Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County seeks to create a culture of belonging and inclusion in all our spaces in Ulster County. We strive to create an environment where all community members feel welcome and invited to access our services and programming. We encourage all staff, volunteers, and participants to bring their whole, authentic selves to our events and offices and engage in meaningful connections with other community members. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, CCE’s statewide Director, Chris Watkins, set the goal of becoming a model antiracist organization. Since then, CCE Ulster has increased our efforts in diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging. Some of our activities to date include regular discussions and trainings for staff and board members, creation of a Chief Diversity Officer position, and allocating funding in the association budget to support additional trainers, professional development, and program access, and creation of a DEI strategic plan. To that end, we continue to work to examine our own privilege, bias and power as individuals and as an organization in order to better serve Ulster County. Below are a set of resources that we have found useful in our start toward a more just and equitable extension service. If you have any questions or concerns, we welcome a discussion.     

Thank you,
Katie Sheehan-Lopez & the Staff and Board of Directors of Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County

Please reach out to Katie Sheehan-Lopez, Chief Diversity Officer, kms369@cornell.edu.

Last updated August 30, 2024