Wendy Fink

Wendy Fink is Executive Director, Academic Programs Section (APS) & Associate Vice President, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources (FANR) at APLU.  

As Executive Director for the Academic Programs Section, Fink works closely with the executive committee of APS to provide strategic direction for the group. She oversees resource allocation, advocates for APS priorities internally and externally, convenes member meetings and activities, manages communications, and pushes for collaboration among members and with external partners.

In her role as Associate Vice President of FANR, Fink assists the VP of FANR with office management, coordinates FANR engagement and communication with other APLU offices, and works to strengthen member engagement with FANR and APLU.

Previously she has staffed the Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources; Board on Natural Resources; the Board on Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climate; the APLU Energy Initiative and Smithsonian Folklife Festival Sesquicentennial Celebration of Morrill Act.

Prior to joining APLU, Fink spent five years at the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology (PIFB) as Manager of Science and Public Policy, assisting in the development of reports and conferences which contributed to public discussion of agricultural biotechnology.  

Before PIFB, Fink worked as a legislative assistant for Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO), providing legislative advice and handling constituent matters related to agricultural, environmental, science, energy, and transportation issues.

Prior to her work in Washington, she worked for several employers, including the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Colorado Corn Growers Association, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Fink received her master’s degrees in agronomy and history, and her undergraduate degree in anthropology from Kansas State University.