Eliza Hensel

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County is pleased to welcome Eliza Hensel as their new Natural Resources Educator. Eliza brings hands-on experience in extension education and community outreach to support and enhance agricultural initiatives in Chautauqua County. She can be reached by calling 716-664-9502 ext. 220 or emailing emh275@cornell.edu.

CCE Chautauqua has been undergoing an internal capacity study which has led to innovative growth and positive restructuring. This new position will increase capacity and efficiency within CCE Chautauqua while providing outstanding support and guidance to our county’s agricultural community.

Hensel’s professional and academic background is founded in an interdisciplinary approach to environmental sciences. She has worked with college programs, urban-agriculture businesses and she founded a non-profit compost pick-up program. She attended Eckerd College where she majored in both Environmental Studies and Animal Studies for her bachelor’s degree.

Most recently, Hensel worked for Michigan State University Extension as their state-wide Compost Systems Educator where her expertise was used helping farmers and community members understand and utilize composting systems.

Her experience goes beyond just composting, however. She has also worked with environmental conservation-based youth camps, marine ecology education programs, as well as urban agriculture and gardening businesses. At the core of who she is, it is the preservation of our ecological natural resources that motivates her to spread action through education.

CCE Chautauqua Agriculture Team Leader, Katelyn Walley-Stoll, states, “Our programming at CCE-Chautauqua continues to grow, and we are honored to welcome the breadth of experience and expertise Eliza brings. Her confidence, communication, and strive to collaborate will help us meet the agricultural needs of our community.”

In this new role, Hensel will serve as a Natural Resource Educator and deliver programming in Chautauqua County. She will work with a diverse team to provide high quality, research-based resources to gardeners, homesteaders, farmers, agribusinesses, agricultural stakeholders, and everyone in between.

Hensel looks forward to using her experiences and passion for natural resources to assist community members in Chautauqua County and continuing to connect the agricultural industry to Cornell resources.