Cecilia Reyes Lerma

I was born and raised in Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, a beautiful city with a population of a million people. The state of Chihuahua is internationally known for its mountains, natural landscapes, and the Rarámuri culture.

I’ve always been involved in sports, especially swimming during my childhood and tennis throughout my teenage years and college. These days, I enjoy biking, kayaking, hiking, outdoor activities, and going to the gym.

I graduated with a degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Chihuahua Campus, in 2005. That’s also where my interest in business and entrepreneurship was born. My father was an entrepreneur from a young age and has been one of my greatest inspirations to always run my own business and help others start theirs.

My first job after graduating was at the Economic Development Department of the City of Chihuahua, where we helped people in vulnerable economic situations start their own small businesses and become self-employed. We guided them through the creation of business plans, connected them with microloans, and supported them throughout the process of launching their first small enterprise.

I founded my first company in 2010, which I still run today. In 2019, I also started a small natural pet food production business, which I later transferred when I moved to Ithaca in 2021.

In 2023, I began working at Cornell University in the Alumni Affairs Program, and in 2024 I started working with the Cornell Farmworker Program, strengthening my commitment to the people of my country and to vulnerable communities in the United States.

I am now very happy to be part of the Cornell Small Farms Program, a mission-driven initiative in the area I’m most passionate about: business and entrepreneurship. I’m excited to learn from the experiences of others and help people, with empathy, to follow their own path in agricultural entrepreneurship.