Dr. Martha Roberts
Woman of the Year in Agriculture
Dr. Martha Rhodes Roberts dedicated 35 years to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, where she championed policy changes for the advancement of Florida’s agriculture industry, trade and production practices.
Roberts was born in Oxford, Mississippi, and later moved to Gainesville, Georgia, where she attended Blue Ridge High School. She joined the local 4-H Club and began to cultivate her passion for agriculture, which led her to focus her collegiate education on aspects of the industry.
She graduated summa cum laude from North Georgia College, and she continued her studies at the University of Georgia, where she earned her master’s degree in bacteriology and a Ph.D. in microbiology.
Dr. Roberts joined the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Food Safety in 1968 as a microbiologist/chemist. She was appointed assistant commissioner of agriculture in 1984, and was the first woman in the United States to hold this position. From 1991 to 2003, Dr. Roberts served as the department’s deputy commissioner and played a pinnacle role in shaping agricultural policies to improve practices in each stage of production.
In 2003, Dr. Roberts was named director of industry relations at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). She later served as special assistant for government affairs at UF/IFAS.
Dr. Roberts served in leadership capacities for numerous organizations, including the Association of Food and Drug Officials, the Conference for Food Protection, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Advisory Committee, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, the University of Florida International Trade and Policy Center, the Farm Foundation, Food Foresight, and the Feeding Tomorrow Foundation.
She has served on the board of the Center for Produce Safety since its inception in 2007, and she currently serves as a consultant with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture on Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation with the FDA.
Dr. Roberts has received numerous awards from the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and industry associations. In recognition of her lasting contributions to the agriculture industry, Dr. Roberts was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2003. She continues to support Florida agriculture as a scientific authority, industry counselor and advocate.
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