UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2024
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 and promotions luncheon. This year’s ceremony was held in the newly-opened Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 14, 2024. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute.
UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the award winners and praised them for their work. “I continue to be amazed by the dedication, enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by the impressive work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “The awards are well deserved, and the impacts of these accomplishments are seen across the state and will benefit Tennesseans for generations.”
Amy Kirk, business manager in Extension Evaluation and Staff Development, is this year’s recipient of the Lloyd and Nettie Downen Endowment Fund Leadership Enhancement Award. This award is given to exemplary Extension faculty who serve across the state.
Kirk has proven her dedication to UT Extension in many ways and has demonstrated the core values for which Extension stands, including education for all.
Kirk has been with UT for three years and has held different roles within the UT System including appointments at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine as an Administrative Assistant II and Management Specialist with the Center for Agriculture and Food Security and Preparedness (CAFSP). She was recently promoted to her current position in Extension Evaluation and Staff Development (EESD) after serving as an Extension Assistant I.
“I am grateful to have been selected as the winner of the Lloyd and Nettie Downen Endowment Fund Leadership Enhancement Award. This award will allow me to pursue additional leadership courses outside of my program of study—Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications (ALEC)— which will equip me with additional tools to use in my new role as a business manager,” Kirk said.
Kirk received her B.S. in finance from UT Knoxville and her B.A. in education from Tusculum University.
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.