25 Facts About Elsa Murano

Elsa Murano served as the 23rd president from January 3,2008, until her resignation on June 15,2009.

In 2006, Elsa Murano joined the board of directors at Hormel Foods.

Elsa Murano Alina Casales was born on August 14,1959, in Havana, Cuba, eight months after the end of the Cuban Revolution.

Elsa Murano's family fled Cuba on July 4,1961, moving first to Curacao and later to Colombia, where her father worked for IBM.

Elsa Murano's parents moved to Peru and El Salvador before settling in Puerto Rico, where she began kindergarten.

Elsa Murano then attended Miami Dade College, while working at Kelly Tractor Company.

Elsa Murano completed her bachelor's degree in biological sciences at FIU in 1981.

Originally intending to pursue a career in medicine, Elsa Murano developed an interest in research after participating in a project exploring the potential of CBD and THC extracts in preventing tumor formation in predisposed mice.

Elsa Murano's studies focused on the role of bacterial cell walls in stimulating the immune system for tumor prevention.

Elsa Murano earned a doctorate in food science and technology in 1990, specializing in food safety.

From 1990 to 1995, Elsa Murano served as an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Preventive Medicine at Iowa State University and was researcher-in-charge at the food irradiation facility.

Elsa Murano was granted tenure at Iowa State in less than five years.

Elsa Murano later served as the director of the center from 1997 to 2001.

Elsa Murano then became a Full Professor and was awarded the Sadie Hatfield Endowed Professorship in Agriculture.

Elsa Murano oversaw Food Safety and Inspection Service policies, ensuring that US meat products met safety, wholesomeness, and packaging standards.

Elsa Murano concurrently served as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Elsa Murano was the first female, the first Hispanic-American, and the first person under the age of 50 to serve in the position.

Elsa Murano disagreed with Chancellor McKinney on several issues, most significantly his view that faculty should be assigned either research or teaching duties, not both.

In 2012, Elsa Murano was asked to serve as Director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture by then Vice Chancellor and Dean of Agriculture Mark Hussey.

Elsa Murano then resumed her position as Director of the Borlaug Institute in July 2022.

Elsa Murano has been serving on the Board of Hormel Foods Corporation since 2006, on the Board of Food Safety Net Services from 2010 to 2021, and on the Food Safety Advisory Board for Ecolab, Inc In 2019, she was elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Livestock Research Institute, and subsequently elected Chair in 2021, serving until 2024.

Elsa Murano currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo.

Elsa Murano was asked to serve on an advisory committee to NASA's Food Production Laboratory to help identify issues to be considered in developing foods for long-term missions to Mars.

In 2018, Elsa Murano was named "Maestro of Community Service" by Latino Leaders Magazine's Maestro Awards, and selected as Women Inc Magazine's "One of the Most Influential Corporate Board Directors".

In 2019, Elsa Murano was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame.