Wayne McKay, director of the American Department of Horticultural Sciences, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Fruit Department, has won the 2021 Advanced Leadership and Management Award.
Wayne McKay, director of the American Department of Horticultural Sciences, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Fruit Department, has won the 2021 Advanced Leadership and Management Award.
McKay heads the Department of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences for the Department of Agriculture, Arkansas Agricultural Testing and Cooperative Expansion Services, and the United States College of Bumpers.
The ASHS Statement recognizes Outstanding Leadership and Management Award for Outstanding Contribution to Professional Garden Growth and Influence at Regional or National Levels.
Mark Kokran, Vice President of the U.S. System of Agriculture, said: The daily flow of energy and emissions in the horticulture sector is reflected in the research and extension work of the Arkansas and the industry as a whole.
“I can’t think of a better leader for this award than Wayne,” said Dean Dickus of Bombers College. He has done an excellent job as a department head, and is highly regarded throughout the university and profession. He has created an exemplary culture in the horticulture department, inspires teachers and prepares our students for a career.
Fields said: “It is unique every time you are honored by your professional organization, and I am pleased that SSH has sustained its leadership and services.” Wayne is proud to be part of our leadership team.
McKay came to Arkansas with a head of the Department of Fruit and Vegetation and a professor of fruits and vegetables in 2014. From 2018-2019, he served as interim head of the Department of Food Science.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in horticulture, a master’s degree in plant science from the University of Delaware and a doctorate in horticulture at the University of Maryland.
McKay began his career as a fruit and vegetable gardener and worked as a nursery gardener while still in college. After completing his doctorate, In 1991, he began his research career as an assistant professor at the University of Texas A&M at the Texas Agricultural Experimental Center, El Paso. A.D. In 1997, he was appointed Associate Professor at the Texas Agricultural Experimental Center-Dallas.
A.D. He became the Associate’s resident director in 2003 and rose to prominence in 2005.
A.D. In 2007, McKay moved to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences as a professor and director of the University of Florida Research and Education Center. A.D. In 2013, he served there for about a year before moving to the College of Agriculture and Bumpers College, where he became professor and chairman of the Florida IFAS Environmental Garden.
To learn more about the Department of Agriculture’s research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment site at https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch.
To find out about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Expansion Service agent or visit https://uaex.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AR_Extension.
Visit https://uada.edu/ to learn more about the agricultural sector. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Department of Agriculture
The mission of the University of Arkansas is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by linking reliable research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Testing Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the agricultural unit conducts research and extension work in the country’s historic land grant education system.
The Department of Agriculture is one of 20 entities at Arkansas University. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and a faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas Department of Agriculture is a company of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or patriotic status, genetic information or any other legal status, and positive action / equal opportunity employer.