The SOAR Award honors external partners who exemplify the areas of Service, Outreach, Altruism and Research, while supporting specialty crop growers and the mission of The IR-4 Project. This year’s winners have made significant contributions not only to their individual research areas, but to the specialty crop industry as a whole. Learn more about the awardees below, from the perspectives of their nominators.
In this story, we celebrate two of four 2024 SOAR Award Recipients: Rich Bonanno and Julie Coughlin. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this announcement early in 2025!
Dr. Rich Bonanno, Executive Director of the Association of Southern Region Extension Directors (ASRED); former Associate Dean of NC State CALS, Director of NC State Cooperative Extension, and Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement at NC State
Rich Bonanno’s legendary career and dedication to the land-grant mission has benefited countless growers and research units, including IR-4. As a specialty crop grower himself, Bonanno has a deep understanding of fellow growers’ needs. Bonanno also has a long history of collaboration with IR-4; he was a charter member of IR-4’s Commodity Liaison Committee (CLC) beginning in 1992, and chaired this committee from 2014-2016 (until he began his influential time at NC State). More recently, Bonanno played a pivotal role in advocating for and supporting IR-4’s move from Rutgers University to NC State. As Dr. Bonanno transitions from NC State to an influential new role with ASRED, we celebrate his commitment to the growers and researchers of our region, and thank him for being an exceptional ally to IR-4.
SERVICE
Bonanno has been a steadfast member of the IR-4 community with a multifaceted perspective: he has been a commercial grower (of food and ornamental specialty crops) and also a land-grant university research collaborator. Bonanno’s firsthand understanding of specialty crop growers’ pest management needs and gaps has been invaluable to IR-4. Beyond listening to needs in the grower community, Bonanno has spent significant time over the years to submit Project Clearance Requests to IR-4, and to attend the Food Use Workshop. Bonanno’s enthusiastic investment in our research process has helped generate many influential product registrations and label expansions, benefitting family farms like his from North Carolina to New England. In 2024, Bonanno was presented with The Order of the Longleaf Pine—the highest award for state service in North Carolina given by the Governor.
OUTREACH
For those involved in specialty crops and Extension work, Bonnano is synonymous with outreach. While serving as President of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, he garnered political support for the continued federal funding of IR-4 on behalf of growers. As a specialty crop producer himself, Bonanno has been an effective messenger on behalf of IR-4, spreading the word about the project’s mission and encouraging involvement from the producer, industry, and research communities. In 2023, when IR-4 celebrated its 60th anniversary, Bonanno was an impactful contributor to a promotional video illustrating IR-4’s impacts; watch the video here.
Bonanno is the outgoing Director of NC State Extension, having served in this role for nine years. Under Bonanno’s leadership, Extension has delivered over $2 billion annually in economic impact for North Carolina. We look forward to seeing Bonanno’s leadership strengthen the land-grant system across the southern U.S.
ALTRUISM
While running his own farm in Massachusetts, Bonanno allocated time and plant material to IR-4 efficacy trials, contributing essential data and insights to IR-4. As chair and member of the CLC, Bonanno contributed countless hours of personal time advocating for IR-4 and helping to ensure continued and increased annual funding from Congress. During IR-4’s relocation to NC State, Bonanno went above and beyond to help the program build a robust team and establish roots in North Carolina.
RESEARCH
Since 1983, Bonanno has been contributing to IR-4 research through his various roles at land-grant universities and his own personal farm. His work has yielded access to many safe, effective pest management tools for vegetable, fruit and ornamental growers across the U.S.
Thank you, Rich Bonanno!
Julie Coughlin, IR-4 Project Field Research Director at University of Hawaii, Manoa
Julie Coughlin has been engaged with IR-4 for many years as field research director at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and as Hawaii’s state liaison representative. Through this role, Coughlin has been an invaluable asset for IR-4’s Western Region team and for IR-4 as a whole. As Coughlin approaches her retirement at the end of 2024, IR-4 is celebrating her monumental accomplishments on behalf of Hawaiian specialty crop producers, which have had ripple effects far beyond her state. Without Coughlin, growers of crops like coffee, cacao and pineapple would not have the tools they need to manage the region’s persistent pest pressures.
SERVICE
As IR-4’s state liaison representative for Hawaii, Coughlin has admirably served the needs of her state (and region) by listening to growers and then pursuing solutions that directly serve those needs. Driven by a passion for supporting local growers and furthering IR-4’s mission, Coughlin has secured vital regulatory wins for her growers, including a Section 18 emergency exemption for coffee leaf rust management that led to a permanent U.S. tolerance. Coughlin has also done important work on coffee berry borer. When a pest issue emerges in her area, it’s likely that Coughlin is already working to support growers through it.
OUTREACH
In order to serve the specialty crop industry in Hawaii so effectively, Coughlin has been deeply engaged with Cooperative Extension and the grower community—educating them about getting involved in IR-4’s stakeholder-driven research cycle, and learning from them about their unique needs and production systems. Through presentations and community involvement, Coughlin has significantly elevated growers’ awareness of IR-4.
ALTRUISM
Beyond the day to day requirements of her role, Coughlin has been a leader and a mentor in the IR-4 community over the course of her career. Her commitment to attending and organizing IR-4 events—meaningfully bringing people and ideas together and working towards consensus-based solutions—has strengthened this community immeasurably. Julie Coughlin’s spirit of altruism is evident in her attention to detail, quality of work, and infectious positivity.
RESEARCH
Coughlin has been leading IR-4 research at the University of Hawaii, Manoa since 1996, conducting over 86 residue trials and several performance trials on banana, papaya, pineapple, macadamia nut, coffee, cacao and more. For example, Coughlin’s research in collaboration with cacao growers has led to game-changing tools for managing disease in cacao production, bolstering the local chocolate industry. When Hawaii was hit hard with coffee leaf rust, Julie was a key player in bringing options to the table. Julie’s pioneering research on tropical specialty crops has benefitted not only Hawaiian growers, but Puerto Rican growers, too. While the geographic scope of tropical crop production in the U.S. is small, these crops are high-value and vital to local economies; Coughlin’s efforts serving these crops epitomizes IR-4’s mission of serving minor crops and helping their growers thrive.
Thank you, Julie Coughlin!
For more team acknowledgments, visit the IR-4 Awards page.