Cathleen McCluskey was appointed Executive Director of Organic Seed Alliance in 2025. She brings over 20 years of invaluable experience in seed systems, including serving in a number of positions with OSA since 2010, most recently as Policy and Advocacy Director.
Cathleen is an interdisciplinarian, and her research on the ways in which context influences the relationship between humans and seed has informed OSA’s work during her tenure. Her expertise and leadership skills position her to guide the organization in further stewarding equitable, inclusive programs rooted in participatory methodologies and aimed at putting the power of seed in the hands of growers. Cathleen holds a PhD in Environment and Resources and an MS in Agroecology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and currently serves on the National Organic Standards Board.
Selected Publications
- McCluskey, C. and Tracy, W.F. (2024). Data blanks by design: Intellectual property and restrictions on genetic diversity assessments of the maize standing crop in the USA Upper Midwest. Plants, People, Planet, 6(6), 1372-1380. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10531.
- McCluskey, C. and Tracy, W.F. (2021). Engaging Farmer Stakeholders: Maize Producers’ Perceptions of and Strategies for Managing On-Farm Genetic Diversity in the Upper Midwest. Sustainability, 13(16), 8843. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168843.
- Colley, M., Dawson, J., McCluskey, C., Myers, J., Tracy, W., & Lammerts van Bueren, E. (2021). Exploring the emergence of participatory plant breeding in countries of the Global North – a review. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 1-19. doi:10.1017/S0021859621000782.
- Op-ed: How Patents Threaten Small Seed Companies (Civil Eats, 2020)
- Dawson, J., Healy, K., and McCluskey, C. (2017). Organic Vegetable Trials and Plant Breeding Needs Assessment and Strategy for National Collaboration. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. (Accessed November 2018)
