Leadership transition announced for Project GREEEN
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EmailCornelius Barry will be the next coordinator of Project GREEEN, effective July 1, 2025.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Project GREEEN, Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative based at Michigan State University and supported by the Michigan Plant Coalition, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension, is undergoing a leadership change.
Effective July 1, 2025, Cornelius Barry, an associate professor in the MSU Department of Horticulture, will take over as coordinator for Jim Kells, who’s led the program since 2019.
“I speak for many at MSU and across the state when I say we’re truly grateful for Dr. Kells’ dedication to and leadership of Project GREEEN over the years,” said MSU AgBioResearch director George Smith. “I’m confident that Dr. Barry’s leadership will continue to advance Project GREEEN’s unique mission of supporting Michigan plant agriculture through research, extension and innovation.”
By way of the MSU AgBioResearch Administrative Fellows Program, Barry has worked closely over the past year with Kells, a professor emeritus in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, to assist in managing the program’s competitive grants portfolio. His responsibilities during that time have included coordinating review panels, guiding proposals through the review process and supporting principal investigators.
“It’s been an absolute delight to work with Dr. Barry,” Kells said. “He’s become very familiar with Project GREEEN and has introduced many ideas that have improved the program. I’m confident that between his experience and enthusiasm, he’s ready to step in and keep Project GREEEN moving forward.”
Project GREEEN has long served as a vital bridge between Michigan farmers, plant commodity groups and MSU researchers — addressing emerging challenges and advancing innovation across more than 300 agricultural commodities.
In 2023, it celebrated 25 years of strengthening Michigan plant agriculture.
By backing core service programs like Enviroweather and the MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab, and providing seed funding to address arising needs in Michigan plant agriculture — such as protecting plants against pathogens, pests and weeds — Project GREEEN has generated more than $15 in statewide economic activity for every $1 invested, with more than $136.5 million invested by the state of Michigan since its inception, according to an analysis by Steven Miller, an associate professor in the MSU Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics.
“I look forward to helping faculty obtain these research and extension grants so they can use the funding to make a difference for Michigan plant agriculture,” Barry said. “There’s no other state that has a program like Project GREEEN. We’re very fortunate that we have such strong support from MDARD and our commodity groups, and that it’s been sustained now for over a quarter of a century. I’m appreciative of Dr. Kells for his mentorship and excited to lead this program into its next chapter.”
For more information on Project GREEEN, visit canr.msu.edu/project-greeen.
Michigan State University AgBioResearch scientists discover dynamic solutions for food systems and the environment. More than 300 MSU faculty conduct leading-edge research on a variety of topics, from health and agriculture to natural resources. Originally formed in 1888 as the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU AgBioResearch oversees numerous on-campus research facilities, as well as 15 outlying centers throughout Michigan. To learn more, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.
