COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties (CCE SO) is pleased to welcome Liz Callahan of Cooperstown NY, as their new Executive Director, beginning April 12, 2022. Ms. Callahan was the Executive Director of Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith, NY since 2001. Her work at Hanford Mills included developing the resources to expand the interpretation and preservation of the rural industrial complex and historic site. Liz served as the director of the Delaware County Historical Association in Delhi, NY, and as the Program Coordinator for the Regional Council of Historical Agencies. Through all of this work she has also been active in building the capacity and the sustainability of the region’s cultural resources, non-profits and communities for over 25 years.
Liz lives in Cooperstown, NY with her husband, Bill Francis (Senior Researcher, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), and their son Daniel Francis (Gallery Manager, Cooperstown Art Association). Their daughter, Matilda Francis, will graduate from St. John’s University, Queens, NY in May. In her free time Liz enjoys cooking, reading, kayaking, swimming, hiking and traveling.
Liz has been a resident of Otsego County for over 30 years. Before moving to Cooperstown in 1991 to purse a Masters in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, Liz served as a VISTA volunteer and worked in enrollment management at LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY. She has a BA in English/Communications from LeMoyne College. Liz grew up in Western New York where she participated in 4-H program in North Boston, NY and graduated from Nardin Academy of Buffalo, NY.
“I am honored to begin working with the talented and dedicated staff and volunteers who are bringing Cornell Cooperative Extension’s outstanding programs and resources to our communities and to lead an organization that plays such an important role in the vitality of communities throughout Schoharie and Otsego Counties,” said Ms. Callahan.
CCE SO, is a non-profit community education agency, affiliated with Cornell University as part of the national land grant university system. As educators, researchers, specialists, support personnel and an army of volunteers, we are dedicated to making our counties worthwhile, sustainable places to live and work. CCE staff helps preserve our county’s vast agricultural heritage, protect our ecological infrastructure, support families, and provide youth opportunities for community service and research-based education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie and Otsego Counties
