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Published on 02/06/25

Outstanding alumni to be honored at 69th CAES Alumni Association awards

By Jordan Powers

Five alumni from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will be honored next month at the 69th annual CAES Alumni Association Awards banquet on March 21 at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia.

The annual ceremony honors college alumni for their outstanding achievements. The event also includes recognition of new inductees into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame.

“The agricultural industry is a primary driver in the economy of the state of Georgia. Agriculture and agribusinesses are vital to many of our communities and vital to each of us in our daily lives,” said Carlton Self, CAES Alumni Association board president.

“As an industry, agriculture is driven by people with vision and commitment, and it’s still a personal business,” said Self, territory business manager for John Deere and a 2004 graduate with a master’s degree in agricultural leadership. “The CAES Alumni Association is proud of the contributions these individuals have made to our industry and to our state.”

Three professionally dressed individuals smiling, posing against a neutral background.
The CAES Alumni Association Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni under 41 who have achieved excellence in their chosen field or in service to their community. From left, this year's honorees are Rachel Kinsaul, Travis Voyles and Ben McCorkle.

Young Alumni Achievement Awards

The CAES Alumni Association Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni under 41 who have achieved excellence in their chosen field or in service to their community.

Rachel Kinsaul

Rachel Kinsaul is an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Morgan County High School, where she teaches “Horticulture,” “Forest Science,” “Floral Design” and “Intro to Agricultural Science.”

As FFA advisor, Kinsaul has worked with students to develop dynamic Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects for which many students have been recognized at the state and national levels.

While at UGA, Kinsaul was active in the Block and Bridle Club and served as rodeo chair for the Great Southland Stampede in 2009. She also represented the Southeast in the Animal Science Quadrathlon in 2007 and was inducted as a member of AGHON in 2008. Kinsaul earned a bachelor of science in animal science in 2009 and a master’s degree in agricultural leadership in 2011.

Kinsaul resides in Madison, Georgia, with her husband, Jason Kinsaul, and two sons, JP and Jett.

Ben McCorkle

Ben McCorkle is the chief financial officer at McCorkle Nurseries and serves as a key leader at the company founded by his great-grandparents in 1942. McCorkle continues his family’s legacy while modernizing the company’s financial strategies and pioneering technological innovations in agribusiness.

Before joining the family business, McCorkle served as a field artillery officer in the U.S. Army, leading soldiers in multiple locations across the Middle East during Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield.

Having earned a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from CAES in 2008 and a master’s degree in accounting from North Carolina State University in 2013, McCorkle has extensive financial expertise with organizations ranging in size from startups to public companies.

McCorkle and his wife, Betsy MacMillan McCorkle, a 2008 CAES environmental economics and management graduate, live in North Carolina with their daughter, Madison.

Travis Voyles

Travis Voyles is the assistant deputy administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In his role, Voyles serves as direct support to the EPA administrator as part of his leadership team and leads regulatory reform efforts and management of the program offices covering water, air, chemical and research issues.

Previously, Voyles served in multiple appointed roles at the EPA, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the U.S. House of Representatives. He joined the administration of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in February 2022 and also served as the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in environmental economics and management from CAES in 2011, Voyles went on to earn a law degree from Florida State University and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

A man and a woman in professional attire smiling, posing against a neutral background.
The CAES Alumni Association Award of Excellence recognizes alumni who have achieved excellence in their chosen field or in service to their community. From left, this year's honorees are Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp and Brenda V. Ortiz.

Awards of Excellence

Gov. Brian P. Kemp

A native of Athens, Georgia, Brian Kemp started his first small business more than 35 years ago with a pickup truck and a shovel. Since taking office as Georgia's 83rd governor in 2019, his experience as a small business owner has driven his mission to put hardworking Georgians first. Throughout his first term, the Peach State consistently broke economic records, with jobs and investments coming to every region of the state.

In 2022, Gov. Kemp was re-elected to serve a second term, running on a record of economic success and a plan to help Georgia families fight through 40-year-high inflation while strengthening public safety and improving education.

He has championed legislation to crack down on violent crimes and street gangs, end human trafficking and support its victims, enact historic tax cuts for families, give teachers historic pay raises, and ensure Georgia's K-12 education system puts students and parents first.

Gov. Kemp earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural mechanization technology from CAES in 1987. He and his wife, first lady Marty Kemp, and their three adult daughters live on their family farm in Athens.

Brenda V. Ortiz

Brenda Ortiz is a professor at Auburn University specializing in precision agriculture. She joined the faculty with a joint Extension and teaching appointment in 2008, the same year she earned her doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering from CAES.

Continuing a focus on precision agriculture and crop growth simulation modeling, she has led several research and Extension projects focused on irrigation and fertilization, climate change and climate variability impacts on agriculture, and site-specific management strategies to increase wheat, corn and peanut production in the Southeast.

Over the past 15 years, Ortiz's applied research and Extension programs addressing the needs of stakeholders in the Southeast have garnered support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture, action agencies including the National Resources Conservation Service, commodity organizations and members of the agricultural industry. She currently serves as the secretary of the International Society of Precision Agriculture.

Fostering a brighter, more sustainable future for agriculture and the environment

“The CAES Alumni Association Awards provide a special opportunity for us to come together and celebrate the achievements of our award recipients. In CAES, alumni recognition goes beyond acknowledging past success; it’s about inspiring future generations to continue building on this legacy, fostering a brighter, more sustainable future for agriculture and the environment,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place. “Whether our alumni are working in business, academia or public policy, they are making a meaningful impact and I am always excited to celebrate their work and accomplishments.”

The CAES Alumni Association Awards banquet is a CAES Signature Event, showcasing outstanding faculty contributions, fostering community and industry collaboration, and spotlighting the college's impact on a global scale. The 69th annual CAES Alumni Association Awards banquet is supported by presenting sponsor Massey Ferguson as well as the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Grown, the CAES Alumni Association, Farm Credit Associations of Georgia, Corteva Agriscience, and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.

For more information about the CAES Alumni Association, visit caes.uga.edu/alumni. To register for the banquet, visit the event page. Registration closes March 7.

Jordan Powers is the public relations manager for UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Jordan Powers
Experts/Sources:
Nick Place
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