2005 Distinguished Alumni Award Honoree
Chenoweth earned her UW-Madison master's degree in agricultural economics in 1970. In 1977, she became the first woman in her home country of Liberia to be appointed as minister of agriculture. When the president of Liberia was assassinated in a coup in 1980, Chenoweth was lucky to escape with her life. She walked across the country with her children to safety in Sierra Leone. She was able to return to Madison and enrolled in the PhD program in land resources, achieving her doctorate in 1986.
In 1995, Dr. Chenoweth joined the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Today, she serves as the main link between the FAO, the UN's General Assembly and the world.
