Outgoing director U.C. Davis Distinguished Professor Daniel Sumner announced yesterday at the Giannini Foundation Annual Dinner that Berkeley ARE Distinguished Professor Aaron Smith will be the new director of the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics.
The Foundation is supported by an endowment created by A.P. Giannini in 1928, the founder of the Bank of America. Mr. Giannini was one of the California titans who pioneered entrepreneurship in the Great State of California, and he was a true visionary. A.P. Giannini's generous endowment has provided valuable research support for agricultural and resource economics at the University of California. Members of the Giannini Foundation have generated hundreds of reports and publications that have benefited the agricultural industry, policymakers, and society at large. In addition, through ARE Update, Foundation research findings are communicated to policymakers, consumers, and agriculturalists nationwide. The investment by A.P. Giannini almost 90 years ago continues to pay dividends through the discoveries and writings of Foundation members, which are recognized as among the highest quality in the world.
Giannini Annual Meeting and Dinner, May 6, 2026, U. C. Berkeley Faculty Club