The Ray family meets with Dr. Paul Negrut, President of Emanuel University in Oradea, Romania
Emanuel Agriculture Development Corporation is a tax-exempt public charity founded in 2006 by Stan and Michelle Ray.The seeds of the organization were planted when they participated in a Church mission trip to Romania.While speaking at a local university and visiting surrounding communities, they learned of the widespread poverty and disillusionment that has resulted from decades of Communism – particularly in rural areas.Unfortunately, in a country that was once considered the bread basket of Eastern Europe, many Romanians today do not have the expertise or motivation to develop commercially viable agricultural operations.
The Rays saw an opportunity to play a meaningful role in developing lasting change in this society.Stan was raised on a farm and ranch in West Texas, served as a state officer in the Texas FFA, received an undergraduate degree in agriculture education and a graduate degree in international transactions, worked for the Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. and later as a corporate communications executive for a large agricultural bank.Michelle grew up in a rural community, earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has played multiple leadership roles in Christian ministry and education.
Before leaving Romania, Stan and Michelle spoke with the President of the University about establishing an agriculture program at his school.The President acknowledged the need to provide the people of Romania with an example of best practices in agriculture production and expressed his support for such an initiative, but cautioned about the lack of financial resources and technical expertise.
With this nod of support, the wheels were set in motion.The Rays partnered with the Dean of the Business School at Emanuel University to develop market research on various agribusiness opportunities and a strategy for moving forward.Three primary needs were identified: 1) higher education faculty to partner with the University, 2) agricultural practitioners who could travel to Romania to share their expertise on a short-term basis and 3) financial resources to establish a sustainable long-term program.
A formal organization was chartered in the summer of 2006 and officially recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) 3 public charity.A few months later, a trip was organized for a delegation from Texas Tech University to visit Romania.This event led to the signing of a formal memorandum of understanding between the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University and the Dean of the Business School at Emanuel University.The agreement reflects the mutual intention among both institutions to explore partnership opportunities between the two universities.
