Special Recognition Awards are presented by IR-4’s Project Management Committee to acknowledge leaders in the IR-4 community who have gone above and beyond in service of the IR-4 mission and who the organization wishes to honor. Two Special Recognition Awards were presented in 2024 at the Food Use Workshop: Nancy Fitz and Dani Lightle. Read more about these two phenomenal IR-4 collaborators below!
NANCY FITZ
Upon the announcement of her 2024 retirement, the IR-4 team selected Nancy Fitz to be honored with an IR-4 Special Recognition Award. This well-deserved award honors Nancy’s exemplary career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and her years of impactful collaboration with IR-4.
Nancy Fitz has exhibited above-and-beyond commitment to specialty crop growers and transformational leadership at the EPA as Minor Use Team Leader. IR-4’s regulatory team has been greatly enriched by the opportunity to collaborate with Nancy over the years. As a mentor, Nancy has been invaluable to many early career regulatory professionals. IR-4 extends gratitude for Nancy’s heartfelt dedication to the specialty crop community, and for the meaningful connections she has fostered over the years. The IR-4 team wishes Nancy a joyful next chapter!
DANI LIGHTLE
As Dani Lightle transitions to a new role as Policy and Stewardship Director with Oregonians for Food and Shelter, IR-4 applauds her exemplary work as State Liaison Representative and IR-4 Field Research Director at Oregon State University.
With the presentation of this Special Recognition Award, IR-4 thanks Dani for her commitment to specialty crop growers and the transformational leadership she has exhibited at North Willamette Research and Extension Center. We wish Dani all the best in her next chapter and look forward to future collaborations. Thank you, Dani, for your meaningful service to IR-4!
For more awards information, visit the IR-4 Awards page.