SARADA KRISHNAN

Director of Programs
Global Crop Diversity Trust

Dr. Sarada Krishnan recently joined the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust) as their Director of Programs. In this role, she supervises a team of scientists and project managers, overseeing the implementation of strategic projects and programs designed to support the organizational mandate of securing the world’s crop diversity. She oversees the planning, development, and implementation of the overall programmatic technical framework of the organization. Prior to joining the Crop Trust, Sarada was the Director of Horticulture and Center for Global Initiatives at Denver Botanic Gardens for 16 years where she was responsible for directing the design and maintenance of the horticulture displays and collections, and for developing and leading global projects. In addition to her role at the Crop Trust, Sarada also serves as the Executive Director of International Women’s Coffee Alliance.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from India, where the focus was on tropical horticulture and a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from Colorado State University. Her doctorate research at University of Colorado, Boulder, focused on the conservation genetics of wild coffee (Coffea spp.) in Madagascar. Coffee has been a big part of her life with her family owning coffee plantations in India while she was growing up. Sarada now owns coffee plantations in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

Sarada has served on several local, national and international boards and committees. She is a faculty affiliate with Colorado State University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. She serves on the USDA National Genetic Resources Advisory Council and is the chair of USDA’s Coffee and Cacao Crop Germplasm Committee. She is on the board of Women Frist International Fund, a nonprofit organization providing long-term partnership grants for women’s economic empowerment in East Africa and India. She has published numerous papers and chapters on coffee genetic resources, botanic gardens, consumer horticulture and sustainable agriculture in peer-reviewed journals and books.