Dr. Suzanne Stluka is the Deputy Director for the Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in Kansas City, Missouri. She is responsible for overseeing $220 million in competitive and capacity grant funding provided to non-profits, non-governmental agencies, universities, and other federal agencies related to food and nutrition security and food safety. Suzanne serves as a principal scientific and management advisor to NIFA’s Director and Associate Directors in administering, evaluating, planning, directing, and coordinating activities related to the mission and function of NIFA; in execution of policies and practices of grants management; in the allocation of resources to carry out these policies and practices; and responsible for answering Congressional requests related to food safety and nutrition. In addition, Suzanne provides leadership to 26 staff members including: Division Directors, National Program Leaders, National Science Liaison, Program Specialists, Program Assistants, Administrative Officer, Data Analyst, Secretary, and Student Interns.
Prior to joining NIFA, Dr. Stluka served over 15 years with Cooperative Extension Service as the Associate Director at Montana State University Extension and in several leadership roles at South Dakota State University Extension. As a Land Grant University Project Director and Researcher, acquired and managed over $26 million in state and national funding from a wide variety of sources (e.g., foundations, federal government, state government, health care systems, etc.). Throughout her career she has maintained an active research and extension portfolio, exploring topics such as community resiliency, farm stress, trauma, food insecurity, nutrition education, community development, community coaching, and policy, systems, and environmental work in the areas of nutrition and physical activity; primarily conducted in and with rural, frontier, and tribal communities. In July 2020, Dr. Stluka moved to NIFA.
Dr. Stluka earned a B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Nutrition (Dietetics) from South Dakota State University, an M.S. degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Eastern Illinois, and a Ph.D. degree in Human Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Suzanne’s family consists of her husband (Dan), infant son (Henrik), and Pitbull rescue dog (Jamison).