Faces of Extension : Cheryl Bilinski

I came to Extension through food. I spent eight years in the corporate food system, but it didn't align with my values. I returned to Cornell University for a Master of Public Administration at the Brooks School, focusing on food and agricultural policy. During that time, working with CCE Tompkins County as a student intern showed me how Extension can marry policy with the belief that food should nourish both bodies and minds.

Public schools feed students a minimum of 180 days a year, and for many, year-round. Yet, for decades, menus shifted toward "heat-and-serve," low-nutrient items.. We focus on resilient local food systems and child nutrition to change that.

We use K-12 purchasing as a reliable, high-volume market. Schools buy food on predictable schedules, which has the power to stabilize demand for local farmers and strengthen supply chains, if done strategically. It is a natural fit for Extension’s mission to support agriculture.

About 30 years ago, many districts moved away from cooking on-site. Reversing that requires rebuilding kitchens, investing in equipment, and retraining staff to cook nutrient-dense meals from scratch. We provide food service directors with the tools and training they need to begin that transition, but it barely scratches the surface of what’s truly needed.

In true Extension form, we live and work in the communities we serve. I lead a team of eight across the state, each embedded in their region. We are connected to hundreds of school food departments and producers. Being on the ground allows us to build personal relationships and identify needs through daily observation and stakeholder engagement.

Jennifer Wilkins, who led the program while I was in grad school, showed me this was a complex, viable career path. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Associate Dean Julie Suarez and CCE Erie Executive Director, Diane Held, have been key mentors and coaches for over a decade. Importantly, leadership from people like CCE Director Andy Turner and Judson Reid, gave me the latitude to design this program from scratch. That trust is what I value most about CCE.

Success means changing the system that governs child nutrition. While we make progress building by building, lasting impact requires state and federal policy that funds these practices permanently and equips school food departments with the resources they need. We need a system where healthy, local food is the rule, rather than the exception.