UNH Extension is pleased to announce that Emma Erler will move into her new position as Hillsborough County Food & Agriculture Field Specialist and member of the Landscape & Greenhouse Horticulture Area of Expertise team, starting in February. Erler has been a fixture of Extension’s home horticulture programming since joining Extension in 2017 where she has been providing horticultural expertise to the Extension’s Education Center, Infoline, and Master Gardener programs. In her role at the Education Center, Erler has been instrumental in building Extension’s reputation for providing exceptional educational service and content to NH’s gardening public. We are thrilled that she will now bring her skills, expertise, and enthusiasm for horticultural education to her new role as Field Specialist.
As Field Specialist, Erler’s primary role will be to provide research-based programming and technical assistance to green-industry businesses throughout the state, including nursery, garden center, and landscape operations, while also serving the broader agricultural community of Hillsborough County. Erler will continue to share her expertise regularly on WMUR’s Grow it Green gardening feature and through her weekly gardening column, as well as through workshops, courses, and new programs.
Erler’s career prior to Extension is rich in public horticulture and education. From internships at Longwood Gardens and the Morris Arboretum, both in Pennsylvania, to positions at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, MA, and Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA., Erler’s experiences have prepared her for this position as an educator of landscape science.
Erler earned her BS in Environmental Horticulture from the University of New Hampshire and is currently enrolled in UNH’s M.Ed. program. She is a native of NH, and spent her elementary school years volunteering at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center’s public garden and native live animal facilities. She has a love of the outdoors and spends as much time in nature as possible. She has recently become an avid white water kayaker.
Food & Agriculture Team Leader Amy Papineau says, “We are fortunate to have Emma on our team. She has done exceptional work over the past three years, and this new role affords her room to do even more and to have an even bigger impact on NH’s people, businesses, and environments. It will be tough to lose her from her current position, but I’m thrilled to see what she will do as a Field Specialist.”
