Leslie Pillen

Leslie Pillen currently serves as the Associate Director of Farm and Food Systems and the Student Farm Design Coordinator at Penn State University, a position held since April 2014. Prior to this role, Leslie was a Graduate Research Assistant in Rural Sociology at Penn State University, where notable achievements included receiving the 2012 Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant and the Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Leslie's experience also includes managing the Growing Farmers Program at Community CROPS, where expertise in curriculum development, community outreach, and program funding was demonstrated, resulting in securing over $400,000 in grants. Leslie's early career involved a Sustainable Agriculture Internship at the Community Agroecology Network and volunteering with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, USA®. Educational credentials include a Master of Science in Rural Sociology from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.