UGA CAES Alumni Association

Check out the latest UGA Beyond the Arch feature celebrating Colby Ruiz (BSA ’15) and his dedication to serving his rural communitiy. 👏👏

Many bright rural students go off for an education and never return home. Before leaving his Valdosta home for college, Colby Ruiz was challenged not to forget where he came from.

Learn more about Colby Ruiz and his journey back home to practice medicine. 🔗

Check out this feature on Christy Seyfert (BSA '98) and her 25 year career shaping ag policy in Washington, D.C. 👇

🌟 Proud CAES alumna Christy Seyfert (BSA '98) has helped shape agricultural policy in Washington D.C. for over 25 years.

Today, she serves as president and CEO of the Farm Credit Council, the national trade association representing the nation’s leading provider of credit and financial services to agriculture and rural America.

➡️ Meet Seyfert at the link in the comments!
--
UGA CAES Alumni Association

✨What an incredible evening we had at the 70th Annual UGA CAES Alumni Awards Celebration and Georgia Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, March 20! ✨

We enjoyed celebrating our outstanding 2026 Young Alumni Achievement Award and Alumni Award of Excellence honorees while also inducting two new members into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame. Their leadership, dedication, and impact continue to inspire the agricultural and environmental sciences community near and far.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to make this milestone celebration so special. Congratulations once more to our honorees!

We would also like to extend a very special thank you to our CAES Signature Event Sponsors who made the evening possible:

Presenting Sponsor: Massey Ferguson
Red Sponsors: Georgia Department of Agriculture + Georgia Grown, and the UGA CAES Alumni Association
Black Sponsors: Farm Credit Associations of Georgia (AgGeorgia Farm Credit, AgSouth Farm Credit, Southwest Georgia Farm Credit

Be sure to check out the full event photo album here: https://caes.photoshelter.site/library/show/C00006dMg_iWFY30/G0000lfPr.YD18Lg

We are SO grateful to everyone who participated in Dawg Day of Giving on March 26! We have so much to celebrate! Check out the recap below 👇

WE DID IT 🌟 Our 2025 Dawg Day of Giving results are in, and we have so much to celebrate. This year, we:

🎯 Brought in 383 gifts from 443 donors.
🎯 Raised over $37,186 for our Ag Dawgs.

More cause for celebration:

🏆 CAES secured an additional $1,000 during the 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. power hour.
🏆 CAES secured an additional $500 during the social media challenge.
🏆 The University of Georgia received gifts from all 50 states for another record-breaking year.

To all of our donors, alumni, ambassadors, students, families, faculty and staff: None of this could have been possible without you! Your generosity and commitment keep CAES shining bright.

➡️ Missed Dawg Day of Giving and still want to give? You can support Ag Dawgs at the link in the comments!
--
UGA CAES Alumni Association

Hey , this Thursday, March 26 is Dawg Day of Giving! Help us spread the word and be entered to win this signed Sanford Stadium print by CAES alum Blane Marable (BSA - Agricultural Education, ’81).

To be included in the drawing, follow , like this post, & tag a fellow Ag Dawg 👇. Share to your story for an EXTRA entry (tag us!).

The winner will be selected on Thursday morning to kick off the fun! 🐶🐾

The UGA CAES Alumni Board is now accepting member applications for the 2026-2029 term. The purpose of the Alumni Board of Directors is to support the mission of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and to foster and maintain close relationships between its students, alumni, and friends.

If you or an you know are ready to take the next step and serve on the CAES Alumni Board, be sure to apply by March 27! Applicants should be prepared to begin serving July 2026 though June 2029.

Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGDT37mVbDk8Ng_om7_ScsU66LsX8MQqybV8nhaqOfo3bgeQ/viewform

UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Board member Dr. Shannon Miller (BSA ’00, DVM ’04) and current CAES student Audrey Sutton recently shared their experience with the UGA Mentor Program on our alumni blog and it’s a great reminder of how powerful mentorship can be. From career guidance to building confidence, their connection shows what makes the CAES family so special.

Check out their story and see how alumni are helping shape the next generation of Ag Dawgs:
🔗 https://site.caes.uga.edu/alumni/2026/02/impact-of-uga-mentor-program-on-ag-dawgs-audrey-sutton-shannon-miller-bsa-00-dvm-04/

If you’re a CAES alum, consider becoming a mentor—you never know the difference you might make for a student. 🐾

UGA CAES students and alumni — you’re invited to an inspiring conversation about the power of unexpected career paths.
Join us for a virtual panel featuring three CAES alumni whose careers took them far beyond what they imagined in college:
• Katie Comer, Head of Data Center Community Development, META
• Kristen Dunning, Founder, Gently Soap
• Erica Palmisano, COO & Founding Partner, FirstPage Marketing

If you’re exploring your next step — or simply curious about what’s possible — this is for you. Students, you can earn
📅 February 25 at 5:00 p.m. EST 💻 Virtual event — free to attend 🔗 Register: https://uga.joinhandshake.com/events/1879433/share_preview

🌟 Ag Dawg Proud of UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumna Rachel Kinsaul! 🌟

Huge congratulations to Rachel Kinsaul, for being named one of five finalists for the 2026 National Teacher of the Year! 🏆

A double‑Dawg with a B.S.A. in Animal Science and M.A.L. in Agricultural Leadership from UGA CAES, Rachel is transforming agricultural education at Morgan County High School through hands‑on learning, FFA leadership, and innovative programs like her student‑run floral design business.

She’s also a Milken Educator Award recipient, a 2025 CAES Young Alumni Achievement Award winner, and a dedicated community leader. This year, she’ll advocate for public education statewide and lead Georgia’s new Day of Service on March 18, 2026.

We’re incredibly proud of the impact she’s making in classrooms, communities, and the future of agriculture. 🌱🐾 Go Ag Dawgs!

Read more on this honor here: https://gadoe.org/press-releases/georgias-rachel-kinsaul-named-finalist-for-national-teacher-of-the-year/

UGA Alumni Association
UGA Animal and Dairy Science
UGA Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication

Georgia's Rachel Kinsaul named finalist for National Teacher of the Year – Georgia Department of Education 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year Rachel Kinsaul, an agricultural science teacher at Morgan County High School, has been named one of five finalists for the

Can’t make it to Tifton for the 2026 Ag Forecast? You can still be part of the conversation.

Register for the online session and get the latest insights straight from our economic experts.

Learn more and sign up: https://agforecast.caes.uga.edu/

🚜 🌱 2026 Ag Forecast is just two weeks away! In-person and virtual tickets are still available for this annual seminar delivering actionable, research-based insights that support decision making across Georgia’s agricultural industry.

🗓️ Friday, Jan. 23
📍 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center
🕗 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

🎟️ More here: https://ugacaes.org/3LzPrVd