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Exterior of the Dawson building with Extension sign in front

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Tamara Warren, an Alabama Extension health and nutrition specialist at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), received the regional 2020 Excellence in Extension Award from the Association of Extension Administrators (AEA). She was recognized for her body of work in the area of family and consumer sciences.

About the Winner

As a health and nutrition specialist, Warren oversees several outreach initiatives. These initiatives include the Technology Enhancing Exercise and Nutrition program. However, her most notable program is the Community Health Aerobic Motivational Program Initiating Optimal Nutrition, better known as CHAMPION. Warren and her team of county agents served more than 70,000 youth and adults in Alabama’s urban communities during the past 14 years.

In November 2019, CHAMPION added a statewide campaign titled Walking Like a CHAMPION to encourage individuals and teams to walk. The program now has more than 800 members across the state.

“A CHAMPION team is built from the ground up to be a strong and powerful force that enlightens and impacts the community,” Warren said.

In addition, Warren successfully pursued financial resources, including local and federal grants totaling  $2.583 million dollars to support health and nutrition projects.

About the Award

The AEA Excellence in Extension Awards are presented to “individuals who have strived throughout their careers through their local, state, regional, or national responsibilities to achieve the benchmarks reflective of excellence in Extension educational programming.”

The AEA is comprised of 1890 Extension administrators from 19 land-grant and historically black colleges and universities. The individual who wins the top regional AEA award each year advances to compete for the national Excellence in Extension Award. The national award is issued by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Dorothy Brandon, an Alabama Extension family and consumer sciences specialist, won the national honor in 2019.

Past Excellence Award Winners

Past AAMU regional and national Extension in Excellence Award winners include

  • Andrea Morris in 2018
  • Karnita Garner in 2016
  • Kimberly Burgess-Neloms in 2015
  • Roger Richardson in 2013
  • Maria Leite-Browning, Edna Coleman, Julio Correa, Kevin Crenshaw and Robert Spencer in 2012

More Information

For more information about Alabama Extension programs at AAMU, contact Kimberly Sinclair-Holmes at (256) 372-4941 or by email at ksh0035@aces.edu.