Nine University of Georgia faculty and staff are being honored for exemplary service to the state during 2019-2020.

UGA's highest award in Public Service and Outreach, the Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach, goes to Walt McBride, senior public service associate in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The Hill Fellow is comparable to a distinguished professorship.

Additionally, five faculty members are receiving the Walter Barnard Hill Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. They are:

  • Jennifer Ceska, conservation coordinator for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
  • Kris Irwin, senior public service associate and associate dean for outreach at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
  • Shana Jones, program manager of planning and environmental services at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
  • Eleanor "Ellie" Lanier, associate dean for clinical programs and experiential learning, and the mediation clinic director for the School of Law.
  • Mara Shaw, interim associate director for governmental training, education and development at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

The Hill Award and Hill Fellow Award are named for Chancellor Walter Barnard Hill, who led the University of Georgia from 1899 to 1905. Hill was a pioneer who helped define the university's modern public service and outreach mission.

Stephan Durham, professor and assistant dean for student success and outreach at the College of Engineering, is receiving the Engaged Scholar Award, recognizing a tenured associate or full professor who has made significant career-spanning contributions to UGA Public Service and Outreach.

Public Service and Outreach Staff Awards for Excellence go to Cora Keber, director of education for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia; and T. Clarke Stancil, creative design specialist with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

This is the most prestigious award for staff members and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a strong work ethic, commitment to service, and exceptional job performance.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award, recognizing a company that has exhibited significant growth in business, benefitted from a variety of formal learning opportunities through the UGA Small Business Development Center, and served as a public advocate of business ownership, goes to Brad Hardy, co-owner and president of Hardy's Peanuts in Hawkinsville, Georgia. This award is sponsored by Cadence Bank.

The Lyndhurst Foundation in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the recipient of the 2020 Donor Impact Award in recognition of its support of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and projects.