A farewell reception honoring Peter G. McCornick, executive director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, will be 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 16 at the AKRS Champions Club, 707 Stadium Drive. Remarks begin at 5 p.m.
The event is free and open to the campus community and institute partners. Registration is requested prior to Dec. 5. All are invited to also leave a note in McCornick's digital guestbook.
After nearly a decade of visionary leadership, McCornick is stepping down from his role as executive director and retiring at the end of 2025. Since 2016, his guidance has been instrumental in advancing the institute's mission of achieving a water and food secure world, solidifying the institute’s position as a global thought leader, convener and contributor in sustainable water management for agriculture. Key accomplishments and milestones during McCornick’s tenure can be found in the institute’s FY25 Annual Report.
Along with his leadership role at the institute, McCornick is a tenured professor in the department of biosystems engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and the Robert B. Daugherty Chair of Water for Food. He is a licensed professional civil engineer in the State of Colorado, and a member of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. With an international career focused on improving the sustainable management of water resources, McCornick has led inter-disciplinary research and development programs on water, agriculture and the environment in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Canada and the U.S.
While serving as executive director, McCornick has built collaborations in Nebraska, the U.S. and around the world. He holds a position on the board of governors of the World Water Council and was a founding member of the Steering Committee of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture, a global partnership organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
