Prior to my PhD, I worked for two years as the grant manager of the New York Farm Viability Institute, a non-profit grant funding organization in New York State that funds agricultural research and education projects that aim to improve the bottom line for farmers in NY. As grant manager, I was responsible for overseeing a yearly grant program, from solicitation of proposals to evaluation by reviewers to board decisions, and managed an active projects portfolio of several million dollars, among other duties.
From 2008-2013 I worked in various capacities as a livestock producer, including 2010-2013 as the manager of a large beef operation in upstate New York selling grain- and grass-fed beef in the New York City farmers market system. Simultaneously, beginning in 2007 and finally finishing in 2012, I worked on an MS in Conservation Biology at SUNY ESF, studying the habitat requirements and associations of a group of rare lowland boreal bird species in the Adirondack Park.
The years prior to 2007 are a blur of ornithological field jobs, vegetable farming, and travels, with longer stops in Washington, California, British Columbia, Montana, Panama, and Martinique.
I enjoy reading, hiking, skiing, basketball, and travel, and live outside town with my wife, Becca, who is a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and our daughters Lila (9) and Frances (1).
On the side, I am deeply involved in local agricultural development efforts, including as a board member of Poudre Valley Community Farms and the cofounder of the Northern Colorado Foodshed Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
I have also recently returned to livestock production as the owner of a small but growing mixed species herd that includes goats, sheep, cattle, and llamas.
Kevin Jablonski 