The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) at UC Davis is internationally renowned for its teaching, research and outreach. This is due to the collective effort of alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students.
Every year the college presents the Award of Distinction to honor individuals whose contributions and achievements have positively impacted our communities, advanced science and education or enhanced the college’s ability to serve California and the world.
There are six categories for the Award of Distinction:
- Alumni of the Year
- Early-Career Alumni of the Year
- Distinguished Friend(s) of the College
- Exceptional Staff Member
- Exceptional Faculty Member
- Exceptional Emeriti Faculty
Join us at our biennial event this October 2026. Register here. Questions? Please email us at [email protected]
Click here to view the 2026 Award of Distinction Recipients
Congratulations to the 2026 Award of Distinction Recipients
Alum of the Year
Kathleen Nelson Feicht ’73
Early Career Alum
Guillermo Garcia Zamora ’21
Distinguished Friends of the College
Marvin Shanken
Jacque Bartholomew ’64 and Wayne Bartholomew ’64, J.D. ’71
Exceptional Faculty
Huaijun Zhou
Exceptional Staff
Melissa Haworth ’97, M.B.A. ’06
Exceptional Emeriti
Frank Zalom ’79
William Lacy
Nominations
Nominations for 2026 are closed.
Fill out a nomination form online
Submission Checklist
Complete the Award of Distinction nomination form
- Review the award criteria and provide:
- A nomination letter detailing the nominee’s qualifications for the selected award category
- A letter of support to second your nomination, typically from a colleague of the nominee
- The nominee’s résumé or curriculum vitae (CV), if available
Need help nominating? Contact Phil Schwartz.
NOTE: These awards are highly competitive. Please make every effort to keep the nomination confidential from your nominee.