UK trustee joins national agriculture board

Marianne Smith Edge, of Owensboro, a member of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, has been appointed a member of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB).

The NAREEEAB advises the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and land-grant colleges and universities about top priorities and policies for food and agricultural research, education, extension and economics. The board has 31 members who represent a specific category of U.S. agricultural stakeholders.

Edge, who owns MUSE & Associates, LLC, a nutrition communication and marketing consulting company in Owensboro, was nominated by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals with 65,000 members. ADA promotes optimal nutrition, health and well-being.

Her appointment is for the area of nutrition and is for three years.
Edge, who has been an alumni representative on the UK Board of Trustees since 2000, chairs the board’s Student Affairs Committee and is a member of the board’s Hospital Committee.

“I am honored to represent Kentucky, the University of Kentucky and the ADA on this federal advisory board,” Edge said. “I look forward to the opportunity of providing perspectives based on my nutrition expertise, farm background, and land grant university experience during the discussions.”

— Ralph Derickson