Purpose
To recognize exemplary contributions and active participation in the activities of the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (agInnovation South) by association members who serve our institutions in roles other than chief operating officers. Through this person’s activities they demonstrate a commitment to the regional association, enhancing the mission of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) and the Land-grant ideal.
Award and Presentation
The award will be presented each year at the agInnovation South annual spring meeting. The home institution will be made aware of the recognition by a formal letter from the agInnovation South Chair to the Administrative Head and AES Director with other upper administration officials copied as appropriate.
Eligibility
Individuals eligible for this award are SAES leaders at any of the agInnovation South member institutions who serve as assistant director, associate director, administrator, or role other than chief operating officers. Awardees are eligible for other regional or national recognitions such as the agInnovation South and Experiment Station Section Awards for Excellence in Leadership.
Nominations
The agInnovation South Chair will initiate the annual process with a formal call for nominations through the agInnovation South listserv. Nomination letters should primarily address the contributions of the nominee to the activities of the regional association. Institutional and national activities through the SAES and the Experiment Station Section, respectively, can also be highlighted to illustrate the individual’s contributions to the Land-grant mission.
Service activities could include committee or administrative advisor assignments; active participation in the affairs of the regional association; local, regional, national and/or international special assignments that advances the agInnovation South mission; systemic efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion; enhancement of cooperation across institutions; and a record of significant accomplishments in the agricultural science.
Submission and Review
Nomination letters will be electronically submitted to the agInnovation South executive director’s office by February 1 each year. The agInnovation South nominations committee will review the nominations and will select the awardee. The agInnovation South executive director shall notify the agInnovation South chair, and the award will be presented at the annual Spring agInnovation South meeting. Nomination letters for those individuals not selected to receive the award will be kept active for two years with the opportunity for the nominator to update the letter.
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Dr. Susan Duncan received her B.S. in Food Tech & Science from The Ohio State University, M.S. in Food & Nutrition from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. in Food Tech & Science from the University of Tennessee. She was a Registered Dietitian.
Dr. Duncan joined Virginia Tech in 1990 and became a well-respected leader, professor, and researcher in the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences during her 32-years at VT. At Virginia Tech, she focused her research on the sensory and chemical characterization of food and beverages but her research grew to be wide-ranging and encompassed everything from food packaging to water quality to food system cyberbiosecurity. She served as principal investigator and collaborator on many state and federal funded grants. In recent years, she became a leader in the Cyberbiosecurity and Biosecurity research nationally and internationally. She co-organized several conferences including a national workshop on “Securing Agriculture, Food, and its Economy (SAFE) with Cyberbiosecurity and “Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture workshop”.
As the associate director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES), she mentored and supported the programs of more than 350 researchers in three colleges – the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. The research network also includes 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers located throughout the state. In 2021, Duncan became the founding Director of the newly created Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA). Under her leadership, CAIA quickly grew to an interdisciplinary center with 150 affiliated faculty members from across campus who operate at the intersection of technology, data analytics, and decision-making to address challenges and security issues in the natural world and human society in the domains of plants, animals, and food systems. Dr. Duncan was systematically involved in promoting diversity and inclusion through her efforts in leading a DELMARVA association research collaboration of 6 universities which included 3 HBCUs.
She generously provided her leadership to many activities in agInnovation South. She served as administrative advisor to several Multistate Projects including S-1065, S-1078, and SAC-4. She also served on agInnovation South Multistate Review Committee and an active member of ESCOP Science and Technology Committee, representing agInnovation South. Her other regional leadership activities included serving on agInnovation South Strategic Implementation Committee and the AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture conference.
Dr. Duncan received the VT CALS Research Team Award, the Faculty Research Award from VT Gamma Sigma Delta Chapter, and the Foundation Scholar Award from the American Dairy Science Association. She was a fellow of Food Systems Leadership Institute.
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2023 Inaugural Winner- Lesley Oliver, Associate Director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station
2024 Winner- David Monks, Associate Director NCARS