MADISON CO., N.Y. — Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County is pleased to announce that Larkin Podsiedlik has been appointed Executive Director of CCE Madison, effective April 1, 2022. She had been serving as Interim Executive Director with the association for several months. Podsiedlik was previously the Executive Director of CCE Steuben County in Bath, NY, and is returning to the Cornell Cooperative Extension system after working in philanthropy and non-profits in Syracuse.
A lifelong resident of Central New York, Podsiedlik grew up in Fabius, and got her start in Extension as the Senior Nutritionist for the Finger Lakes Eat Smart New York nutrition education program. Prior to that she worked for Foodlink, a regional food hub and the Feeding America food bank serving the Finger Lakes. She is a nonprofit and food systems leader with experience in program delivery & development, organizational leadership, and community outreach in Maine, Massachusetts, and upstate New York. Podsiedlik has a Master’s in Public Health and a Masters in Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, both from Tufts University.
CCE Madison brings local experience and Cornell research-based solutions together to help Madison County farms, families, and communities thrive. CCE Madison is committed to addressing community needs, from startups to centennial farms, from professional gardeners to home gardeners, from families needing access to healthier food options to youth needing positive role models and development opportunities.
“I am looking forward to continuing to lead the CCE Madison team. I see so many opportunities to blend our Cornell research-based expertise with other local knowledge, to help lead conversations around agriculture, positive youth development, economic development, and other important community issues.”
Podsiedlik’s short term goals are to increase CCE’s representation and reach across Madison County. Extension’s breadth of programs is a well-kept secret, and her goal is to bring more awareness to the Association as a whole. The long-term goals that Podsiedlik envisions for the Association are to be a known leader within the county with strong board leadership and continued financial health.
“I believe CCE is a springboard for a lot of important conversations on things like food systems, climate change and youth development—all of those things where we can make a difference,” Podsiedlik said. “I look forward to helping CCE make a big difference in Madison County.”
CCE Madison Board President, Monica Cody, said, “We are excited to have Larkin join our team. Her experience as a food systems leader and prior service within the Cooperative Extension network build on the strong foundation for CCE Madison’s future in adapting programming to serve more families, farms, and businesses in our county.”
Podsiedlik lives in Lafayette with her husband, David, and their two young children.
For more information about CCE Madison and all it has to offer, visit our Facebook page @CCEMadison or visit our website at www.madisoncountycce.org.
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–Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County