Board & Governance

People support decisions they help to make, and Cornell Cooperative Extension believes strongly in shared leadership through locally elected Boards of Directors and active program development committees.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County is governed by a 12 member Board of Directors that consists of 10 elected community volunteers; 1 voting member appointed by the Essex County Board of Supervisors and a representative from Cornell University. It includes people from towns throughout Essex County who bring their knowledge of community needs and concerns to the governance of this organization. Our board sets policy, hires staff, prioritizes educational programs and works with Extension's educational staff to ensure program effectiveness.

Program Committees for each of our issue areas guide the direction of the workshops, classes and other services that we offer the residents of Essex County, and review the effectiveness of our efforts. Our programs have evolved over the years to reflect changes in values, ethics, community norms, family structures, mobility and the economy in direct response to this grassroots community involvement.

CCE-Essex is delighted to have active and diverse Board of Directors and Program Committees, which are key to achieving strong and meaningful community impacts! If, as you read more about how we are governed, you believe you have a contribution to make to our programming as a volunteer, please get in touch! We welcome your input and ideas!

Board & Committee Members

2026 Volunteer Leadership
Association Officers

Trisha Best, President
Jessica Tyson, Vice President
Elisha Bartlett, Treasurer
Marcail Miller, Secretary

Directors-at-Large

Florence Sears (Global Foundries)
John Culpepper (AdkAction)
Daniel Berheide (Essex County Soil & Water Conservation District)

Directors on Program Committees

Trisha Best (Community Vitality committee)
Michael Kuba (Agriculture & Adirondack Harvest committee)

Extension Representative

Kevin Jordan

County Representatives (Appointed)

Matthew Stanley, Essex County Supervisor (Jay)

Board Meeting Documents

Videos are available upon request. Agendas and minutes prior to 2024 are also available upon request.

Program Committees

Program committees are made up of individuals who have an interest or experience in one of our three main program issue areas (Agriculture & Natural Resources, Adirondack Harvest and Community Vitality) and who choose to share their time and talents with CCE-Essex as volunteer advisers. Program Committees meet every 3 months; individual members generally serve for a term of 3 years, although 2 and 1 year options also are considered. If you would like to volunteer with a program committee, please get in touch with the staff contact person below.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the program committee is to develop, communicate and evaluate quality educational programs that address the priority needs of Essex County residents and represent the research-based resources of Cornell University and other land grant institutions.

MAJOR DUTIES:

Each member is expected to participate in the following program committee roles from his/her perspective in the community:

  • Provide direction and guidance to CCE-Essex staff on the development of educational programs in response to community issues;
  • Evaluate and recommend grants and contracts, and other new initiatives in relation to CCE-Essex's strategic plan and plans of work;
  • Act as liaison with the working groups in the issue for oversight and support;
  • Provide input into Association policy and operations: fiscal, personnel, facilities, strategic planning, etc.
  • Cultivate and develop awareness, understanding and support for the program on which they serve, with potential program participants, targeted audiences, and public decision makers.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Program Committee members must be residents of Essex County; have a desire to assist in CCE-Essex's educational programs for county residents; and an ability to actively participate in Program Committee meetings.

TIME COMMITMENT:

Attend regularly scheduled meetings, lasting approximately 2 hours per meeting. Members missing three consecutive meetings without prior notification to the Program Committee may be asked to resign.

BENEFITS:

Opportunity for leadership and group skill development; hands-on involvement in CCE-Essex's mission: Cornell Cooperative Extension puts knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological sustainability and social well-being. We bring local experience and research-based solutions together, helping New York State families and communities thrive in our rapidly changing world.

GET INVOLVED!

We welcome volunteer involvement from throughout Essex County.  Call or email the staff member contact below with your questions about volunteering on one of CCE-Essex's Program Committees!

Contact

Laurie Davis

Senior Administrator
lsd22 [at] cornell.edu (lsd22[at]cornell[dot]edu)
518-962-4810 ext.404