Dr. Scott Brainard coordinates the Savanna Institute’s work on tree crop improvement, with a particular focus on building genetic repositories for multiple agroforestry species. A former organic vegetable farmer, Brainard received his M.Sc. degree in plant sciences from Wageningen University and his Ph.D. in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is passionate about perennial crop improvement that supports more sustainable agroforestry systems.