Agricultural and Resource Economist Recognized for Achievements and Leadership
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.”
Sreedhar Upendram, associate professor and UT Extension specialist with the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, was honored with the Lloyd and Nettie Downen Endowment Fund Leadership Enhancement Award, and he is also one of four recipients of the J.E. Moss Achievement Award.
The Downen Leadership Enhancement Award is given to exemplary Extension faculty who serve across the state. The winner demonstrates dedication to the core values for which UT Extension stands, including education for all.
The Moss Award, established in memory of J.E. and Ann Moss, recognizes excellent achievement in teaching, research, and Extension for UTIA, and awards are provided each year for each of the four units of the institute. They are selected by a committee including the UTIA senior vice president and senior vice chancellor and the deans of the institute’s four units: the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Upendram shares this award with Bryce Burton, a clinical veterinarian with the College of Veterinary Medicine Office of Lab Animal Care; John Buchanan, professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science; and Walt Hitch, director of the UT Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville.
Upendram has been with UTIA for eight years and teaches special topics in agricultural economics. One area of specialty is community and rural economic development. He greatly values the relationships he builds in his roles across UTIA and communities statewide, “I cherish my role as a faculty member and specialist because of the great relationships I have built with students, Extension agents, colleagues, leadership and stakeholders.”
Upendram has a doctorate in agricultural economics from Kansas State University, Manhattan, and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He received UTIA’s Charles and Patricia Goan Excellence in Customer Service in 2023 and the Ann and Bill Hicks Outstanding New Extension Worker Award in 2022. He is also the recipient of the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists Early Career Award in 2022 and the Bonnie Teater Community Development Early Career Achievement Award from the Southern Rural Development Center in 2021.
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.