Danielle Hautaniemi

About Danielle

Danielle holds an appointment as a field operations and governance specialist with Cornell Cooperative
Extension, working across 17 counties in upstate NY. She has worked in extension for over 21 years as an
educator, team coordinator, county-level executive director and several times as an interim executive
director. Her background is in land use planning, community economic vitality and community
development, primarily in upstate NY and, initially, in Chicago, IL. She holds a BA from Smith College in
Architecture and Italian Language and Literature, and a Master’s in Regional Planning from Cornell
University. Danielle lives near Ithaca, NY, with her three children, three mostly good dogs and a surly
cat.

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At the Christopherson Center

Danielle is a Tompkins County native who returned to the area in 1998 to pursue her master’s degree.
Susan Christopherson was a mentor and second on her thesis committee, providing support and
perspective in what was then a predominantly male field of practice. Danielle then worked with Susan to
bring City and Regional Planning students to Schuyler County, NY, where Dr. Christopherson provided
analysis on multiple regional land use issues.