News

Joppa Hill Educational Farm Announces Sarah Grosvenor as Executive Director

Bedford, NH, September 16, 2024 – Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford, NH is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Grosvenor as the Farm’s Executive Director. Grosvenor brings over 20 years of experience in community organization, education, and agriculture to this role. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Grosvenor as the new Executive Director of the Joppa Hill Educational Farm,” said Jillian Granucci, the incoming Chair of the Farm’s Board of Directors. “Sarah's proven leadership and passion for community and youth development will be invaluable as we continue to grow and serve our community. We are confident that under her guidance, the farm will thrive and make an even greater impact." 

Grosvenor will join the farm as Executive Director on October 1, 2024. She joins Katie Schelzel, Farm Manager, and a team of more than 100 volunteers who help sustain the Farm’s operations. “Collaborating with Sarah over the years in her role with the UNH Cooperative Extension has been incredible,” said Schelzel. “I’m thrilled to have her leading the farm into an exciting new chapter. I can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve together!"

As the Executive Director, Grosvenor will provide strategic direction, oversee operations, and lead the organization to further its mission. Her leadership will be key in ensuring the farm’s long-term sustainability and enhancing its impact on the community. 

“I am thrilled to be joining Joppa Hill Educational Farm. I love the mission of the organization and look forward to meeting the visitors, volunteers and connecting with the community,” said Grosvenor. “ I am excited to build upon all the great things that the staff and the board have accomplished over the years and to be a part of the ‘farmily’!” 

Most recently, Grosvenor worked at the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension in Manchester, NH, where she spent more than a decade as a Field Specialist in Education and 4-H Youth Development and as the Lab Director with the UNH STEM Discovery Lab. 

In these roles, she designed and led educational science programs for educators, volunteers, and youth, managed statewide natural resource programs for the Cooperative Extension 4-H, secured and managed grants, and forged partnerships with UNH faculty, staff, and community organizations on various projects and community-based initiatives. 

Grosvenor's experience also includes her work at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT, where she served as a farmyard educator, teaching children and adults about sustainable agriculture and animal care. Additionally, she has volunteered with several organizations, including the Vermont Wildlife Rehabilitation Association, Loon Conservation Commission, Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and the Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative. 

Grosvenor holds a Master’s degree in Teaching and a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont.

About the Farm: Joppa Hill Educational Farm is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a working farm on 35 acres of public land leased from the town of Bedford, N.H.  Open to the public every day, the farm offers a variety of programs and services designed to pass our region's vanishing agricultural heritage to new generations. Learn more at theeducationalfarm.org. 

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