(11/10/2022) BATON ROUGE – On Nov. 4, the LSU College of Agriculture held the Agriculture Alumni Awards before the 9th Annual Cocktails and Cuisine Fundraiser.

The ceremony recognized the 2022 Outstanding Agriculture Alumni Award and Early Career Alumni Award recipients.

Outstanding Agriculture Alumni Awards for 2022 were presented to two California-based alums, Krishna Subbarao, a plant pathologist at the University of California, Davis, and Kenneth "Ken" West, II, president and CEO of the Regional Medical Center of San Jose.

The Early Career Agriculture Alumni Award was presented to Elizabeth "Beth" Gregorie, principal of Mangham Junior High in Mangham, Louisiana.

Krishna Subbarao

Subbarao received his doctorate from the LSU Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology in 1989. Following brief postdoctoral stints at LSU and the University of California, Berkeley, Subbarao joined the Department of Plant Pathology at UC Davis as an assistant professor in 1992.

He became a full professor in 2002 and recently earned the title of Distinguished Professor, one of the highest honors bestowed by UC Davis.

He is renowned for his outstanding, pioneering research on cool-season vegetable crop diseases, with over 235 refereed journal articles and numerous prestigious awards at the institutional and national levels that attest to the magnitude of his national and international profile.

Subbarao currently resides in Salinas, California.

Ken West

West dedicated his career to the healthcare industry, serving as a hospital administrator since 2009 and, most recently, the president and CEO of the Regional Medical Center of San Jose.

Originally from Louisiana, West received his bachelor's degree in nutritional sciences in 2005 from the LSU College of Agriculture. While at LSU, West participated in the prestigious Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar Program, where he presented and published research.

After graduation, he attended Georgetown University to pursue a master's degree in health systems administration. He was a fully funded Hospital Corporation of America Corris Boyd Scholar and served as president of the Healthcare Executives of Georgetown University.

West was recognized by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a 40 under 40 award winner in 2022, the California Diversity Council as one of Northern California's Top 50 Diverse Leaders in 2020 and featured as Becker's Hospital Review Rising Stars: Top 25 Healthcare Leaders under 40 in 2014.

West remains active in the college, recently serving as a guest speaker for the Alumni Speaker Series and mentoring students in the Ag Mentor Program. He currently serves on the LSU College of Agriculture Alumni Association Board and is dedicated to his profession and bettering those that will come behind him.

West and his wife, Erica, currently reside in San Jose, California, with their two children, Penelope and Kenneth III.

Elizabeth Gregorie

Gregorie started her journey at LSU in the Ogden Honors College, majoring in biology, intending to join the medical field. However, she enrolled in an introduction to animal sciences course and was instantly hooked and chose to pursue a career in agriculture instead.

Gregorie received her bachelor's degree in animal sciences in 2010 and her master's degree in human resource education, specializing in agricultural education, in 2013. After completing her master's degree, she began teaching agricultural education at Mangham High School in Mangham, Louisiana.

During her five years at Mangham High, Gregorie transformed an inactive FFA and agriculture program into an active 60-member chapter. She has served on the FFA Foundation Board for five consecutive years, supporting financial efforts to provide FFA students with educational opportunities.

Gregorie has received numerous awards for her outstanding efforts in the classroom, including the 2015 National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Teacher Turns the Key Award for Outstanding Young Agriscience Teacher. In addition, she was awarded the Richland Parish Teacher of the Year for 2016 and 2018 and the 2017 Louisiana Candidate for NAAE Outstanding Young Member.

In 2019, Gregorie moved into a leadership role as the principal at Mangham Junior High. In this role, she can provide the support needed to ensure all students receive effective instruction daily.

Gregorie and her husband, Cole, currently reside in Mangham, LA, and have one daughter, Lisa Bell.

On Nov. 4, the LSU College of Agriculture presented alums with the Outstanding Agriculture Alumni Award and Early Career Alumni Award. From left, Kenneth West II of San Jose, CA, Elizabeth Gregorie of Mangham, LA, and Krishna Subbarao of Salinas, CA. Photo by Annabelle Lang/LSU College of Agriculture