The Southern Rural Development Center is proud to honor Dr. Alison F. Davis as the 2026 recipient of the Bonnie Teater Community Development Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Davis is the first recipient of both the Early Career and Lifetime Achievement Awards, receiving the Bonnie Teater Early Career Achievement Award in 2011. Dr. Davis has served as Executive Director of Blueprint Kentucky and as a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Kentucky since 2010.
In support of Dr. Davis’ nomination, Dr. Stacey McCullough, Assistant Vice President for Community, Professional and Economic Development at University of Arkansas System-Division of Agriculture (UADA) Cooperative extension Service (CES) states that Dr. Davis continues to inspire her to “take risks and think creatively about achieving greater impact.” At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Davis opened a restaurant business, which, according to Dr. Timothy Woods, extension Professor of Agricultural Economics at University of Kentucky, imparts her “empathy and awareness of real challenges small businesses face, positioning her as a credible figure when engaging with business, community, and academic audiences.” Dr. Davis’ success is attributed to her “sheer will, strength of character, resolve (and sense of humor)” as well as her ability to address “real life and societal challenges through a community and economic lens” according to R. Brent Elrod, Chief of Staff of U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.