May 5, 2021
How IFSL is Challenging Him to Grow as a Leader to Feed the Future
Working within the food system has been central to Joshua Suckow’s career. He started in the restaurant industry before transitioning to a career as an Environmentalist.
When Joshua was ready to take the next step in his career, he looked to the University of Minnesota’s Integrated Food Systems Leadership (IFSL) program as a starting point. He was excited to pursue a program that would help him learn and develop additional leadership skills with the option to have credits apply to a future graduate degree.
We chatted with Joshua about how his fellow IFSL cohort members, faculty, and advisors are giving him a crash-course in the food system.
Tell us how you discovered the IFSL program, and what prompted you to enroll.
I had been thinking about enrolling in an MPH program, but I wasn’t quite ready to dive in. I hadn’t found the right program. As I was researching programs, I discovered IFSL and liked how it aligned with my work as an Environmentalist. The 14-month online IFSL program allows me to get my feet wet as I get back into coursework, while managing work full-time, with the possibility of applying the 13 graduate credits to a future master’s program.
You’re halfway through the program. What have you enjoyed about the program thus far?
As an Environmentalist, I’m a health inspector at restaurants, grocery stores, special events, and gas stations. Prior to being a health inspector, I worked in restaurants for years, so I’ve had the benefit of seeing and learning about food safety from both sides of food retail.
Through the program, I’m learning a lot from my fellow cohort member’s career experiences. The other professionals enrolled in the program work across the food system and bring years of skills and knowledge in production and processing. In our group discussions and assignments, I’m learning about challenges others face, so I’m able to take their insights and learnings and look at the challenges I face with a new perspective.
Is there anything about the program that you didn’t expect to gain or learn?
We recently had a Leadership Course where advisors from Ecolab and Land O’Lakes shared their career journeys. It was interesting to see the routes they’ve taken in their career – many of them haven’t had a linear path.
The IFSL program has given me a new perspective on where I could grow in my career. The skills and knowledge I’ve gained as an Environmentalist could be applied to many other jobs in the food industry, which I hadn’t given much thought to before.
I also didn’t expect that the IFSL program would provide me with such a broad network of industry professionals that I’ll be able to tap into for years. I’m getting exposure to senior leaders through the IFSL Advisors, and I know I’ll be able to continue to collaborate with my cohort members once we complete the program. It’s often said that ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know,’ so I’m happy to be developing these connections should I need them down the road.
Can you share an example of an assignment that has stretched your thinking?
Recently, one of our assignments was to write a situation brief, and I picked a topic and audience that wasn’t related to food safety, so it really stretched my thinking. This assignment allowed me to put myself in other people’s shoes. I found that I learned a lot from that assignment because I came at it with a different perspective, so that seemingly simple assignment challenged me.
Also, the Adopt-a-Product assignment was out of my wheelhouse, so it presented me with problems and processes I’m not typically faced with day-to-day. In this group assignment, I was able to learn from others with varying backgrounds, so IFSL is like a crash-course across the breadth of the food system.
What are your favorite takeaways from the program so far?
Often, when we begin our careers within an industry, we think we need to stay in that lane long-term, but through the program’s assignments and learning from the faculty and advisors, I can see myself changing lanes to another sector within food.
Also, the program has been a great opportunity to meet people who are at a similar point in their careers – other professionals looking to pivot or advance their careers. We’re all managing life in the pandemic, so it’s nice to have this group to meet with each week, to immerse ourselves in issues we’re passionate about, and to learn with and from each other.
Integrated Food Systems Leadership (IFSL) Program
Designed for professionals interested in accelerating their careers, the IFSL program is a unique, online, graduate certificate program that fosters leadership, collaboration, and innovation across the food system.
Applications are being accepted through July 15, 2021 for the September cohort. Download a program brochure or schedule a consultation call for more information.