Letter from the Chair – Northeast Extension Directors

Dear Colleagues,

I am excited about the opportunity to serve as chair of the Association of Northeast Extension Directors for this upcoming year. The responsibility and opportunity to provide stewardship in times of tumult and change has really hit home this year as we all wrestle with uncertainty at the Federal level and support our statewide Extension efforts. The challenges and threats are very real, as are the opportunities to innovate, support our people, and contribute to an improved dialogue across the sectors of society that seem at odds right now. The evidence-based mission of Cooperative Extension, combined with an approach to education that is inclusive and community based, has the potential to be as relevant now as ever and capable of continuing to make tangible differences in the lives of the people we serve.

Cooperative Extension and AgInnovation (ie. the Agricultural Experiment Stations) work together to carry out the land grant mission. Extension works with communities to understand what they need, Extension and AgInnovation conduct cutting edge research to identify solutions, and Extension takes that relevant research back to the people in the form of educational programing and dialogue. Together, Northeast Extension and AgInnovation Northeast developed the Northeast Agenda, a bold road map for how AgInnovation and Extension will work collaboratively to address three regional priority areas:

Develop resilient, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
Lead effective adaptation and mitigation for our changing climate.
Promote environmental, human, animal, and community health and well-being.

Over the next year, I will support efforts to advance this plan and ensure we are actively taking steps toward successful implementation. I will continue to support NEED’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do, from our language and practices within the organization to preparing our staff to develop and implement accessible and inclusive programs across the region.

Finally, I hope to continue the tradition of the northeast states working collaboratively, sharing ideas and staff working together towards a healthy, sustainable future. Cooperative Extension across the nation has renewed its commitment to working together as a system and the Northeast region is posed to lead impactful programming for all the people we serve.

I welcome your comments and questions, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Dr. Andy Turner

Associate Dean and Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension

Biography

Andy Turner, Ed.D.

Associate Dean and Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Andy Turner began his term as Associate Dean and Director of Extension in December 2023. Andy leads the on-campus leadership team for CCE, 37 Administrative, program leadership and support staff and 100+ Area Agriculture and Food System Extension Associates. Together, this team provides leadership for the statewide CCE System of 54 County based Associations, 1500 employees and a budget of approximately 120 million. Prior to this appointment, Andy served as the New York State 4-H Program Leader (2014 – 2023) and has 35 years of experience in Extension overall. He attended Cornell as an undergraduate and graduate student and holds a Doctorate in Education from St. John Fisher College, developing a study that examined disruptive innovation and change leadership in Extension.