David Kay is a Senior Extension Associate Emeritus affiliated with Cornell’s Ashley School of Sustainability and Global Development.  At the time of his retirement after 47 years at Cornell, he was serving as the Critical Issue Lead for Climate and Energy for Cornell Cooperative Extension.

David spent many years as staff with Cornell’s Local Government Program and later with the Community and Regional Development Institute.  With a degree in agricultural and resource economics, he worked on social science research and extension programming related to the environment, community and economic development, land use and regional planning, energy development, waste management, conflict and collaborative decision making and related topics. He has chaired the National Extension Climate Initiative for several years and currently acts as the liaison between the Journal of Extension and the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals.

David’s current interests are centered on communities and the challenges they face associated with climate change and democratic governance. In his first year of retirement, he has been privileged to be a Senior Fellow with the Climate Democracy Initiative, a project lead for Climate and Democracy with Cornell’s Center on Democracy,  a Director with the Rotary Climate Action Team Network, and the inaugural Chair of the City of Ithaca’s Sustainability and Climate Justice Commission. David is also a trained community mediator and active with Mediators Beyond Borders International.

NUREC work

David is excited to bring his experience, connections and interests, especially in climate, energy and governance, to bear in an effort to help build NUREC’s capacity, reach and effectiveness in those areas. He is especially intrigued by the possibilities that might be developed through NUREC’s developing partnership with the National League of Cities.