Continuing a tradition that goes back more than three decades, the icons of Hawaiʻi agriculture, human nutrition, entomology, conservation, fashion design, human development, bioengineering, pre-veterinary care, natural resource management, and more will assemble April 13 to celebrate together.

The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Extension distinguishes an exceptional Extension faculty member or team whose work has demonstrated outstanding performance and significant results. This year, the award goes to the team who have worked to revitalize the Hawaiʻi banana industry with clean, virus-free planting materials in a statewide Extension outreach program.

Dayle Tsuha has been with the Hawaiʻi County, Waiakea Station, as an Agricultural Research Technician III, since 2009, then was promoted to an Agricultural Research Technician IV in 2020, then subsequently within the same year, was promoted to an Agricultural Research Technician V!

Volunteers are the lifeblood for Extension programs such as 4-H and Master Gardener. The recipient of the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Extension Volunteer goes to Beatrice Sailer, Master Gardener volunteer.

Jonathan Deenik received his BA in History and Art History (College of Wooster), and then joined the Peace Corps, where he served as a teacher and teacher trainer in a rural community in southern Cameroon (’85-’87) and remote central Nepal (’87-’91). He came to Hawaiʻi in 1992 and completed his MS and PhD degrees at UHM in Soil Science.