McKena is a postdoctoral fellow working with the USAID Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab (CRCIL). She received her PhD in Plant Breeding, Genetics and Horticulture from Michigan State University under the mentorship of Dr. Robert VanBuren. There, she aided in the development of the Teff Association Panel and assessed various agronomic, nutritional, and resilience traits using quantitative genetics. During her postdoctoral research she aims to build on this work by strengthening international collaborations and optimizing breeding for climate resilient cereals.