CALS- Regional Farm to School Coordinator - New York City

Extension Support Specialist II- Farm to School Local Procurement Specialist, Capital Region

The Opportunity

As a university founded to be a place where “…any person can find instruction in any study,” inclusion and belonging are at the core of our values and mission. We strive to be a welcoming, caring, healthy, and equitable community where students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn, innovate, and work in an environment of respect, and feel empowered to engage in any community conversation. As a member of the Cornell University community, it is important to recognize our shared responsibility to each other to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all.  Cornell Core values 

As an individual contributor you will model and support a culture of inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing and continually seek to understand how your role, behaviors, and actions impact the success of this culture.    

While position responsibilities vary greatly, the Skills for Success and Leadership Skills for Success are foundational to what is expected of every employee and leader working at Cornell.  These skills are essential for individual and organizational success. Staff Skills for Success; Leadership Skills for Success

About the College

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and Cornell University’s second largest college. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: We believe that achieving next-generation scientific breakthroughs requires an understanding of the world’s complex, interlocking systems. We believe that access to nutritious food and a healthy environment is a fundamental human right. We believe that ensuring a prosperous global future depends on the ability to support local people and communities everywhere. By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS can address challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation, and around the world.

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) provides the educational outreach functions for Cornell University’s role as New York State’s Land Grant University. Programmatically, Cornell Cooperative Extension connects the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the College of Human Ecology (CHE) with 55 off-campus Associations, Integrated Pest Management, New York State Sea Grant, Area Specialists, and CCE New York City. 

Harvest New York is an innovative Cornell Cooperative Extension team that focuses on workforce development and business expansion projects that increase profitability and investment in key sectors of New York’s agriculture industry throughout the State. Harvest New York Specialists respond to emerging issues and develop new opportunities using the research of Cornell University (both in Geneva at Cornell AgriTech and the Ithaca campus), the resources of Cornell Cooperative Extension and relationships with partnering organizations statewide. The four project areas covered by Harvest New York are: Food and Beverage Systems, Urban Agriculture, Climate Resiliency, and Emerging Crops.

The position is located within the department of Cornell Cooperative Extension. The Cornell Farm to School Procurement Specialist leads the development, delivery, assessment, and evaluation of regional programs that increase the procurement of New York food products by school food authorities in the Capital Region. This position designs and implements evidence-informed strategies that strengthen local purchasing practices, translates policy and research into practical procurement tools, and support school food authorities and supply-chain partners in navigating New York’s institutional food landscape.

The role includes continuously assessing barriers to increased local procurement and designing responsive Extension strategies to address those challenges through targeted technical assistance, training, and systems support. In addition to core program delivery, the Procurement Specialist supports statewide initiatives that advance local procurement at scale, builds and sustains relationships with allied partners across agriculture and food systems, and contribu