Matt Arri, CAFNR’s director of career development, received the 2026 Mumford Award for Outstanding Staff at CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony April 23. Sponsored by the CAFNR Foundation, the Mumford is the college’s signature award and named for a ground-breaking former dean.

Arri’s work is rooted in a genuine, humble dedication to putting students first, nominators say. He invests in each student as an individual – helping them identify strengths, build confidence and connect their academic experience into meaningful professional pathways. He trains and mentors a team of mostly student staff to help with offerings like mock interviews, resume reviews and workshops.  

Arri connects students with industry partners not just via well-attended career expos and fairs, but also through classroom visits, industry engagement tours and on-campus interviews. His leadership extends across campus through collaborations such as the CAFNR/A&S Career Fair and the Professional Healthcare Expo, the latter addressing a critical gap in career exploration offerings to students.  

“Employers repeatedly describe CAFNR as a premier source of talent because of the professional experiences and partnerships Matt facilitates,” said nominator Laura Friedrich, CAFNR director of academic initiatives and advising.  

Industry partners from Simmons Foods share that CAFNR’s career development partnership is the best with which they’ve engaged, and the career fair is the best-attended agriculture expo in which they participate.  

“In every interaction, Matt exemplifies service, professionalism and dedication,” Craig Bacon and Stephanie Pryce of Simmons said. “His impact on students and his partnership with industry continue to strengthen the bridge between academic preparation and real-world opportunity.” 

Arri’s impact is reflected in CAFNR’s student career outcomes. The college’s career success rate rose from 88% to above 95% within a year of his arrival and has remained there for seven consecutive years, reaching a high of 99.3%.  

Jayde Schilling, alum and industry partner, shared, “Matt doesn’t just facilitate connections; he actively nurtures them.”