Cornell University's Einhorn Center for Community Engagement has selected 42 faculty and staff members for its 2026-27 fellowship programs, the largest incoming group since the program began in 2013.
The cohort represents 19 university units and includes participants in engaged learning, engaged scholarship and a new fellowship designed for community-engaged professionals.
Three cohorts support community work
The fellowships provide time, training and peer support for Cornell employees who connect teaching, research or university programs with community priorities. Monthly meetings will be led by Richard Kiely and Amy Kuo Somchanhmavong.
The Engaged Learning cohort includes Rachel Beatty Riedl, Catherine Blumenkamp, Melissa Conroy, Megan Dias, Jason Ezell, Jacquelin Gerson, Gabriela Gómez Estévez, Donna Haeger, Reem Hajjar, Steve Heim and Daniel Kratochvil.
Also selected for Engaged Learning are Robert Mackenzie, Amelia Moore, Kelly Northridge, Verity Platt, Amanda Recupero, Seth Saltiel, Deirdre Snyder, Hannah Toombs, Wendy Wilcox and John Zinda.
Those fellows will focus on courses and academic experiences that pair student learning with work identified by community partners. The model is intended to make collaboration part of the curriculum rather than a separate activity.
The Engaged Scholarship cohort includes Christine Bacareza Balance, Dena Bauman, Liz Davis-Frost, Jen de los Reyes and Carolyn Fan.
Elizabeth Fox, Jenny Goldstein, Angela Odoms-Young, Paul Ortiz and Thijs Roumen also were named to the scholarship cohort. Their projects will link research or creative work with communities outside the university.
New program centers professional staff
The Community-Engaged Professionals fellowship is being offered for the first time. Cornell said the program recognizes staff members whose roles involve sustained partnerships, public service or community-based programs.
Its inaugural cohort includes Michael Brown, Sarah Buffett, Sam Carney, Jennifer Duque, Melissa Jo Hill and Darius Melvin.
Kate Nicholson, Gemma Rodrigues, Rhonda Todd, Sharifa Wip and Chloe Wray round out the new professional group.
Participants will meet across the academic year to examine partnership practices, share challenges and refine projects. The cross-campus structure is designed to help fellows learn from colleagues working in different fields.
More than 260 Cornell faculty and staff members have taken part in Einhorn Center fellowships since 2013. The university said alumni have used the experience to build longer-term community relationships and expand opportunities for students.
The center supports collaborations that combine Cornell resources with the knowledge and goals of local, regional and global partners. The 2026-27 cohort will begin its work during the fall semester.
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