• Home
  • Food System Map
  • About Us
    • Advisory Council Members
    • Work Groups >
      • Access, Equity And Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Finance for Food & Farming Businesses
      • Infrastructure
      • Markets & Buyers
  • Resources
    • Resources >
      • Food System
      • Access, Equity & Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Infrastructure
      • Financing >
        • Capital And Support
        • Current Offerings
        • Local Investment Tools
        • Primer on Grassroots Investment
      • Markets & Buyers Resources
  • Blog
WNY REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM INITIATIVE
  • Home
  • Food System Map
  • About Us
    • Advisory Council Members
    • Work Groups >
      • Access, Equity And Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Finance for Food & Farming Businesses
      • Infrastructure
      • Markets & Buyers
  • Resources
    • Resources >
      • Food System
      • Access, Equity & Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Infrastructure
      • Financing >
        • Capital And Support
        • Current Offerings
        • Local Investment Tools
        • Primer on Grassroots Investment
      • Markets & Buyers Resources
  • Blog
Picture

Catharine Young
Center for Excellence in Food & Agriculture at AgriTech Center
Executive Director

E-mail Catharine

Catharine M. Young, a longtime champion of agriculture and economic development, was named Executive Director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech in March 2019.

The Center of Excellence is a business hub that connects startups and established food, beverage and agriculture technology companies with the resources they need to succeed, including globally recognized Cornell research and innovation, business mentoring, public and private funding, business to-business partnerships, and other supply chain assets. Since Young took the helm in 2019, the Center of Excellence has helped member companies create nearly 300 jobs and realize more than $69.2 million in positive economic impacts.

Prior to her role at Cornell, Young served for 20 years in the New York State Legislature representing Western New York. She rose to a top leadership post in the state Senate and made history when she became the first woman to chair the Senate Finance Committee. As Finance Chair, Young was responsible for guiding budget and policy issues on behalf of the Senate and the people of New York State.

​Young also served as Senate Agriculture Committee Chair and founded the Legislative Wine and Grape Caucus. She sponsored legislation to create the New York State Council on Food Policy, and led policy initiatives and economic growth projects that expanded the agricultural and food industries in the state.
Copyright @ 2021 NY Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
​A non-profit organization of Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board

For more information about this project and how you can be involved, contact:
​

New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Kimberly LaMendola, Food System Projects Manager 
4039 Route 219, Suite 200, Salamanca NY 14779
716-945-5301 ext. 2211
klamendola@southerntierwest.org
fr2021

Western New York Foundation

2495 Main Street, Suite 464, Buffalo NY 14214
716-839-4225


Beth Kinsman Gosch, Executive Director
bgosch@wnyfoundation.org

​
Lauren VanOsten, Program Officer

Lvanosten@wnyfoundation.org
  • Home
  • Food System Map
  • About Us
    • Advisory Council Members
    • Work Groups >
      • Access, Equity And Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Finance for Food & Farming Businesses
      • Infrastructure
      • Markets & Buyers
  • Resources
    • Resources >
      • Food System
      • Access, Equity & Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Infrastructure
      • Financing >
        • Capital And Support
        • Current Offerings
        • Local Investment Tools
        • Primer on Grassroots Investment
      • Markets & Buyers Resources
  • Blog