Faculty, staff honored with annual College of Agriculture and Life Sciences awards

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech is pleased to announce the faculty and staff members honored with awards at its 29^th annual Celebration of Faculty and Staff.  The seven awardees were recognized with monetary prizes and decorative plaques at a picnic at the Marching Virginians Pavilion on Sept. 17.

David Langston - Andy Swiger Land Grant Award

The Andy Swiger Land Grant Award recognizes faculty members whose accomplishments help to fulfill the land-grant mission of addressing state and national needs through teaching, research, or Virginia Cooperative Extension. It is made possible by an endowment established in honor of retired dean Andy Swiger.

Langston, a professor of plant pathology in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and Extension specialist at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center, is widely recognized for helping Virginia growers treat diseases while maintaining farm profit and efficiency. His research and outreach to manage plant-parasitic nematodes in corn, cotton, peanuts, and soybeans have improved yields and provided critical support for Virginia agriculture. He currently serves as faculty mentor for two junior plant pathology faculty and, since 2020, has given over 100 Extension presentations serving a wide stakeholder base.

Teresa Smith - Employee of the Year 

Smith, a fiscal and administrative support specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, is described by her colleagues as “an expert in nearly every area of university operations.” From assisting with new hires to preparing supporting grants paperwork to ensuring all research, teaching, and payroll needs are met, Smith supports her department with meticulous care and a great sense of humor. She has been at Virginia Tech for more than 25 years.

Kathryn Parraga and Tia Powell – CALS Diversity and Inclusion Service Awards

Parraga is an Extension specialist in muscle food safety at the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center and in the Department of Food Science and Technology. Since she joined Virginia Tech in 2021, Parraga has helped make programs and materials more accessible to historically underserved and diverse audiences through her work to deliver the ServSafe® Food Protection Manager certification program in Spanish. 

Powell works with Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Family Nutrition Program as the coordinator of initiatives to advance indigenous health. Her passion for building inclusive relationships has resulted in increased partnership with tribal organizations and enhanced support for their nutrition and health programming needs. 

Mark Williams - CALS Research Award for Excellence (Basic Research)

Williams, a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, has developed an internationally recognized environmental microbiome program focusing on the ways that hyper-diverse soil microbial communities are shaped and alter ecosystem function. Williams and his research group are supporting the endeavor to alter microbiomes for healthier, more sustainable cropping systems.

Brenda Davy - CALS Research Award for Excellence (Applied Research)

Davy, a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, focuses her research on the prevention and treatment of obesity and related conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes, and development of dietary intake assessments. Since joining the department in 2003, she has received six National Institutes of Health grants as principal investigator and earned an award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for her research in weight management. She is a Fellow of The Obesity Society and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Donna Westfall-Rudd - CALS Faculty Association Ut Prosim Award for Excellence in Service

Westfall-Rudd, a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, embodies the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) through exceptional service that goes well beyond her basic duties. Her involvement ranges from curriculum development to serving on diversity and inclusion committees, consistently promoting an inclusive and supportive environment for the department, college, and university. As undergraduate programs director for her department, she successfully piloted the Virginia Tech Bridge Experience Program. She has developed and led the CALS Graduate Teaching Scholarsprogram, which has expanded her mentoring influence to impact graduate students and faculty across nine departments.

Erin Ling and Megan Seibel – CALS Awards for Outreach Excellence

Ling’s leadership of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program has helped provide affordable water testing and education to the 1.7 million Virginians who rely on private water supplies such as wells, springs, and cisterns. A member of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering since 2008, Ling is a senior research associate and Extension specialist who leverages local relationships to help people put scientific knowledge to work.

Seibel, founding director of the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) program, is shaping future leaders, bridging academia and industry, and leaving an indelible mark on leadership education. With VALOR, she has established an internationally recognized program that fosters connections between Virginia Tech and the communities it serves within Virginia’s largest private industries of agriculture and forestry.