Men of Distinction: Rashid Nuri

Rashid Nuri, founder and CEO of Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture, brings more than 40 years of global food growing experience to TLW.

Nuri observed local food economies around the world while managing public, private and community based food and agriculture businesses in over 35 countries, including Southeast Asia and West Africa. He now lends his experience to urban areas, promoting good nutrition, health, and economic development. Nuri was born in Boston but as the son of a military officer, he really does not call any place home. He attended 14 schools before his family settled in San Diego.

A stellar student and community leader, Nuri went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in political science from Harvard and a master’s degree in plant and soil science from the University of Massachusetts. After relocating to Georgia, he managed 13,000 acres of farm land for the Nation of Islam – including cotton, corn, peanuts, soy beans, and greens, in addition to cows and chicken. Later, he managed operations in Asia and Africa for the Cargill Corporation, a global agribusiness conglomerate. Following nearly a decade with Cargill, Nuri returned to the United States to become a senior executive in the Clinton Administration, serving as deputy administrator in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and senior advisor in the Department of Commerce.

In his capacity as Deputy Administrator, Rashid had responsibilities for budgeting, finance, facilities, information technology and 2,200 employees. He is the former board chair of Georgia Organics, a member of the Fulton County Citizen’s Committee on the Environment, a board member of the Food Well Alliance, and a member of the National Black Food and Justice Coalition. He is the father of seven children.