Steph Sosinski joined UNH Extension in 2023 as a Program Manager in Home Horticulture. They earned a B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Maine in 2009 and graduated with an M.S. in Crop Science from North Carolina State University in 2022.
They are originally from Roanoke, VA, although growing up in a military family led them to move and travel extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally, before finally settling in New Hampshire in 2003. Steph gained core professional experience working in small-scale fruit and vegetable production throughout the Northeast (including in New Hampshire, Maine and New York,) although their introduction to working in Cooperative Extension was as a field crop technician with UMaine Extension upon graduation.
A love for travel and family gradually led Steph to North Carolina in 2012, where they gained diverse experiences that included working on a specialty herb and flower farm, developing an after-school garden curriculum for underserved youth, co-founding a community garden and for the last six years, serving as the research technician for the Forage and Grassland program in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at NC State University.
Although that position was a departure from horticulture, Steph particularly appreciated the opportunity it gave them to represent North Carolina Extension and provide education and outreach to the public. Additionally, they were able to deepen their knowledge, technical and analytical skills by concurrently pursuing a master's degree while in the program.
"I am truly thrilled to return to New Hampshire and connect with home gardeners throughout the state," says Sosinski. "There is a particular satisfaction and multiple benefits that can come from gardening and maintaining the landscape around one's home, and I look forward to offering the highest quality information and service to help all gardeners to grow their best!"
