Bethany (Klein) Bzduch wants students to know that it’s okay if they don’t know what they want to do when they graduate high school. While she’s built a career on supporting New York State agriculture, and currently serves as the Executive Director for the New York State (NYS) Soil and Water Conservation Committee, this 2004 PCS grad originally planned a future as a pastry chef.
“Growing up on a farm and being raised in a community with such strong ties to agriculture is something that I value more and more each day. However, I did not always aspire to work in the agricultural industry,” she said.
After graduating from PCS, Bethany attended Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, to study Baking and Pastry Arts. She soon discovered that wasn’t the correct path for her, and she returned home to study at Genesee Community College for a semester. Bethany then attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science with a focus in Environmental Policy.
Her career in conservation began as a Water Quality Technician at the Wyoming County Soil and Water Conservation District (WCSWCD). It was Bethany’s father, Stan Klein, who had worked closely with the staff at the WCSWCD, and encouraged her to learn more about their work. During her tenure, Bethany assisted in managing agricultural projects funded through NYS grant programs, completed Ag Value Assessments for landowners, and implemented water sampling programs for targeted watersheds in Wyoming County, among other duties. A favorite aspect of her job was coordinating education programs for students and youth.
“It was always so inspiring to see how excited and interested students were to learn about agriculture and the environment,” she said.
In 2012, after taking a position with the NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee (the Committee) as a Regional Program Assistant, Bethany had the opportunity to build on the experience she gained managing local grant programs to help manage a statewide grant program. This position afforded her the opportunity to travel the state while learning about different types of agriculture and the challenges faced in the industry.
Bethany was able to grow her leadership and collaboration skills when she took the Program Manager position with the Committee in 2015. In this role, she was responsible for managing the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement and Control Program, which was designed to reduce nonpoint source of pollution to improve and protect state water resources.
“In each position I’ve had throughout my career thus far, I have been able to couple my degree with my agricultural background to promote and support New York State agriculture,” said Bethany.
The PCS alum took on her current role as Executive Director with the Committee in 2023. Bethany leads a team that is responsible for the coordination, networking, and advocacy of 58 County Soil and Water Conservation Districts throughout the state. Among other duties, she is responsible for developing and implementing the Committee’s Strategic Plan to advance natural resource management through the support of local Soil and Water Conservation Districts. With NYS being a large, diverse state, developing programs and policies that benefit every county, with their unique needs, can be difficult. But Bethany is passionate about her work.
“What I love most about my job is being able to enable County Soil and Water Conservation Districts to work with local landowners and farms to address environmental resource concerns,” she said. “It’s rewarding to know that I am, in some way, helping to protect the state’s environmental resources and ensure the viability of New York State farms.”