Faculty Area
Interdisciplinary Theme
Faculty Expertise
- Environmental, Energy and Resource Economics and Policy
- Sustainable Business
- Farm and Agribusiness Management
Contact
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Biography
Trent Preszler is Professor of Practice, Director of the Dyson Leadership Program, and Director of the Thoreau Planetary Solutions Initiative at Cornell. In 2024, he won the SC Johnson College of Business Dean's Distinguished Award for Societal Impact in Teaching, and also received the Henry David Thoreau Foundation Faculty Grant in recognition of his visionary work to foster leadership at the intersection of business and the environment, with undergraduate students as catalysts for change. He serves on the Board of Directors of One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization focused on reforestation projects in 72 countries through strategic partnerships with the World Resources Institute, Jane Goodall Institute, Microsoft, FedEx, Volvo, Nestle, and the rock band Coldplay.
Preszler's research focuses on sustainable business practices in the agriculture and forestry sectors and has been featured by The Wall Street Journal Magazine, The New York Times, Esquire, and CBS Sunday Morning. His memoir, LITTLE AND OFTEN, published by the William Morrow imprint of HarperCollins, hit #1 on the Amazon books best sellers list and was a Best Book of 2021 in USA Today. His forthcoming book, EVERGREEN, which documents America's rise to global economic power as seen through the lens of Christmas trees, will be published in 2025 by the Algonquin Books imprint of Little, Brown and Company (Hachette Book Group).
Animating his classrooms with a mix of theory and practical life experiences, Preszler teaches five courses in the Dyson Grand Challenges core: a sophomore writing course in climate-smart agribusiness; two senior project courses in social impact consulting with field trips to South Africa and Peru; and AEM 1101: Design Your Dyson, the introductory sustainable business course required of all first-year Dyson students.
Before joining the Cornell faculty, Preszler was CEO of Bedell Cellars, a sustainably farmed vineyard and winery on Long Island, NY. During his 20-year career in the wine business, he also served as Chairman of the Board for both the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and Wine America, the national association of wineries.
Having grown up on a cattle ranch on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, Preszler's first job out of college was a White House internship for President Bill Clinton. He also holds the world record for building the most expensive wooden canoe ever sold ($100,000). A documentary film about Preszler's life won the New York Emmy Award for Best Lifestyle Feature in 2017.
Selected Publications
- Preszler, Trent. Little and Often: A Memoir. HarperCollins Publishers. (2021)
Awards and Honors
- 2024 Faculty Grant Award (2024 - 2027) Henry David Thoreau Foundation
- National Book Festival: “Little and Often” (2024) Library of Congress
Recent Courses
- AEM 2816 - Climate-Smart Agribusiness
- AEM 1101 - Design Your Dyson
- AEM 2815 - Forest Bioeconomy
- AEM 4001 - Grand Challenges Abroad I
- AEM 3600 - Impact Learning: Field Study Prep Experience
- AEM 3601 - Impact Learning: Project Reflection, Completion and Presentation
- AEM 4940 - Undergraduate Special Topics in Applied Economics and Management
Academic Degrees
- PhD Cornell University, 2012
- MS Cornell University, 2002
- Post-Graduate Diploma University of Edinburgh, 1999
- BS Iowa State University, 1998