Grace Woodmansee, a graduate student in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, received the Young Professionals Conclave (YPC) Outstanding Early Career Award at the national Society for Range Management (SRM) annual meeting, held in Denver, Colorado in February.

Woodmansee is working on a master’s degree in the Horticulture and Agronomy Graduate Group, under the leadership of Leslie Roche, a faculty member and statewide Cooperative Extension specialist in Plant Sciences.

“I am studying how rangeland livestock producers cope with drought and wildfire on both public and private lands across California,” said Woodmansee. “My overall goal is to aid ranchers in developing a suite of proactive and reactive responses to drought and wildfire that will maintain rangeland health while sustaining livestock operations.”

The SRM award she received is not only for connecting with the professional ranching community, but also serving as a strong leader with SRM’s Young Professional Conclave, where she has been a mentor to many students.

“This award recognizes Grace’s outstanding leadership, resourcefulness, and skill to meaningfully connect research and extension,” said Roche. “Grace has repeatedly provided critical leadership and support to her peers, colleagues, and a broad range of stakeholders, and has already demonstrated great potential as a scientist and outreach professional.”

Below is the acknowledgment of Grace Woodmansee’s award at the Society for Range Management’s annual meeting.

Young Professionals Conclave (YPC) Outstanding Early Career Award Recipient – Grace E. Woodmansee

Grace Woodmansee is currently a graduate student with UC Davis where she dedicates herself to finding ways to collaborate with the ranching community to enhance both livestock production and range health. She is also an active leader within the SRM’s Young Professional Conclave (YPC). She joined the group eager to make a difference in the lives of young professionals like herself – discovering ways to be a leader and to take initiative. This was never more obvious than when she offered to co-chair the first ever “Bridging the Gap” mentorship event at the 2018 SRM Annual Meeting. She developed and organized what ended up being an extremely successful event. Bridging the Gap is now in its third year and a tradition that will continue for future SRM Annual Meetings.

Grace is well known for her willingness to help with any (and every) project and does so with a level of quality that is above and beyond expectations. Her level of commitment to SRM and to the rangeland management field is one to truly admire.

Her personal happiness and sense of fulfillment are most evident when she is working with livestock on rangeland. She grew up in 4-H, discovering a passion for working with livestock, which led to her dedication to animal science. Her personal experience has motivated her to help students interested in research and rangeland management find their place within the discipline. She understands, from firsthand experience, the monumental impact a strong mentor can make on one’s life trajectory and success in college and thus has become a mentor to many herself. Grace is a true trailblazer whose passion and drive makes her most deserving of this award.