Meghan Snyder of Sunny Cove Farm to Lead the Board as President
At the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County (CCE Allegany) Organizational Meeting held on January 17, 2023, a new slate of officers for the Board of Directors was elected. Kevin LaForge, owner of LaForge Disposal Service, Inc. and K.S. LaForge Excavating, Inc., served as President since 2018. Under LaForge’s leadership, CCE Allegany has managed several grant-funded programs valued at several hundred thousand dollars, including Farm to School, SNAP-Ed Nutrition and Job and Life Skills Boot Camp.
Meghan Snyder, Assistant Store Manager at Sunny Cove Farm in Alfred Station, has served as both Secretary and Treasurer of the Board. At the Organizational Meeting, she was voted in as Board President. Snyder is a life-long 4-Her who attended Alfred State College for Veterinary Technology and graduated with her AAS in 2010. Megan volunteers at the Allegany County Fair Livestock Auction every year, helping manage the paperwork and payments for the 4-H animals that are sold.
The other board seats filled include Jeff Stevens as Vice President, Kate McDowell as Secretary and Kevin LaForge as Treasurer. Stevens is the Dean of the School of Applied Technology at Alfred State College. A former 4-H member, he credits much of his success to his years within the organization and the leadership training of the 4-H Teen Council. McDowell attended Cornell University, where she majored in Agricultural Science Education with a minor in Applied Economics and Management. In 2012, she relocated to Wellsville, NY and continued her education by completing an MBA at Alfred University. Kate is employed by Farm Credit East, ACA as a State Certified General Appraiser.
CCE Allegany is lucky and excited to have a strong leadership team. The century-old organization is known best for its 4-H and agricultural programming. The resulting education system is responsive, nimble, research-based and locally rooted. CCE educators develop programming that collects information and experience from their communities to inform Cornell research and program development. Such a dynamic organization would not be possible without the dedicated staff, volunteers and partnerships that power the CCE system.
