The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics congratulates the following alumni award winners for our inaugural Distinguished Alumni and Recent Young Alumni Awards.

Nominations for the 2026 awards will open on August 26, 2026. For more details, visit: https://aaec.vt.edu/About/awards.html

Greg Estep
Distinguished Alumni Award | Greg Estep



Greg Estep graduated from Virginia Tech with an undergraduate degree in agricultural economics in 1983, followed by an MBA from Duke University. After a prestigious 37-year career in agribusiness, Estep retired in 2022 as CEO of Spices for Olam Food Ingredients, the largest global industrial spice company and the largest U.S. packer of private label spices. 



Estep exemplifies Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) by serving on numerous industry and academic boards and participating in the Beyond Boundaries Scholarship program for engineering and agriculture students. He is currently the chair of the AAEC Advisory Board.



Reflecting on his education, his bachelor’s degree provided a solid foundation in agribusiness. "I gained a comprehensive understanding of the entire production process, from farm to table, including the many intricacies involved in growing crops, processing them, and marketing them to consumers around the world," Estep said. He feels fortunate to have attended Virginia Tech, where he developed a lifelong interest in agribusiness.



Estep and his wife, Susan, split their time between Fresno, California, and Omaha, Nebraska. They have three sons, three daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.

Emma Wyatt
Young Alumni Award | Emma Wyatt

Emma Wyatt graduated from Virginia Tech in 2017 with a degree in applied economic management with an emphasis on community economic development. From early on, she always knew she wanted to strengthen and make more viable rural, low-income communities.

"Being from Southwest Virginia, there is a pride in being Appalachian, in being part of a neighborhood. There's a specialness to that; it's part of who we are." Wyatt said.

She and her husband, Hunter, and their 2-year-old daughter live on a 60-acre sheep farm in Abingdon. Every week, her daughter volunteers at Mary's Lunchbox, making lunches for area elementary school students.

After a brief stint as COO for The Innovate Fund, deploying millions in new market tax credits for the benefit of rural economic vitality, she recently accepted a job with TD Bank as the Community Development Corporation Relationship Manager. In addition, she serves as a member of the Appalachia Funder's Network Steering Committee; the Farm Credit of the Virginias Young, Beginning, and Small Farmers Advisory Committee; and as a board member for the NMTC Coalition.

By: Nancy Moseley