The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) has presented its 2025 Distinguished Educator Award to M. Susie Whittington, a distinguished professor of agricultural communication, education, and leadership at Ohio State University. Considered the organization’s highest honor, the award recognizes Dr. Whittington’s career-long excellence in teaching, educational research, and academic leadership.
Set to retire in August, Dr. Whittington has spent the past three decades with Ohio State, most recently serving as executive director of academic enrichment and the second-year transformational experience program. Throughout her career, she has received several other awards in recognition of her outstanding teaching contributions, including the National Teaching Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In her scholarly work, Dr. Whittington has led research focused on improving student cognitive engagement. She is a co-author of the widely-used Methods of Teaching Agriculture (Virginia Tech Publishing, 2025)and lead editor of The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning (Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023).
“NACTA has been an important organization in my career; it’s the only organization, to my awareness, in agriculture that advocates for the art and the science of teaching,” said Dr. Whittington. “Given the prestigious list of previous recipients and our shared passion for good teaching, receiving the NACTA Distinguished Educator Award is a pinnacle achievement as I approach retirement.”
Dr. Whittington received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D. all in agriculture education from Ohio State.