About
Polly Endreny Holmberg coordinates international training programs designed to equip and empower people from around the globe with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to drive positive change. Included in her role as training program coordinator for the Department of Global Development, Polly manages the Fulbright exchange Humphrey Fellowship Program; the USDA Borlaug Fellowship Program; and the World Food Prize New York Youth Institute. She is energized by collaborative work that develops innovative strategies to address global challenges while prioritizing community empowerment, environmental conservation, and cross-cultural competency.
A conservation biologist by training, Polly brings several years of experience working with human-environment issues. She holds a B.Sc. in biology (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) and a M.Sc. in marine resource management (Oregon State University). A formative experience studying community-based wildlife management in Namibia yielded her an enduring career guiding question: How can we harmonize the development of prosperous communities with the conditions needed for thriving nature? She has worked on issues of conservation science and policy with The Nature Conservancy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar (serving with her husband, 2010-12).
Prior to her current role, Polly managed and helped build the Cornell Alliance for Science’s international training program that leads fellowships and courses on advocacy for accessing agricultural innovation, training nearly 800 professionals from 48 countries on strategic approaches to confront global hunger.
Polly considers herself a lifelong learner with a growing list of questions. She’s hanging onto optimism – sometimes by a thread – in pursuit of a more just and sustainable world. Having grown up in the Finger Lakes of New York and then traveling during her studies and early career, Polly loves being back on Cayuga Lake with her husband, young son, and precocious cats.
