Niki Labbé Named Institute Professor, UTIA’s Greatest Honor
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. 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.”
The highest honor awarded annually by UTIA is the Charles E. Wharton Institute Professor Award, and this year the title goes to Niki Labbé, professor in the School of Natural Resources. This award is granted to a faculty member who has served at the rank of professor for a period of at least seven years and is a recognition of consistent outstanding performance over this period. The award recognizes excellence in teaching, research, Extension or clinical practice. Leadership and reputation through service at the national or international levels is also expected.
Labbé has served at the institute for 23 years. Her research focuses on understanding properties of biomass, particularly their potential to be converted to value-added products in the context of circular bioeconomy systems (CBS). Labbé is also currently serving as the UT lead investigator for the UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory convergent research initiative for CBS. Supported by the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII), this $20-million, five-year effort seeks to establish UT and ORNL as national leaders in CBS research and development by leveraging the strengths of ORNL and UTIA’s long-established work across the state to partner with two crucial Tennessee industries: auto manufacturing and agriculture/forestry to create a CBS testbed. A biomass chemist, Labbé has been previously recognized by the UT System as the recipient of the President’s 2024 ‘Excel in All We Do’ Award. In 2020 she received the UT AgResearch Impact Award.
The other 2025 UTIA award winners are:
UTIA Faculty Global Lifetime Achievement Award: Neelam Poudyal, School of Natural Resources
Faculty Global Excellence Award: Kristen Johnson, Family and Consumer Sciences
Outstanding Staff Global Engagement Award: Sawyer Main, Animal Science
Charles and Patricia Goan Excellence in Customer Service Award: Amy Kirk, Extension Evaluation and Staff Development
Charles and Julie Wharton Award for Outstanding Extension Achievements:
Keith E. Allen, UT Extension Macon County
Sarah Orr, UT Extension Cocke County
Brian White, UT Extension Henderson County
Ann and Bill Hicks Outstanding New Extension Worker Award: Charley Martinez, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Tennessee Association of Agricultural Agents and Specialists – Hicks Awards of Excellence:
Amanda Mathenia, UT Extension Perry County
Rachel Painter, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Tim Woods, UT Extension McMinn County
Vernon and Ida Darter Award: Emily Barton, UT Extension Hawkins County
Lloyd and Nettie Downen Endowment Fund Leadership Enhancement Award: Sreedhar Upendram, Agricultural and Resource Economics
G.L. Carter Jr. Outstanding 4-H Youth Development Agent Award: Matthew Adams, UT Extension Western Region Office
E.J. Chapman Outstanding Service Award: Kelly Wyatt, UT Extension Decatur County
Professional/Academic Award for Outstanding Service: Clint Cummings, Family and Consumer Sciences
William D. Bishop Outstanding Service Award: Shelly Barnes, Family and Consumer Sciences
Mildred Pendergrass Outstanding Service Award: Cristopher Miramontes, Family and Consumer Sciences
Webster Pendergrass Outstanding Service Award: Matthew Devereaux, Family and Consumer Sciences
Cavender Outstanding Awards for Best Publication:
Megan Bruch Leffew, Center for Profitable Agriculture, for Applying Tennessee’s Definition of Agriculture to Land Use Questions Regarding Agritourism Activities (PB 1923)
Troy Rowan and Katie Mason, both Animal Science, for the Tennessee Value-Added Meats Series (SP 1042, SP 1043, PB 1929)
B. Ray Thompson, Sr. Outstanding Faculty Performance Award: Pierre-Yves Mulon, Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Williams – E.R. “Prof” Lidvall Outstanding Teaching Award: Daniel J. Mathew, Animal Science
J.E. Moss Achievement Awards:
John R. Buchanan, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
Bryce Burton, Office of Lab Animal Care
Walt Hitch, Plateau AgResearch and Education Center
Sreedhar Upendram, Agricultural and Resource Economics
T.J. Whatley Distinguished Young Scientist Award: Alicia Rihn, Agricultural and Resource Economics
AgResearch Impact Award: Tong (Toni) Wang, Food Science
AgResearch Mid-Career Faculty Research Excellence Award: Denita Hadziabdic Guerry, Entomology and Plant Pathology
AgResearch Dean’s Award for Outstanding Support Staff: Wes Gilliam, Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at Spring Hill
AgResearch Dean’s Award for Outstanding Professional Staff:
Jessica McCord, AgResearch Administration
Kendhl Seabright, School of Natural Resources
AgResearch Dean’s Grantsmanship Awards:
Patrick Keyser, School of Natural Resources
Scott Lenaghan, Food Science
Debasish Saha, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
Walter “Mac” Pate Endowed Fellow in Livestock Genetics: Troy Rowan, Animal Science
AgResearch Guthrie Endowed Professor in Precision Livestock Farming: Yang Zhao, Animal Science
AgResearch Dean’s Professor Award: Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes, Entomology and Plant Pathology
In addition to the winners of the sponsored awards, 49 faculty members received promotions, earned tenure, or both. They are listed on the UTIA Awards and Promotions website.
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.