Current Role: Jessica has been with the NYS 4-H Horse program since June of 2017 when she became an educator in Madison County. Over the years Jessica was a county educator in Madison County and then moved back to her home county in 2019. Jessica was in Essex County until July 1st, 2023 where she then became fulltime with the State Horse program. Jessica has enjoyed the shift in becoming fulltime with the state and figuring out how to help improve the program overall and working towards more programming and educational opportunities!
Background: Jessica grew up in Essex County 4-H and was in the horse program and is still an avid horse lover! She still has her childhood pony who she used during her years as a 4-Her! Once she graduated college, she attended SUNY Morrisville for AG Business where she was also on the Western Riding Team, Livestock Club and Dairy club! But besides being an avid animal lover Jessica also has two kids of her own, Hunter and Avery, who you will often find at least one of them at a lot of events! In her free time with her family, you can find them at the beach, hiking, skiing, skating, snowshoeing, fishing, riding, and just being together and doing new things!
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the New York State 4-H Youth Development program recently held Animal Crackers, a full-day interactive event for students aged eight and up with interest in animal science. This year’s event happened on May 7th and marked the first year of returning to entirely in-person programming. Dana Palmer, Senior Extension Associate of Cornell’s 4-H Youth Extension, reflects on this year’s successes.