Awards

uzel receives diversity award

(from left to right) Ray Ali, associate director of field operations; Mark McCann, director and associate dean, Virginia Cooperative Extension; Alinda Uzel, unit coordinator and family and consumer sciences Extension agent; Sharron Quisenberry, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and David Winston, Extension dairy specialist and College Diversity Council chair.

2007 College Diversity Enhancement Award to Alinda Uzel

Alinda Uzel, unit coordinator and family and consumer sciences Extension agent from King and Queen County, was awarded the college’s 2007 Diversity Enhancement Award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions and demonstrated commitment to enhancing diversity.

Since joining Virginia Cooperative Extension in 1993, Uzel has demonstrated that commitment by working tirelessly with previously underserved audiences in her area, particularly with Native Americans, African-Americans, and families with special-needs children.

Uzel has worked with Virginia’s Rappahannock Tribe to develop home-based and micro businesses to improve their economic stability. She has also had Extension publications translated into Spanish to assist a growing Spanish speaking population within a 10 county area. By establishing the King and Queen Community Involvement Team, she was able to secure more than $350,000 for Extension-led programming to prevent spousal and child abuse.

In 2004, she worked with a committee to expand the Heritage Village at the State Fair to include African-American heritage. The display at the fair included a locally constructed quilt based on the Underground Railroad movement and the use of quilts for communication among runaway slaves. Presentations about the quilt have generated open discussions about slavery, the use of creativity to communicate by people having little or no voice, and the vast contributions by African-Americans to the development of our country.

Information about award criteria and deadlines for the College Diversity Enhancement Award can be found on the college award opportunities Web page.