The 2023 Dean’s Award for Outstanding APT Employee goes to Terilyn Sunada. Teri has been an invaluable member of CTAHR Human Resources for more than six years, consistently elevating our administrative services to new heights. She embodies the essence of exceptional customer service. With a profound understanding of her role, she effortlessly executes tasks with a smile and unwavering positivity. Colleagues describe her as kind, gentle, and possessing an outstanding demeanor, coupled with an unparalleled work ethic.

The 2023 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Civil Service Employee goes to Eunice Domingo. Eunice has been with CTAHR Hawaiʻi County for more than 30 years! She exhibits exceptional dedication and commitment to the achievement of Hawaiʻi County’s program objectives. She has played a pivotal role in implementing key initiatives and projects, and by keeping people accountable to meet deadlines. 

Dr. Joseph DeFrank, a Researcher Emeritus at UH Manoa, is CTAHR's 2023 Outstanding Extension Volunteer. He is an internationally renowned expert in tropical weed sciences and, on the local scale, the “go-to” person for weed management. In 2023, Joe volunteered at the Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf and the Blind, providing on-site non-chemical turf renovation that included installing drip and overhead irrigation, covering weedy turf with tarps, raking and killing weeds that germinated, and installing Bermuda grass seeds and fertilizer – these were strenuous tasks that required tremendous effort and time.

With one student holding a wireless microphone and another a portable amplifier, the tour of The Manini Farm Project on the grounds of the Urban Garden Center had begun. As students took turns at the mic, presenting their projects and roles and walking participants through the rows of plants, it was apparent that these young adults felt an awful lot of pride in their participation.

Dr. Parwinder Grewal, an internationally recognized nematologist, will start March 1 as the new Dean and Director of the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, after a comprehensive search process. Dr. Grewal most recently served as the inaugural president for Vermont State University while simultaneously serving as president of Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College.