Her UVM education in botany, her fortuitous timing and her own extraordinary abilities brought Jennifer Armen-Bolen to the right place at the right time. That place is within the highest levels of the global food industry and that time is now — when delivery of nutritious and safe food is in the midst of world-wide scrutiny, if not overhaul. For these reasons, this Sammamish, Washington resident was one of three UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award recipients at the College’s annual dinner on May 8. Armen-Bolen has worked to increase the global market for fresh fruits, vegetables and seeds. Meanwhile, she has led the industry in transitioning from chemical to biology-based methods of keeping fruits and vegetables fresh from harvest through shipment and sales — not only for the health of the consumers but also the workers. Graduating from UVM’s botany department in 1983, Armen-Bolen earned a master’s degree in plant pathology in 1985 from North Carolina State University. She has worked for many of the best-known food industry companies — among them: the global seed companies Nunhems and Syngenta; Pace International, a manufacturer of agricultural chemicals for produce; and the renowned Frieda’s, the nationwide specialty produce purveyor. Wherever she went she created astounding changes. • At Pure Produce she created a 50:50 limited partnership for food safety and quality assurance in the produce and specialty foods industry. • At Ecoscience her own market research and development led to the first commercially introduced biological control for the post-harvest industry. • At Nunhems she led a global strategic initiative to market enhanced, branded seed products to consumers and retailers. Not coincidentally, the ‘PureHeart’ watermelon was featured on the Oprah Winfrey television show. Armen-Bolen is also an entrepreneur, last year launching her own services as consultant in an effort to bring better flavored, higher quality fruits and vegetables to us all. And she is a volunteer. For the United Fresh Produce Association, she was instrumental in developing a product-recall training program, now widely used, to aid the industry in managing food-safety outbreaks. She volunteers at a children’s prison teaching an art lesson each month and delivering cakes to kids whose birthdays would not otherwise be acknowledged. Her advisor back in the day at UVM, Professor Emeritus Hub Vogelmann, said, “it is a pleasure to know that Jennifer got her education at UVM, and especially that her science background in botany, helped her start a distinguished and successful career.” CAPTION: Jennifer Armen-Bolen of Sammamish, Washington, right received an Outstanding Alumna Award on May 8 from Tom Vogelmann, dean of UVM’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. ~Todd Pritchard photo.