Julie C. Suarez serves as the associate dean for Land-Grant Affairs. Her responsibilities include strengthening the connections between New York’s Land-Grant college, policy makers and the community at large. In her role, she is committed to bringing science-based knowledge relating to food, agriculture, and life sciences into public policy deliberations. She’s been engaged in several initiatives undertaken by the college, including the establishment of a Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture Innovation and the Institute of Food Safety at Cornell AgriTech, the NYS Soil Health & Resiliency Project, the Cornell Small Farms FarmOps program, and an expansion of two flagship outreach programs Cornell PRO-DAIRY and the NYS Integrated Pest Management Program.
Ms. Suarez serves on the Governor’s Anti-Hunger Food Policy Council, a variety of Department of Agriculture and Markets advisory bodies including the Industrial Hemp Working Group, the Pollinator Protection Task Force, the Craft Beverage Task Force, and the Beginning and Second Career Farmers Working Group. She serves as Governor Cuomo’s representative on the Office of General Services Procurement Council. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, the New York Cider Association, and previously served on the Cornell University’s Empire Food and Agriculture LEAD-NY program board and a stint as the chair of the Empire State Council of Agricultural Organizations.
Prior to her current position, Ms. Suarez served as the Director of Public Policy for New York Farm Bureau. In that position she managed policy and public relations for the state’s largest farmer member organization. She previously worked for the New York State Senate as Director of the Senate Agriculture Committee and as a New York State Senate Fellow. Her legislative career achievements include adoption of the Northeast Dairy Compact in New York State, enactment of Interstate Direct Shipment of Wine, and various tax and agricultural district protections for New York farmers. She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany, and is a graduate of Cornell University’s LEAD-NY program. She lives in Schodack, New York, with her husband, two children and backyard chickens.
