Celebration of Excellence 2024

CAFNR is proud to recognize the achievements of faculty, staff and students at its annual awards ceremony.




Celebration of Excellence

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources honors its outstanding faculty, staff and students each spring at the Celebration of Excellence ceremony. Celebration of Excellence 2024 was held Tuesday, April 16, at Bond Life Sciences Center. Awards were given for academic accomplishments, teaching, research, advising, extension, inclusion and safety leadership.

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Frederick B. Mumford Awards

Outstanding Staff: Genevieve Howard

Outstanding Faculty: Ron Mittler

Distinguished Service: Ernie Verslues

Outstanding CAFNR Student Awards

Outstanding Freshman: Charlie Lewis

Outstanding Sophomore: Harleigh Lewis

Outstanding Junior: Kathryn Wenger

Outstanding Senior: Lauryn Robnett

Outstanding Student Organization: Mizzou Women in Natural Resources (WNR)

Graduate Student Awards

William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation: Harpreet Kaur (advisor: Kelly Nelson)

Staff Award

Outstanding Staff: Jeri Lou Zimmerman

Inclusion Cultivator Award

Michelle Brimecombe

Safety Leadership Award

Cindy Greenwood

Teaching Awards

Outstanding Early Career Teacher: Samuel Lord & Craig Schenck

Outstanding Mid-Career Teacher: Allison Meyer

Outstanding Senior Teacher: Mauro Palmero

Advising and Mentoring Awards

Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor: Libby Johnson

Outstanding Graduate Mentor: Corinne Valdivia

CAFNR Teaching Academy Inductees

Jon Simonsen

J.W. Burch State Specialist Agricultural Extension Award

Kelly Nelson

Research Awards

Early Investigator Research: Soyon Park

Outstanding Mid-Career Research: Jaume Padilla

Distinguished Research: Jay Thelen

Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award

Jaume Padilla

Brady J. Deaton Fellow in International Agriculture

Kerry Clark