Course Instructors

Sheena Tesch, Deputy Director of North Madison Programs, Rooted

Pronouns: they/them

 Sheena Tesch, Deputy Director of North Madison Programs at Rooted, is an experienced farmer and food systems organizer with a particular interest in working to increase food sovereignty. Before joining Rooted as Troy Farm Manager in 2019, they farmed all over the country for a decade—from growing organic seeds in California to homesteading in Vermont. Their work at Rooted has focused on Troy Farm’s development, strategic and collaborative food systems partnership development, and farmland access. They served as Vice Chair of the Dane County Food Council from 2019-2023. Sheena has a B.A. in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Yolanda Gonzalez, Urban Agriculture Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Yolanda Gonzalez is an Urban Agriculture Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY. She holds a dual degree in Master of Science in Environmental and Community Land Planning from SUNY ESF and Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Spanish Literature from SUNY Geneseo. Yolanda's most recent experience as an Excelsior Fellow at the NYS Office of General Services in the Organizational and Workforce Development Unit has given her process improvement skills that will help urban growers maximize efficiency and profitability in limited spaces. Her background is mostly in small-scale production, working on a number of small farms in Maine, Pennsylvania, and Long Island.

Anu Rangarajan, Director, Cornell Small Farms Program 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Anu spent her childhood tending a garden in a suburb of Detroit and learned about vegetable growing from a WWII veteran.  She pursued this love of plants and soil at Michigan State University, majoring in Horticulture, followed by a Masters at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, in controlled environment agriculture and a PhD in vegetable production and physiology.  She joined the faculty of Horticulture at Cornell University in 1996, as the Statewide Fresh Market Vegetable Specialist. Her research focuses on innovative crop and soil management that balances triple-bottom line goals for growers and society. In 2004, she was appointed director the Cornell Small Farms Program, which has a mission to support and uplift small-scale farming as a dignified, viable and meaningful livelihood by providing intentional, innovative and inclusive services.  In 2013, the program started creating materials focused operating a small farm in urban spaces, which resulted in the collaboration that has created the ‘Promise of Urban Agriculture’ study and these courses.