The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach has announced the names of six faculty and three staff members who will receive awards for outstanding service to the state and UGA at the 22nd annual Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon in April.
Public Service Fellow
Ronnie Barentine of the Cooperative Extension will receive the Walter Barnard Hill Distinguished Public Service Fellow Award, which is UGA’s highest honor for public service and outreach. It recognizes sustained, distinguished and superb achievement in university public service that improves the quality of life.
The award is named for the chancellor who led UGA from 1899 until his death in 1905.
Barentine has served as the county extension coordinator in Pulaski County since 1994, coordinating and providing leadership for the county extension program. He also serves as a forestry area specialist for the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Barentine is a national leader in conservation and sustainable agriculture. He was elected southern vice chair of the National County Agents Association’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Committee.
He also was one of four agents selected nationally to study sustainable agriculture in the U.S. from 2008 to 2010.
Hill Award for Achievement
This year, five faculty members and service professionals will receive the Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in University Public Service and Outreach in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the improvement of the quality of life in Georgia or elsewhere.
This year’s Hill Award recipients are Janet Bittner, Matthew L. Bishop, Lori Purcell Bledsoe, Doris Miller and John W. Worley.
Bittner, director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s state services unit, has devoted more than 40 years to improving Georgia’s quality of life, serving as an advocate for women, children and the disadvantaged.
Bishop, director of the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, guides the development of new goals and refocused programming for Fanning’s leadership development mission.
Bledsoe, a 4-H program development coordinator in the Northwest District of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension, is responsible for directing 4-H programming efforts in 39 counties.
Miller is a professor of veterinary pathology and associate director of state government relations for the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a recognized leader in the field of veterinary diagnostic and forensic pathology.
Worley, an associate professor and extension engineer in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ poultry science department, has developed numerous programs to address the needs of Georgians and the agricultural community in areas such as animal waste management, energy conservation and more.
Staff Award for Excellence
The Public Service and Outreach Staff Award for Excellence honors outstanding effort and workplace creativity and innovation, and celebrates the achievements of public service and outreach staff. The 2013 recipients are Dan Evans, Tim Holcomb and Linda Rhodes.
Evans, facilities manager at the Vinson Institute of Government, coordinates operations for anything involving the building and equipment that houses and supports the institute’s faculty, and conducts tours for visiting dignitaries.
Holcomb, labor supervisor in the events services department of the UGA Hotel and Conference Center at the Georgia Center, is responsible for making certain that the facility is ready for all events and conferences.
Rhodes, an administrative specialist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension Southeast District office, assists Tuition Assistance Program students working on bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
