Jennifer Gagnon received the 2015 Land-Grant University Award from the Virginia Agribusiness Council at the Virginia Forestry Summit in April. As coordinator of the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program, Gagnon develops educational programs and materials for over 375,000 private forest landowners in Virginia, including short courses, an online class, retreats, the program website, and a quarterly newsletter.

“Virginia Tech’s forestry Extension programs are widely viewed as a benchmark that all others in the field are judged against,” said Easton Loving, a member of the council’s board of directors. “Jennifer is a big part of the reason why. She has successfully leveraged technology to reach the commonwealth and beyond, without compromising the personal touch that is so important to Extension.”

In presenting the award, council member Brad Fuller said, “Forestry education is such an important part of our profession, and Jennifer accomplishes outstanding forest landowner education in Virginia through innovative programs and dedicated service. Her thoughtful dedication to educating and engaging forest landowners has earned her the supreme respect of our entire forestry industry.”

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