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.”
Sarah Orr, director of UT-TSU Extension Cocke County, is one recipient of the Charles and Julie Wharton Award for Outstanding Extension Achievements. Established by longtime supporters of UTIA 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 Brian White, director of UT Extension Henderson County, also received this award. Orr is being recognized for her commitment to the programming she runs for her community.
Her career with UTIA spans nine years, all of them in Cocke County. An agriculture and natural resources Extension agent, her specialty is beef cattle production, specifically reproductive technologies. However, she also provides year-round assistance to producers and homeowners in areas such as forage systems, small ruminants, poultry, swine, horticulture, financial management, pesticide certification and more.
“I’m truly honored and humbled to receive this award,” says Orr. “I never set out in my career expecting recognition, just to do meaningful work that makes a difference in the lives of those I deeply respect—the farmers I work with every day. This honor means more than I can put into words, and I’m grateful to those who’ve encouraged, believed in, challenged and stood beside me every step of the way.”
Orr is also the recipient of numerous local, state and national honors, including the Farm Bureau Outstanding Leadership Under Extraordinary Circumstances Award, the TAAA&S Early Career Agent Award and the NACAA Achievement Award. She has also received multiple recognitions for conducting exceptional marketing of her programs and events, including being named the TAAA&S Event Promotional Package Award Winner and twice receiving the TAAA&S Communication Award.
In her free time, she enjoys raising her own high-quality Angus cattle, as well as reading, listening to podcasts and traveling.
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.