ISU Professor Recognized for her Work on Rural Social Issues

A sociology professor at Iowa State University has been recognized twice in recent weeks for her leadership in addressing important rural social issues.

Cornelia Flora, a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Sociology and director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, has been on the Iowa State faculty since 1994.

In early November, the U.S. Forest Service presented Flora with a special award. The award, presented at a regional forum on global connections, was in recognition of Flora's "outstanding contribution to developing community-based, collaborative approaches to natural resource management and conservation internationally."

In addition, Flora is identified as one of 14 women "Agents of Change" in Anna Anderson's new book, Women and Sustainable Agriculture. The book includes interviews with Flora and 13 other women who are providing leadership in addressing the need for sustainable farming systems.

Flora has conducted groundbreaking sociological research on the impacts of human communities and the ecosystem, community processes and gender and social institutions. Many of her articles have been widely used by nonprofit organizations that work with farmer groups, particularly in sustainable agriculture, to build stronger communities and a stronger economic base.

Flora has held several academic positions and has been a program officer for the Ford Foundation. She also works on international development issues with the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Flora received a bachelor's degree from the University of California-Berkeley and master's and doctorate degrees from Cornell University.