Nancy Fry Schaff

nschaff@cornell.edu

Asheville, NC 28806

Spouse:  William Schaff

Children:  Blythe and Benjamin

Education: B.S. Michigan State University, 1974, Parks & Recreation Resources – Environmental Interpretation / M.A.T. Oakland University, 1989, Curriculum, Instruction & Leadership / M.S. Cornell University, 2004, Adult and Extension Education (ABD)

Bio:
I’ve always loved the outdoors, hiking, traveling, and gardening. While I was at Michigan State, I worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Utah for two summers. In 1975 I hiked from Springer Mountain, GA to Virginia on the Appalachian Trail, which is when I fell in love with the southern Appalachians. I married into the family that ran Upland Hills Farms in Oxford, MI and had two children with my first husband. My daughter lives near Traverse City and runs a native nursery, and my son is a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. 

After leaving Michigan and getting divorced, I taught school in Washington State and New Mexico before moving to upstate New York to work for Cooperative Extension. I met my current husband when I went to work at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY in 1998. I was the 4-H STEM Program Specialist for the state of New York and served as the Education and Public Outreach director in the Department of Astronomy.  

After retirement in 2014, we lived in Australia for 2 ½ years – my husband was working as an electrical engineer and I thoroughly enjoyed Australia. We also lived in Costa Rica for 8 months and considered retiring there. We are now living in Asheville, NC and enjoying the mountains, breweries, good food, and quirky vibe. I love international travel and am teaching myself native landscaping on our 2 acres in Asheville (with a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains).

My photos:
Living in Costa Rica / My husband and I at a Halloween party in Brisbane, Australia / Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike, North Island New Zealand / Monuriki Island, Fiji (where Castaway was filmed) / Dubrovnik Croatia