2016 Award Winners

Kim Niewolny

Kim Niewolny, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, personifies the Andy Swiger Land-Grant Award by enthusiastically and creatively promoting agriculture education through Extension and outreach efforts.

Growing the multi-organizational and interdisciplinary Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program through prolific work with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Niewolny leads this coalition program to develop whole-farm programming and curriculum for farm start-ups in the commonwealth. She has conducted numerous professional meetings and trainings throughout Virginia to ensure that not only will there be a next generation of farmers, but that they will succeed in their endeavors to feed the commonwealth and the world.

David Bevan

David Bevan, a professor of biochemistry, was recognized with the Diversity and Inclusion Service Award. Bevan is the co-principal director of the Department of Biochemistry's Initiative to Maximize Student Development, one of the most diverse academic programs at the university. David goes out of his way to make the college and welcoming environment for all.

Lee Daniels

Daniels is the Thomas B. Hutcheson, Jr. Professor of Soil Science in the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences. He was awarded for his significant contributions for restoring disturbed land into environmentally and agriculturally valuable resources, which has a tremendous positive impact to every citizen in the state and extends throughout the U.S. and the world.

His research is primarily focused on rehabilitation of disturbed lands, such as mining, urbanization, and road building, and the relationship between the pre-disturbance conditions, the disturbance methods, the rehabilitation strategies, and the post-disturbance land-use potentials.

Results from his research program have been valuable in establishing state regulatory requirements for management of coal combustion products and biosolids on disturbed lands in Virginia. He is actively involved in land reclamation efforts throughout the world, providing keynote presentations and serving as a lead coordinator for the International Affiliation of Land Reclamists.

David Dunaway

David has not shied away from new tasks in the 17 years he has been an agricultural technician at the Eastern Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Center. During that time he has learned, grown, and taken on more duties at a higher level than he was originally hired for.

“David can be trusted to take charge of whatever task he is given for the day and keep things on track and rolling,” his nominator said. “During the time David has been here he has learned, grown, and taken on more duties at a higher level than he was originally hired for. He has assumed additional duties and responsibilities of a more complex and varied nature.”