UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2025
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The accomplishments of the faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture were celebrated at an annual awards luncheon held on the UT Knoxville campus in the new Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on July 30. 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 luncheon and praised the honorees for their work. “The enthusiasm and expertise demonstrated by our UTIA faculty and staff is unparalleled,” he said. “I am always in awe of their dedication to providing real life solutions to the people of Tennessee. These well-deserved awards represent impacts and accomplishments that benefit Tennesseans and society now and for years to come.”
Brian White, director of UT Extension Henderson County, is one recipient of the Charles and Julie Wharton Award for Outstanding Extension Achievements. Established by longtime supporters of the Institute of Agriculture Charles Wharton and his late wife Julie, and now supported by Charles and Lori Wharton, this award is presented to three UT Extension agents annually. These agents may conduct programs in any area, including agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth development and resource development. Special consideration is given to those individuals who have demonstrated excellence in serving local needs for five years or more. Keith Allen, director of UT Extension Macon County, and Sarah Orr, director of UT-TSU Extension Cocke County, also received this award. White is being recognized for his exceptional leadership contributions and ongoing advocacy for his community.
For 26 years, he has served as the agriculture and natural resources Extension agent at UT Extension Henderson County, providing year-round assistance to producers and residents. This includes helping train more than 500 local farmers through the Tennessee Master Beef Producer Program and the Tennessee Master Row Crop Producer Program, allowing them to collectively secure more than $6 million in Tennessee Department of Agriculture cost-share funding. Under White’s leadership, the UT Extension Henderson County team is estimated to have increased farm income in the county by more than $4.3 million.
“The opportunity to work for UT Extension was presented to me more than 25 years ago,” says White. “The hundreds of individuals that I’ve been able to help, work with and mentor under are the true value I couldn’t have foreseen. Many of these people are now great friends of mine.”
White has previously been named the Henderson County Agriculture Person of the Year. In his free time, he enjoys rodeoing with his two sons.
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.