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.”
Jo Carlson, administrative specialist III with UT Extension, is the recipient of the E.J. Chapman Outstanding Service Award. Established by the late E.J. Chapman, who served the university in a wide range of capacities from agronomist to assistant vice president for agriculture, this award recognizes a member of the supporting staff of the teaching, research, or Extension divisions.
Carlson has been with UTIA for 10 years, all of them working in the UT Extension administration office supporting the assistant dean and head for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. She has been previously recognized with the ENEP Award of Excellence in 2019 and the Tennessee Extension Association of Administrative Professionals Excel Award in 2023. She was also recognized as the Overall Winner FCS Workplace Culture Award in 2023. Apart from her work with UT Extension, and as a testament to her service-oriented attitude, Carlson and her husband founded a private charity that provides brand new clothes to elementary-aged school children whose parents are financially unable to provide clothes for them.
Carlson is extremely grateful to receive the E.J. Chapman Award. “In any job, I never expect to win an award, but this is certainly a blessing to be thought of enough for someone to nominate me and be chosen,” she says.
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.