Becky Willis receives the Outstanding 4-H Youth Development Agent Award
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture celebrated the accomplishments of some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards luncheon. The 2026 ceremony was held on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 4. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the institute.
UTIA Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the celebration and praised the honorees for their devotion to the land-grant mission. “Our UTIA staff and faculty continue to overwhelm me with their enthusiasm and unparalleled expertise,” he said. “I am always in awe of their dedication to providing Real. Life. Solutions. to the people of Tennessee. These award winners represent the efforts and accomplishments this past year that will most benefit all Tennesseans and society – impacts that will have lasting benefits through teaching, research and Extension for years to come.”
Becky Willis, 4-H youth development agent at UT-TSU Extension Dyer County, has been recognized with the G.L. Carter Jr. Outstanding 4-H Youth Development Agent Award. This award was established by the late G.L. Carter Jr., whose Extension career began in 1949 in Greene County where he served as a 4-H agent. He was also a UT Extension Hamblen County 4-H member. Carter was the first in his family to graduate from college, later earning an MS and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin. His 44-year career included working as the youth editor of a farm and ranch magazine; serving as a state 4-H staff member in both Tennessee and North Carolina; and helping to create the Journal of Extension, a professional publication for Extension agents and specialists. Carter has provided the funding through an endowment to recognize an Outstanding 4-H Youth Development Agent.
Willis has been with UT-TSU Extension Dyer County for 17 years, currently coordinating programs for more than 1.500 youth in her community. She has attended eight national 4-H events, including taking students to visit Washington D.C. and tour the White House. Throughout her career, she has also led 4-H service projects to support local animal shelters, homeless organizations, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Salvation Army.
“It’s an honor to serve the youth of Dyer County,” says Willis. “UT Extension continues to have a significant impact on our next generation, and witnessing their development into outstanding young adults who give back to the community has been the most rewarding part of my career.”
Willis is the Western Region Endowment Chair for 4-H grants and serves on the 4-H Strategic Planning Committee. Prior to joining UT Extension, she worked as a 4-H agent in Louisiana for 14 years.
In her free time, she enjoys cooking and watching basketball, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with her dissertation focused on the value of volunteerism.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.