Five alumni from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) will be honored at the 70th annual CAES Alumni Association Awards banquet on March 20 at the Tate Student Center in Athens, Georgia.

The annual ceremony honors college alumni for their outstanding achievements. The event also includes recognition of new inductees into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame.

“Each year, I’m so proud of the alumni we honor at the CAES Alumni Association Awards. Each of them, no matter what segment of the industry they’re working in, represents the best of what we’re achieving here in CAES: a brighter, more productive future for agriculture and the environment here in Georgia and beyond,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place.

“This event really is one of my favorite ways that CAES gathers to celebrate our work and the work of our alumni, the leaders whose impact continues to elevate our college, our industry and the communities we serve together.”

Young Alumni Achievement Awards

The CAES Alumni Association Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni under 41 who have achieved excellence in their chosen field or in service to their community.

Blake Carter

Blake Carter has served as an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent with UGA Cooperative Extension since 2020. He spent most of that time in Effingham County before transferring to Laurens County in January 2026.

A native of Glennville, Georgia, Carter was surrounded by agriculture growing up, but he did not find his passion for Georgia agriculture until he attended UGA. After graduating with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agribusiness in 2019, Carter embraced his mission to better the lives of Georgia’s farmers by joining UGA Extension early the following year. In fall 2025, Carter earned a doctoral degree in agricultural leadership, education and communication.

He has since established a reputation for significant contributions to applied research and education in expanding the preservation and conservation of natural resources and forestry, improving crop production and farm sustainability, and increasing agricultural awareness.

His success has been defined by an ongoing pursuit of professional development, strong collaborations, and contributions to Extension’s body of knowledge and leadership. Carter’s reputation is further demonstrated by his invited regional and national presentations, regional and national awards, and leadership positions.

Caroline Stelling

Caroline Portwood Stelling graduated from CAES with a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics and management with a minor in environmental law in 2011.

While at UGA, Caroline served as a CAES Ambassador, president of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and team captain for Relay for Life. She also participated in the CAES Congressional Agricultural Fellowship and studied abroad in Costa Rica through the avian biology program.

Following graduation, Stelling worked in constituent services for the late U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson. She was offered an opportunity with an environmental consulting firm shortly thereafter, and she spent the next five years traveling the world, conducting environmental assessments primarily for private equity clients who were making large investments in industrial companies.

Stelling started as an entry-level consultant and, over the course of a decade, rose to senior vice president of the due diligence business line, with more than 60 consultants across the U.S. on her team. She credits her experiences through CAES for preparing her to understand environmental concerns from a business and risk perspective. Her work has melded environmental and sustainability work with business strategy, as well as recruiting and cultivating the next generation of environmental professionals. 

Outside of her career, Stelling served as co-chair for the Women of UGA Leadership Council event committee, where she planned and executed unique programming that connects people at various stages of life with UGA to raise awareness of and investment in the Women of UGA Scholarship Fund. She also spends time on campus speaking to students about field-specific consulting opportunities, writing letters to prospective students through the Give That Dawg A Bone campaign and serves as a UGA Mentor.

Stelling loves spending time in Athens cheering on the Dawgs with her husband, Drew, a 2010 Terry College graduate, and daughters Maggie, 7, and Katie, 5. The family currently resides in Marietta, Georgia.

Sarah Jane Thomsen

Sarah Jane Thomsen serves as the manager of agriculture education for the State Fair of Virginia and the Virginia Farm Bureau. In this capacity, she collaborates with various educational partners, commodity groups and state agencies to support youth opportunities and educate the public about where their food comes from through the fair’s creative platform.

Thomsen grew up in Roanoke County, Virginia, as the youngest daughter of two 1981 UGA alumni. Her father, a forester, and her mother, a teacher, instilled in her a love for the outdoors and the importance of education as she found her voice around the dining room table with her three siblings.

She enrolled at UGA to study animal and dairy science and seized every opportunity to get her hands dirty while working at the university dairy. She also served as a CAES Ambassador, represented the Georgia Beef Board, visited Georgia farms during spring break, participated in study abroad opportunities, and interned with Virginia Cooperative Extension. After earning her bachelor’s degree from CAES in 2017, she earned a master’s degree in agronomy from Virginia Tech, where she conducted extensive fieldwork at the Southern Piedmont Research Station.

In her spare time, Thomsen enjoys dancing and playing volleyball but can often be found volunteering for local agritourism events on her free weekends.

Alumni Awards of Excellence

The Alumni Award of Excellence recognizes alumni who have achieved excellence in their chosen field and/or in their community.

David Gazda

David Gazda is a regional manager with the American Angus Association, a position he has held for nearly 38 years. In this role, Gazda has served as a trusted liaison for adult and junior members, assisting with all programs and services offered by the association and its four entities.

He works closely with state-level organizations, helping members procure and market Angus seedstock and Angus-influenced genetics, collaborating with academic institutions, industry partners and allied organizations.

Gazda is also active in the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association, serving on numerous leadership committees, including the executive committee.

A 1983 graduate in agricultural economics from CAES, Gazda has continued to give back to the college through assisting with the annual bull sale, serving on a search committee for the Department of Animal and Dairy Science, and participating in the UGA Mentor Program, providing guidance, shadowing opportunities and career advice to students.

He and his wife, Carolyn, are ardent supporters of the Georgia Junior Livestock Program and Georgia 4-H, contributing time and financial gifts to both causes.

A lifelong advocate for animal agriculture, Gazda and his family have relied on agriculture as their sole source of income for more than 40 years, operating a registered Angus herd in Athens. Gazda, who was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma in 2011, is a proud cancer survivor and health advocate.

Mark Risse

Mark Risse is the director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and Georgia Power Company Professor of Water Resources Policy. In his current position, Risse oversees the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant program.

Like UGA Extension, his unit provides Extension support, education and applied research to solve social, environmental and economic issues for Georgia’s coastal communities.

Risse received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural engineering from CAES in 1987 and 1989 before earning his doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering at Purdue University.

At UGA, Risse spent the first 18 years of his career with UGA Extension as the state specialist coordinating water resource programs for the college. Risse has received recognition as a Fellow in the International Soil and Water Conservation Society and is a Walter Bernard Hill Fellow, the university’s highest honor for public service and outreach.

Risse and his wife, Chris, live in Farmington, Georgia, where they manage a small beef cattle operation. He is the second member of his family to receive an Alumni Award of Excellence, as his father, Larry Risse, was honored in 1999.

Motivating agriculture’s future stars

“Recognizing the folks behind these amazing accomplishments and contributions helps to motivate and encourage others associated with agriculture,” said Jaideep Sidhu, CAES Alumni Association board president. Sidhu earned a master’s degree in food science in 2013.

“I feel proud to serve on a board of which all these honorees are a part,” added Sidhu, commercialization director for flavor supply at The Coca-Cola Company. “These folks have contributed to agriculture as a whole, to the state of Georgia in particular, and made the UGA and CAES names shine brighter and brighter.”

The UGA CAES Alumni Association Awards and Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is a CAES Signature Event, showcasing outstanding faculty contributions, fostering community and industry collaboration, and spotlighting the college’s impact on a global scale. The 70th annual CAES Alumni Association Awards banquet is supported by presenting sponsor Massey Ferguson as well as the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Grown, the CAES Alumni Association, Farm Credit Associations of Georgia, Corteva Agriscience, the Georgia Agribusiness Council, and the Dairy Alliance.