The annual Georgia Master Gardener Association (GMGA) conference is a highlight of the Fall season. Each year, attendees look forward to finding out who was selected for the Award of Excellence! This special selection is made by GMGA and accompanied by a certificate and cash prize to a very deserving individual who coordinates a county MGEV program. It takes extra effort and time to run an MGEV program and the recognition from GMGA in sponsoring this award each year is really meaningful!
In Georgia, we have deserving coordinators who work diligently to support our volunteers. Each one of them deserves recognition, but only one is selected each year for this award. Congratulations to Lisa Klein, ANR program assistant and Master Gardener program coordinator in Gwinnett County, who is the recipient of the 2025 GMGA Award of Excellence!
In Gwinnett, Lisa works with over 200 active Master Gardeners, and trains 25-30 volunteers each year. She created water quality training curriculum for MGEVs and coordinated a hugely popular statewide Water Quality Advanced Training and field site tours for Master Gardeners this year. In addition, she leads weekly continuing education through an online “In the Garden” series. Lisa and Gwinnett MGEVs contributed substantially to the development of the Project GROW curriculum. Other noteworthy projects include Harvest Gwinnett Community Gardens, Great Southeast Pollinator Census, and partnership with Gwinnett County Water Resources for public education.
Lisa’s leadership is valued in the community by programming partners. She shared, “Gwinnett Water Resources relies on volunteers from the Volunteer Gwinnett program to assist with projects, but they do not always have enough staff to supervise them. Now, with trained MGEVs involved, the projects can operate more efficiently, allowing Extension to offer more expert support than in the past.”
A great program coordinator takes the time to say thank you, something that Lisa knows well. She makes an intentional effort to tell MGEVs how much Extension appreciates them and their support. “Though MGEVs are celebrated in our program all year long by always recognizing them by the phrase ‘thank you for all you do!’, Extension always hosts a yearly awards luncheon and ceremony at a nearby community center in early May,” says Lisa. “MGEVs typically leave feeling loved and that they truly are appreciated for all that they do.”
Congrats to Lisa! Many are fortunate to have been impacted by your work in Gwinnett and around the state. We look forward to your continued success in UGA Extension programming.
