ITHACA, N.Y. — Mary “Bess” Lewis (ml2656@cornell.edu) joins Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development Team as a Management Development Specialist.
Lewis is a bilingual educator who focuses on developing Spanish-speaking and ESL agricultural supervisors and managers. She will teach supervisory and leadership skills for Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development to Spanish-speaking team leaders, supervisors, and managers to grow their farm careers and to contribute to a vital, stable, and successful NY farm workforce.
Born in Maryland, but raised in Bolivia, South America, Lewis understands first-hand the cultural differences and communication challenges that can exist in the workforce. After studying at the Universidad Evangélica Boliviana she transferred to Greenville University in Greenville, IL where she completed her BA in Spanish with a minor in Communications and a Master’s in Teaching. She and her family have managed their own grain farm and owned a fertilizer, chemical, and seed business in Southern Illinois. They moved to New York in 2019 to support the farm businesses of this area.
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development’s mission is to help farms and agribusinesses build committed and effective teams who will carry out the important work of feeding local families and the world. We believe that agricultural work can, and should be, engaging and rewarding for everyone involved. Managers can build committed teams by applying the best human resource management practices for the agricultural setting. Learn more at agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu.
–Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development
Cornell University