UT Institute of Agriculture Presents Top Faculty and Staff Awards for 2025
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. This year’s ceremony was held in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Building on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on July 30, 2025. 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.”
Cristopher Miramontes, communications and marketing professional in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, is the recipient of the Mildred Pendergrass Outstanding Service Award. This award, presented in memory of Mildred Pendergrass, wife of the former Vice President for Agriculture Webster Pendergrass, is given to employees among the technical, skill and service staff of the institute.
“Winning the Mildred Pendergrass Technology Award represents a significant accomplishment in my career,” Miramontes says. “It’s incredibly validating to have my work recognized and valued by my peers, affirming the effort and dedication. I am proud of the expansive and impactful work that Family and Consumer Sciences undertakes across our state, and contributing even a small part to that broader mission is genuinely rewarding.”
Miramontes holds an associate’s degree in graphic communications from Pellissippi State Community College.
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.