Rita Rowe Jackson Receives UTIA Professional/Academic Award for Outstanding Service
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.”
Rita Rowe Jackson, Extension specialist and state coordinator for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), is the recipient of the UTIA Professional/Academic Award for Outstanding Service. Provided by the Institute of Agriculture administration, this award is given to a recipient among the professional and other academic employees who has contributed most to the attainment of the objectives of the Institute of Agriculture.
For nine years, Jackson has advocated for at-risk communities as the state coordinator of EFNEP. With a team of 26 agents, program assistants and admins, they collectively offer more than 10,000 free educational lessons annually on topics such as food selection, preparation and the importance of physical activity. Under her supervision, EFNEP impacted more than 2,300 families across Tennessee in 2025 and have increased older youth enrollment in the program from 10% to 60%.
“I am honored and thankful to receive the Outstanding Service Award,” says Jackson. “I sincerely appreciate everyone who believed I was worthy of this honor. This award inspires me to continue serving with dedication and supporting the mission of the Institute.”
Jackson received the national Jeanne M. Priester Extension Leadership Award earlier this year, one of the most prestigious honors in Extension health programming. Her career spans more than 24 years at UT Extension, including as an EFNEP area specialist at UT-TSU Extension Shelby County, a 4-H agent at UT Extension Fayette County and an additional five years as an Extension agent in Mississippi.
In her free time, she enjoys quilting, traveling with family and going to the movies.
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.