Dr. Dionne Toombs is a distinguished former federal science executive, governance leader, nutrition and agricultural policy expert, executive coach, and strategic advisor whose career has been defined by a commitment to translating scientific knowledge into meaningful institutional and societal impact. With more than two decades of executive and professional leadership experience, she has worked at the intersection of science, agriculture, nutrition, education, public policy, organizational transformation, and research. Her career reflects an ability to navigate complex institutions while bringing people, resources, and ideas together around a shared mission. Following a distinguished career in federal service, Dr. Toombs now brings her extensive leadership experience to executive advisory and consulting work, helping leaders and organizations strengthen strategy, governance, collaboration, and organizational performance.
Much of Dr. Toombs’ career was built within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she progressed through increasingly influential scientific and executive leadership positions. Her responsibilities ultimately encompassed some of the nation’s most significant agricultural research, nutrition, food safety, and scientific policy programs. As Acting Director of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, she served as executive leader of a $2.5 billion science agency with more than 300 employees and responsibility spanning grants, finance, technology, communications, and organizational operations. During a particularly consequential period for the agency, she helped rebuild its workforce following a 75% staffing loss, restoring operations to approximately 90% staffing within one year.
Dr. Toombs subsequently served as Associate Director for Programs at NIFA, overseeing a $2.1 billion budget across six divisions and helping transform strategic operations and grant systems. Her leadership included more than 70 international collaborations, public-private partnership development, stakeholder engagement, research commercialization, and major investments in sustainable agriculture and bioproduct innovation. She directed Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs representing more than $25 million in research commercialization investment and supported $9.5 million in sustainable bioproducts and materials science innovation. Her work also extended into emerging issues, including development of national policy addressing the use of generative artificial intelligence in peer review.
Earlier, as Director of USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist, Dr. Toombs helped shape the Department’s scientific vision and represented senior USDA leadership in domestic and international coalitions. She chaired science coordination across 22 USDA divisions and agencies, contributed to implementation of the USDA Science Blueprint, and engaged industry and private-sector stakeholders in national conversations concerning food systems transformation and scientific innovation. Her international leadership included spearheading U.S. engagement in the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, a global platform representing $29.2 billion in commitments toward agricultural innovation, sustainable food systems, and climate solutions.
Her leadership has also encompassed nutrition, food safety, and food quality at the national level. In her Deputy Administrator role with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Dr. Toombs led a national portfolio encompassing nutrition, food safety, food quality, and new uses while overseeing approximately $400 million in program funds. She simultaneously carried significant responsibilities involving scientific integrity and ethics, developed mission-aligned budget initiatives, and represented the agency in collaborations with federal organizations, land-grant universities, and nonprofit institutions. These experiences strengthened an already broad executive perspective grounded in scientific rigor, responsible stewardship, institutional integrity, and the ability to connect research investments to strategic outcomes.
Governance and cross-sector collaboration have been recurring themes throughout Dr. Toombs’ career. Her experience includes serving as an ex officio board member for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, acting as federal liaison to the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees, and providing oversight for the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. She has worked across government, universities, nonprofits, research organizations, communities, and private-sector partners, giving her an unusually comprehensive view of how governing bodies and executive teams can align mission, resources, accountability, and measurable impact.
Education has been another meaningful dimension of Dr. Toombs’ professional journey. Before reaching the highest levels of federal scientific leadership, she served in academic instructional roles at Prince George’s Community College and Hillsborough Community College, teaching subjects including biology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, and physical science. She developed curricula, mentored students, and connected scientific theory with practical application. This foundation helps inform her continued interest in academia, colleges and universities, education, research, agriculture, food, and organizations seeking to translate knowledge into broader societal benefit.
Dr. Toombs’ academic credentials reinforce the scientific and strategic depth she brings to leadership. She earned a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Howard University, a Master of Science in Food Science from Alabama A&M University, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bethune-Cookman University. She further expanded her executive capabilities through American University’s Key Executive Leadership Program and completed ICF-accredited executive and leadership coaching certification. Her accomplishments have been recognized through numerous honors, including two USDA Secretary’s Honor Awards, as well as recognition for leadership qualities including humility, authenticity, vulnerability, and commitment.
Beyond institutional leadership, Dr. Toombs brings a deeply developed ability to build coalitions, cultivate talent, and create environments in which individuals and organizations can perform at a higher level. Her expertise spans executive leadership, strategic planning, organizational transformation, leadership coaching, team building, public-private partnerships, stakeholder engagement, science diplomacy, policy development, performance management, research integrity, sustainable food systems, nutrition security, agricultural innovation, and global partnerships. Her international exposure, including engagement involving Mexico and Canada, further enhances her ability to approach governance and strategy through a broader, cross-cultural lens.
Service has remained central to Dr. Toombs’ leadership philosophy. Through longstanding volunteer leadership, she has supported youth mentoring, STEM education, scholarships, food assistance, health initiatives, and community development. Her efforts have included securing funding for STEM programming for girls, directing fundraising that generated more than $100,000 for scholarships, coordinating the collection of more than 8,000 food items for local schools, and building partnerships with schools, health organizations, and national nonprofits. These contributions reflect a leadership philosophy in which professional achievement and community responsibility are closely connected.
Now serving as an executive advisor and consultant, Dr. Toombs is positioned to bring her experience into organizations seeking thoughtful governance, strategic growth, scientific insight, and transformational leadership. She is particularly well suited to opportunities within agriculture, food, nutrition, research, academia, higher education, and education, while remaining open to organizations across sectors and stages of development. Her value as a board and advisory candidate rests not only in the scale of the portfolios she has managed, but also in her ability to understand complex systems, ask consequential questions, build consensus among diverse stakeholders, and maintain focus on mission and measurable outcomes.
At this stage of her career, Dr. Toombs views board service as an opportunity to extend the value of decades of experience beyond the boundaries of a traditional executive role. She seeks to contribute her leadership perspective, scientific expertise, governance experience, and strategic judgment to organizations where she can help leaders anticipate challenges and pursue opportunities responsibly. Her career demonstrates that effective leadership is not simply about managing resources; it is about building institutions that endure, developing people who can lead, and using knowledge in service of a larger purpose. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys Pilates and golf, interests that complement a life centered on discipline, continual growth, relationships, and purposeful engagement.
Character:
Dr. Toombs leads with integrity, humility, accountability, and a deeply rooted commitment to service, qualities demonstrated throughout her scientific, executive, governance, and community leadership. She approaches responsibility as an opportunity to strengthen institutions and empower people while maintaining the ethical standards required of a trusted senior leader.
Knowledge:
Her expertise spans agricultural science, nutrition, food systems, research policy, executive leadership, governance, organizational transformation, strategic planning, and public-private collaboration. Decades of experience overseeing complex scientific portfolios and multidisciplinary programs enable her to evaluate challenges through scientific, operational, financial, and human-capital perspectives.
Strategic:
Dr. Toombs has repeatedly transformed ambitious priorities into executable strategies, whether rebuilding a federal workforce, overseeing multibillion-dollar portfolios, expanding international collaborations, or advancing new approaches to research and innovation. She understands how to connect mission, resources, people, partnerships, and performance measures to create sustainable organizational impact.
Communication:
An experienced public speaker, executive advisor, educator, and coalition builder, Dr. Toombs communicates complex scientific and strategic concepts in ways that engage diverse audiences and encourage action. Her ability to listen, build trust, develop consensus, and communicate across government, academia, industry, nonprofits, and international partnerships makes her an effective voice in executive and boardroom environments.
