Krysta Harden, former United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and current president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, will be the speaker for the 2024 D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards, an annual event hosted by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).

Harden will deliver her talk, “Georgia Roots, Global Impact: A Journey Working with People, Industry and Nations on Challenges to Nourishing the World,” at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Masters Hall at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.

From Camilla to Capitol Hill

From her parents’ farm in Camilla, Georgia, all the way to Capitol Hill, Harden has been a strong advocate for agriculture.

“Most people in Washington did not get to grow up on a dirt road, but I’m glad that I did. The foundation for all my decisions, choices and successes I owe to that dirt,” she said. 

Harden, a UGA alum, spent her childhood surrounded by agriculture and involved in 4-H activities she says gave her the confidence to seek out ways to remain involved in the industry that raised her. Though Harden didn’t plan to return to her family operation in Mitchell County following graduation, she had developed a deep passion for public policy.

“I wanted to do something big, and I really found a calling when I was learning about how policy affected my own family. I knew I wasn’t going to be on the farm, but I could still be making a difference by helping people understand that agriculture is our livelihood,” Harden said.

Diploma in hand, Harden moved directly from Athens to Washington, D.C., two weeks after her graduation from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at UGA. She spent her early years in the nation’s capital working for a Georgia congressman and getting experience with some of the most pressing issues facing agriculture, learning along the way what it meant to effectively communicate about these challenges on a national and international stage.

The value of listening

Today, Harden says the real key to success in that venture is not only having the ability to communicate but also the ability to listen. In her roles as deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, senior vice president at Corteva, and other industry leadership positions, Harden says communication has been about one goal: nourishing the world.

“These days, I listen with a capital L, which is really listening to learn. I want to relate to people I maybe don’t know well or people with a differing perspective. We’re working on issues that matter – weather concerns, labor issues, the geopolitics of food – and I want to talk with people, not at them,” Harden said.

Upon her return to UGA to deliver the 2024 D.W. Brooks Lecture, Harden says her goal is to inspire future communicators, share a message about the importance of engagement with policy, convey the lessons she’s learned throughout her career and, most importantly, show attendees a picture of that dirt road where it all started. The dirt road that raised her.

Each year, CAES hosts the annual lecture and awards in honor of the late D.W. Brooks, CAES alumnus and founder of Gold Kist Inc. A lifelong learner and leader, Brooks devoted his career to improving lives through innovation and CAES honors these leaders and award winners in his memory.

This year, the college will honor six CAES and Extension faculty who have excelled in service to UGA's land-grant mission with D.W. Brooks Awards.

2024 D.W. Brooks Awards of Excellence

Excellence in Teaching: Charles Robert Dove, Department of Animal and Dairy Science 

Robert Dove was raised on a farm in central Missouri raising cattle, swine, horses, poultry and row crops. He completed his bachelor of science and master of science degrees at the University of Missouri, and his doctorate at Iowa State University. Dove has been on faculty at CAES for more than 35 years, where he is a professor of swine nutrition. He serves as the undergraduate coordinator for the Department of Animal and Dairy Science and as the state swine specialist for UGA Cooperative Extension. Over the past 20 years, Dove has taught multiple undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on hands on learning and practical application of the material.

Excellence in Research: Daniela Lino Lourenco, Department of Animal and Dairy Science 

Daniela Lourenco is an associate professor in animal breeding, genetics, and genomics at CAES. Her research has focused on improving livestock production, health, fitness and efficiency using genomic information; developing statistical methods and software for genetic evaluation and genome-wide association; and addressing issues related to using big data and multiomics information. She actively works with several U.S. and international breeding companies, and her multispecies genetic research program has secured over $10 million in grant funds from government and private sources since 2015. Lourenco has authored over 300 conference proceedings and 175 peer-reviewed publications and has given almost 100 invited talks on five continents.

Excellence in Extension: Brian Fairchild, Department of Poultry Science

Brian Fairchild is a native of North Carolina and received his doctorate in physiology from North Carolina State University. For 23 years, he has been on the faculty of the UGA Department of Poultry Science where he is a professor and Extension poultry scientist focusing on poultry management, poultry house environmental control and energy conservation. Fairchild travels extensively both domestically and internationally, providing seminars on the principles of broiler management and poultry house environmental control. He co-coordinates two ventilation workshops each year for both national and international attendees. His honors include the 2007 Poultry Science Association Early Achievement Award for Extension and the Poultry Science Association 2024 Phibro Extension Award, the highest national award an extension poultry scientist can receive.

Excellence in Public Service Extension: Daniel “Tucker” Price, Southwest District

Tucker Price has earned recognition as an outstanding Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) agent among his clientele, researchers, industry professionals and university leadership. During 29 years as an agent, Price has been committed to professional development, achieving the rank of senior public service associate in 2020. Since 2012, he has served as the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent and Extension coordinator in Cook County after serving in the same role in Crisp County from 2006 to 2012 and Quitman County from 1998 to 2006. He began his Extension career in Randolph County in 1995. Price has earned 12 national awards, 17 state awards and received the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) during the National Association County Agricultural Agents annual meeting in 2010. Price’s research and education, presentations, community development and scholarly publications constitute significant contributions to the reputation of the college and the university.

Excellence in Diversity: Oluyinka A. Olukosi, Department of Poultry Science 

Oluyinka Olukosi was born in Nigeria and obtained his bachelor’s degree in agriculture and master’s degree in animal science from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and his doctorate from Purdue University. He joined the Department of Poultry Science in 2018 as an assistant professor and has since been promoted to associate professor. Olukosi has developed an internationally recognized research program in poultry nutrition that encompasses three thematic areas: feedstuff evaluation, nutrient management, and nutrition and gut health interaction. Over the past 15 years, he has recruited and mentored students and mentees from at least 16 countries, demonstrating his commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers from diverse backgrounds.

Excellence in International Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Ramesh Selvaraj, Department of Poultry Science

Ramesh Selvaraj received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree and master’s degree from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, a second master’s degree from Oregon State University, and his doctoral degree in immunology from the University of California, Davis. Selvaraj’s laboratory is the first ever to identify and characterize chicken T regulatory cells. He teaches “Nutritional Immunology in the Animal System” to graduate and undergraduate students at UGA. A Poultry Science Association member since 2001, he has regularly served as section program chair and judge of student presentations at the annual meetings.

More information on the 2024 D.W. Brooks Lecture and Awards is available on the event website.