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.”
Rachel Painter, UT Extension farm management specialist, is a recipient of the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists – Hicks Award of Excellence. Established by the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists (TAAA&S) and other endowed funds, this award is presented annually to up to three agricultural Extension faculty who are also members of TAAA&S.
Tim Woods, UT Extension McMinn County director, and Amanda Mathenia, UT Extension Perry County director, also received the award.
Painter, who has worked for eight years for UTIA, works with the UT Center of Farm Management and the MANAGE program, which stands for measuring, analyzing, navigating and achieving goals effectively, to help farmers and producers analyze their farming business to make informed decisions and develop individual farm and financial plans. She previously served as a value-added agriculture marketing specialist with the Center for Profitable Agriculture and an Extension agent in Rutherford County, specializing in residential and commercial horticulture.
She has received several awards for her work, including the National Association County Agricultural Agents Achievement Award, the Tennessee Association Agricultural Agents and Specialists Communicator of the Year Award and the National Master Gardener Coordinator Award when she worked in Rutherford County.
“Thank you so much for the honor of receiving the Hicks Award of Excellence. I’m truly grateful to work with and serve such dedicated farmers and colleagues who make this work so meaningful. I consider it a privilege to be part of their journey, and I look forward to continuing to walk alongside Tennessee farmers as they grow their farm businesses for years to come,” she said.
Painter earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural and resource economics from UT Knoxville.
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.