News and Press
Fort Valley State agricultural communications team earns national honors
Posted on Jul 01, 2026 at 15:56 PM
From left to right, Latasha Everson, Rebecca Evans and Russell Boone Jr. hold awards won at the 2026 Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) Conference in Billings, Montana
Fort Valley State University’s (FVSU) Agricultural Communications Department recently earned awards from a national organization.
The Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) held its annual conference in Billings, Montana, June 15-17. Out of the more than 300 submissions for its Critique and Awards (C&A) Program, FVSU’s AgComm team walked away with a total of six awards.
As a unit, FVSU won three awards. In the Graphic Design category, Rebecca Evans, Latasha Everson and Jeff Brothers captured a silver award for the Deep Water Culture Hydroponic System illustration. The trio also claimed a bronze award in the same category for the Identifying Sericea Lespedeza illustration. Both works were featured in the 2024-25 Engage Research Report.
Additionally, in Technical Publications, Everson, Evans, Brothers, Russell Boone Jr. and ChaNae’ Bradley, Ph.D., earned a bronze award for the 2024-25 Engage Research Report.
Individually, Everson and Boone both won awards for their writing.
Everson, research communications manager, earned a silver award in Writing for a Diverse Audience for the 2025 AgComplish publication article “Rooted in Agriculture, Driven by Passion.” She followed that with a bronze award in the Writing Within a Specialized Publication for the article “Insects Inspire Incredible Career” featured in the 2025 AgComplish.
Boone, editor/writer for Cooperative Extension, claimed a silver award in Writing Within a Specialized Publication for the article “Prime Results” featured in the 2025 Focus magazine.
FVSU AgComm is also a member of the 1890 Land-grant Communications Committee. The collaborative team earned a gold award in Publications for Diverse Audiences for the 2025 1890 Impact Report, “The 1890 Voice: Empowering Communities, Elevating Futures,” and a silver award in Newsletters for Extension Today.
Marquinta Gonzalez, director of FVSU’s Agricultural Communications Department, gave kudos to the staff for being honored by their peers on a national level.
“We are very fortunate to have personnel who take pride in producing high-quality work,” Gonzalez said. “Their efforts are well appreciated by the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology and Cooperative Extension.”
In addition to earning awards, Everson also accepted the gavel as ACE president for 2026-27.
Outgoing ACE 2025-26 President Stacey Stearns (left) hands the gavel to incoming 2026-27 President Latasha Everson (right) during the 2026 ACE Conference in Billings, Montana
“ACE has impacted my professional career since I joined in 2018. I have grown as a communicator and leader, made so many friends and learned from my peers, whom I admire and respect,” Everson said. “Now to serve in the president’s role for 2026-27 and to represent my university, I am extremely grateful and honored. I appreciate all that ACE offers and look forward to creating meaningful opportunities for our outstanding current and future members across land-grant universities and the broader community.”
Furthermore, ACE’s newest leader says that she is excited to work with a dedicated board and members to continue elevating the organization’s association as the premier communications network.
“At the member meeting during the conference in Billings, I shared several goals to help fulfill that vision,” Everson said. “This includes building on strategic initiatives by developing a comprehensive plan for ACE that advances the organization’s mission and supports long-term growth. I would also like to strengthen institutional membership and overall retention, which includes increasing student membership and engagement.”
She added that partnering with businesses and organizations to expand ACE’s reach, impact and sponsorship opportunities is also on the to-do list.
In discussing the benefits of becoming an ACE member, Everson gave an enthusiastic answer.
“Building on our 2027 conference theme, ACE is the place to ignite curiosity, imagine possibilities and inspire change,” she said. “As I shared during the member meeting in Billings, our mission and values remain strong. In ACE, you can be your best self with countless supporters in your corner, encouraging you every step of the way in your career.”
ACE is an international association of professionals who practice in all areas of communication. It offers professional development and networking for individuals who extend knowledge about agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences. For more information about ACE, visit aceweb.org. To read FVSU’s winning works, visit https://ag.fvsu.edu/publications.
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