethesda. "I always had good Internet access in Honduras but did not have access to the new gadgets.... I have a lot more opportunities to spend money here."
Hoadley is one of the "pre-eminent leaders" in the field of agricultural development in developing countries, Constantin Abarbieritei, vice president of Abt's International Economic Growth Division, said in a statement. "His work in the area of integrated agricultural development and food security will be very important in our commitment to President Obama's Feed the Future initiative."
Abt, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., saw revenues in fiscal 2010 increase by 14 percent from 2009, to $301 million. Its Bethesda office opened in 1968 and has grown from a dozen employees to some 350.
Agriculture is the key to economic development in Latin America, said Hoadley, who has held a variety of positions, including director of the Center for International Business Education and Research and adjunct professor of management at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School. He also was dean of the Arthur D. Little School of Management in Cambridge, which has since been acquired and renamed the Hult International Business School.
"More people work in the agricultural sector than any other" in Latin America, he said. "It's really the basis for the economy. You can't see economic development in this region without agriculture."
Numerous Maryland companies enjoy substantial trade with Mexico, Honduras and other Latin American nations that have made strides in recent years to build their economies. Mexico is Maryland's fifth-largest foreign trade partner, as the value of the state's exports to Mexico grew by 58 percent from 2005 and 2010 to $488.3 million, according to federal figures. Honduras has seen Maryland exports rise by 48 percent in that time to $5.4 million.
Maryland exports to Chile, Argentina, Venezuela and Peru grew even more in the past five years, by fivefold to $153.3 million, $94.8 million, $85.6 million and $60.8 million, respectively.
Since beginning his career in international agribusiness, Hoadley said he has seen tremendous improvement in agricultural systems in Latin America.
"There are a lot more highly productive farms and more use of technology," he said. "But there is still a lot of inequality, which is not the same as poverty. Parts of the region are very advanced with impressive agricultural systems. But other parts are very backwards."
Despite gains, the productivity of farms in that region lags well behind those in the U.S., Hoadley said. "The basic problem there is productivity," he said.
Didn't grow up on a farm
Growing up in New Hampshire, Hoadley's only exposure to farming was his mother's vegetable garden. But he was exposed to international issues at an early age and spent a year in Mexico City during high school.
Hoadley entered the Peace Corps after graduating from Colby College in Maine with a bachelor's in political science. In Colombia, he worked with a group of small farmers, organizing cooperatives.
"That's what really piqued my interest in agriculture," Hoadley said. "I spent three years in the Peace Corps, rather than the traditional two years."
At Abt, he has found a good number of employees who also were in the Peace Corps.
The experience also inspired Hoadley to attend business school. "I realized that in the area where I was working, various agencies have technical and financial expertise, but not management expertise," he said.
So he went to Harvard Business School, earning not just his master's, but also his doctorate in business administration, with a concentration in agribusiness management. In addition to his academic positions in North Carolina and Massachusetts, he taught at business schools in Mexico and Costa Rica.
At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in the early 2000s, Hoadley provided keen insights into Central American development issues , said John D. Kasarda, director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and a professor of strategy and entrepreneurship who worked with him.
"He held leadership roles in several programs here," Kasarda said. "He was a pleasant and supportive colleague, and well-liked by everyone."
In early 2003, Hoadley became president of Zamorano, a private university of about 1,200 students that offers undergraduate degrees in agricultural and animal sciences, food science, agribusiness management and environmental studies. Its alumni come from 29 different countries, mostly in Latin America with some as far away as Europe. The student-faculty ratio is 12-to-1.
"Zamorano University is widely recognized. Students attend there from around Latin America," he said. "They learn the whole system of agriculture, from production to final distribution."
Hoadley raised Zamorano's profile "even higher by forming alliances with regional and international institutions, organizations and governments," Frederick Falck, president of the university's trustees, said in a statement. Hoadley maintained a focus on "facing Latin America's challenges, such as poverty reduction, rural development and environmental management."
Last fall, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa presented Hoadley with the Order of Francisco Morazan, the highest award the government gives to citizens, at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace. In his speech, Lobo cited Zamorano's student body growing by 40 percent under Hoadley and his work on securing more money for student scholarships, according to a university news release.
Hoadley has authored or co-authored more than 60 case studies on strategic issues facing businesses in Latin America and contributed to books on agricultural development and strategic management in developing countries. He has consulted with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
kshay@gazette.net
Kenneth L. Hoadley
-Age: 64
-Position: Principal associate and scientist, International Economic Growth Division, Abt Associates, Bethesda.
-Previous position: President, Zamorano University, Honduras, January 2003 to December 2010.
-Education: Doctorate and master's of business administration, Harvard Business School, concentration in agribusiness management; bachelor's in political science, Colby College, Waterville, Maine.
-Award: Order of Francisco Morazan, highest award given by Honduran government to distinguished citizens, 2010.
-Residence: Bethesda.
-Family: Wife, Leana; three grown children.
-Hobbies: Travel and photography, especially landscapes.
