The Teen Cuisine curriculum teaches nutrition and cooking skills to SNAP-eligible adolescents.
From helping teens develop healthy cooking skills to connecting farmers and restauranteurs, Virginia Cooperative Extension recently honored eight programs for delivering exceptional services to Virginians in 2024.
The annual awards celebrate the dedicated professionals who provide education, outreach and community-driven solutions throughout Virginia.
“Virginia Cooperative Extension programming responds to community needs and assists Virginians with making positive life changes,” said Matt Lail, Extension coordinator. “Our district and state Extension Program Excellence Award winners are great examples of the impact that Extension has in our communities.”
Virginia Cooperative Extension helps lead the outreach mission of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University with a statewide network of local offices, Extension agents, specialists and volunteers, Extension helps people put research-based knowledge to work to improve their economic, physical and social well-being.
“From local food systems and health education to civic engagement and youth development, our team continues to deliver real-world solutions for real-world challenges,” said Mike Gutter, director of Virginia Cooperative Extension.
“The Program Excellence Awards spotlight the depth and diversity of our Extension programs and the exceptional people who lead them.”
2024 program excellence award winners
- Program Impact Award: Hannah Bishop, Extension agent for 4-H youth development in Dinwiddie County: Transformed the local 4-H program into a thriving, volunteer-led network. Since 2015, club membership grew by 369 percent, teen leadership initiatives expanded and a $125,000 endowment was established to support camp access. Enrichment programs reach 25 percent of Dinwiddie’s student population with hands-on STEM, wellness and career-readiness education — creating a sustainable model for rural youth development.
- Program Evaluation Award: Sarah Misyak, assistant director with the Virginia Family Nutrition Program, led the first rigorous evaluation of the Teen Cuisine curriculum, which teaches nutrition and cooking skills to SNAP-eligible adolescents. Results from 167 participants showed statistically significant improvements in dietary habits, physical activity and handwashing practices.
- Program Reporting Award: Unit Coordinator Cristy Mosley and the Culpeper County Extension team led an effort to strengthen transparency and trust through stakeholder reporting. The team compiled an annual report highlighting local Extension program outcomes and presented it at a well-attended event hosted by the Extension Leadership Council. With engaging visuals, data and discussion, the presentation deepened community partnerships and earned praise from local leaders.
- Programmatic Courage Award: Frank Long, agriculture and natural resources Extension agent in Middlesex County, organized the first Lower Middle Peninsula Farm to Table Networking Conference. Designed to connect small farmers with local restaurants, the conference aimed to strengthen regional food systems, reduce transportation costs and promote farm-to-table partnerships across Middlesex, Mathews and Gloucester counties.
- Program Marketing Award: Senior Extension Agent Chris Lichty and the Pulaski County Extension team developed a strategic, all-hands-on-deck campaign for Virginia Tech’s 2024 Giving Day. Through coordinated social media outreach, printed materials and strong community partnerships, the team rallied 222 donors and raised $5,840 — the highest sponsor total among all 107 Extension offices statewide.
- Community Empowerment Award: Kim Mayo, unit coordinator and 4-H agent in Fluvanna County, was recognized for partnering with the Fluvanna Board of Supervisors, committee members and Extension Agent Rick Hernandez to help manage the long-running, volunteer-led Fluvanna Leadership Development Program. Designed to cultivate civic engagement through education on county operations and community service, the program receives ongoing support from Virginia Cooperative Extension through agriculture education and volunteer oversight. Now in its 22nd year, the program has trained more than 500 people with 375-plus taking leadership roles in the community.
- Interdisciplinary Program Award: In her second award recognition, Kim Mayo led a community initiative to engage rural youth in agriculture and natural resources education. In 2024, more than 50 volunteers and partners including Extension staff, Master Gardeners, the Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee and local schools contributed more than 1,500 hours to deliver hands-on learning. The program yielded thousands of pounds of donated produce, innovative literacy kits and a recycling project that diverted more than 5,000 pounds of plastic from landfills.
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Crystal Graham
