Mary Jo Dudley, PhD
Cornell University
Director
Global Development
Involvement/Activity
Academic Member
What I would like to offer as a collaborator…
Mary Jo Dudley is the Director of the Cornell Farmworker Program and a faculty member in Cornell University’s Department of Global Development. Her work focuses on improving the living and working conditions of farmworkers and their families. Her research examines the contributions of farmworkers to the economic and social fabric of NYS and their visions for the future. This research provides guidance for the development of materials and activities (primarily on-farm workshops) that address farmworker concerns on topics related to health, safety, cultural, and immigration issues. Mary Jo is a member of the Finger Lakes Community Health Board of Directors and the co-chair of its Farmworker Committee. She is also a member of the NYS Ag Labor Advisory Council convened by the NYS Department of Labor and the NYS Department of Ag and Markets. In November 2019, she received the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, a national distinction for engaged scholarship.
What I am looking for from a collaborator…
My research with farmworkers (interviews, focus group discussions, surveys) provides the groundwork for developing materials and activities (workshops, clinics, and consultations) that respond to farmworker priorities. Through this iterative process, we collaborate with farmworkers in building individual and community capacity designed to fulfill aspirations and address daily challenges. Since many farmworkers have limited literacy, we develop highly visual materials and activities that support learning among low literacy populations and rely on direct interactions and consultations
