Kelly J. Liddington receives 2014 Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension
Kelly J. Liddington, unit coordinator and senior Extension agent in Richmond County, Va., has received the Virginia Tech’s 2014 Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension.
Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension is presented annually to two Virginia Cooperative Extension faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the land-grant mission of the university. One award goes to an Extension specialist and the other is given to an Extension agent. Each award winner receives $2,000.
For more than 26 years, Liddington has been a key individual in the development of strong agricultural and natural resources Extension programs serving the citizens of Richmond County, and the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions of Virginia.
Among his many contributions as an Extension agent, Liddington initiated the formation and operation of the Northern Neck Vegetable Growers’ Association and the Northern Neck of Virginia Farmers’ Market. To date, these programs have generated more than $230 million in gross sales.
Liddington has also developed and administered three scholarship programs to support Virginia youth who seek a college degree in agricultural-related fields. These three programs have awarded more than $240,000 in scholarships.
“Kelly’s programs are innovative and continually adapt to the address the ever changing needs of the agriculture community in Virginia,” wrote Lonnie L. Johnson Jr., senior district director for Virginia Cooperative Extension , in a letter of nomination. “He has a strong working relationship with our partners in agriculture across the state of Virginia as well as an excellent working relation with local governments.”
“I have worked with many fine Extension agents in several states during my 40 years as a farmer,” wrote Rhoderick Parker, owner of Parker Farms in Oak Grove, Va., in a nomination letter. “None have been as willing as Kelly to put in the time and research to assist their clientele.”
Liddington received his associate’s degree from the State University of New York College at Cobleskill, a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, and a master’s degree from Old Dominion University.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
