Announcement by SEBS Executive Dean Laura Lawson
Dear SEBS & NJAES Community,
After a rich and rewarding career of 28 years with Rutgers, RCEI affiliate Margaret (Peggy) Brennan-Tonetta has announced her intention to retire at the beginning of the new year. Please join me in congratulating Peggy and celebrating her many accomplishments.
Peggy first came to Rutgers as a student, receiving her B.A. in Economics and then continuing to complete a master’s in Agricultural Economics and a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy. Concurrent with her graduate studies, she began working at then-Cook College and NJAES in a range of roles. Notably, in 2000, she helped establish the Food Innovation Center and was its inaugural Director/Executive Director. She has served in multiple leadership roles to support research at SEBS/NJAES. She also established the first NJAES Office of Economic Development and expanded grant support, government engagement, and tech transfer efforts.
In 2010, she became the first Associate Vice President (AVP) for Economic Development at Rutgers. Given the capacity of universities to serve as critical economic drivers, she utilized this role to advance a range of opportunities, from a supercomputer center to a proposed research park.
In 2020, Peggy returned to SEBS/NJAES to serve as Senior Associate Director of NJAES/Director of Resource and Economic Development. In this role, she provided vision and leadership for our 16 NJAES research stations, farms, incubators, and service centers. Working with stakeholders and colleagues, she developed the comprehensive plan, Vision 2025, to guide strategic investment to modernize our farms and field stations, which were struggling from years of deferred maintenance.
Throughout her career, Peggy has been instrumental in bringing faculty, staff, and stakeholders together to address an opportunity or challenge. She played a pivotal part in the development of the Rutgers Offshore Wind Energy Collaborative, which has now brought over 70 Rutgers faculty and researchers from across New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark together, along with other academics and industry representatives to advance sustainable wind energy development that minimizes harm to ecosystems and brings economic opportunities to New Jersey residents.
She co-led efforts to put together the self-study and submission of Rutgers New Brunswick’s application to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Innovative and Economic Prosperity (IEP) designation. This effort involved soliciting Information from every school and developing a cohesive narrative that conveys Rutgers New Brunswick’s commitment and impact in community and economic development.
I asked Peggy what accomplishments she is most proud of in her career. She wrote, “My proudest accomplishments at Rutgers would be developing the Food Innovation Center and building it into a unique and internationally recognized food incubator, being appointed the first AVP for Economic Development for Rutgers and establishing successful collaborative programs such as the NJ Big Data Alliance and the Offshore Wind Collaborative.” Each one of these is a career onto itself, and we are grateful for Peggy’s success in so many areas.
Her career illustrates the vital role of higher education to address critical issues facing New Jersey communities. It is a delight to share all the wonderful work Peggy has accomplished. Please join me in congratulating her and wishing her well in this next phase of her life.
A version of this article was published by the SEBS/NJAES Newsroom.