Introducing Corinn Rutkoski 

We’re excited to welcome Corinn Rutkoski as WaSHI’s new extension coordinator senior. Corinn brings a background in soil biology and experience sharing science in ways that matter to farmers and communities. 

Corinn earned her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology and Environmental Science & Policy at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station, where she studied how prairie strips in Midwestern croplands affect soil microbes, pesticide persistence, and carbon storage. Alongside her research, she organized field days, led community outreach programs, and built creative connections between science, art, and policy. 

Most recently, she served as a Climate Change Communications Fellow with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northwest Climate Hub in Olympia. There, she developed training for Natural Resources Conservation Service staff across the Northwest to strengthen their confidence in discussing climate change with farmers and foresters, and she authored fact sheets and articles to make climate impacts on agriculture more accessible. 

In her new role, Corinn will work in the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University (WSU), guiding WaSHI’s communications and outreach, from newsletters and social media to event planning and field days. She’ll also support the Long-Term Agroecological Research and Extension network and help coordinate WaSHI’s annual Soil Health Conference SoilCon. Corinn will also lead efforts to monitor feedback from key stakeholders and attendees at outreach events to identify opportunities for WSU and WaSHI to reach new audiences.  

To Corinn, the position feels like a natural fit. 

“I am thrilled to be joining the WaSHI team,” said Corinn. “My work has long focused on fostering dialogue between researchers and farmers around soil health, and I look forward to partnering with colleagues at WSU, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Washington State Conservation Commission to advance soil stewardship across Washington.” 

We look forward to the energy, creativity, and expertise Corinn will bring to WaSHI’s work in the months ahead.