According to Lori Mayhew, president of the Maryland Agriculture Teacher’s Association, Inc. (MATA), there has not been a partner on the university level that has been more welcoming than the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
During the recent awards ceremony that brought the 2019 MATA Summer Conference to an end, Mayhew presented Dr. Moses T. Kairo, dean of the UMES School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, with the MATA Outstanding Post Secondary/Adult Program award as well as a certificate declaring UMES the National Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Postsecondary Agriculture Program for the state.
“More than the pleasure of receiving those particular awards from such an auspicious organization,” said Kairo, “was the pleasure of hearing that MATA endorses UMES as “the premiere destination for agricultural education in Maryland.”
A second award was presented to Karl Binns, Jr., lead development officer for the UMES School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences and president of the National Society of the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences. Binns, who was unable to attend, was named the outstanding cooperator and was lauded for spending countless hours connecting agriculture students to higher education. In addition, Stephon Fitzgerald, coordinator for recruitment, retention, and experiential learning, was presented with a MATA Service Citation for his exemplary service to the organization, to agriculture education, and to Maryland Public Schools.
UMES SANS wishes to extend a strong congratulations to all of this year’s outstanding awardees. Kairo and Binns were among a long list of movers and shakers in the field of agriculture.
