Timothy R. Keown of Iva, S.C., associate state director of agricultural education in South Carolina since 2014, has been named a recipient of the Outstanding Young Agricultural Alumnus Award by Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and its National Agricultural Alumni Board of Directors.

Keown, a 2004 graduate of Clemson University with a BS degree in Agricultural Education, began teaching Agri-Science and serving as the FFA and Young Farmer advisor at Crescent High School in 2006. He earned a Master’s in Agricultural Education in 2009 and is currently completing the requirements for a PhD in Educational Leadership at Clemson University.

Recognized as the Outstanding Young Agricultural Educator in South Carolina, Keown has also been honored as the Outstanding Young Farmer Advisor in the state a number of times. He has been named one of ‘Twenty Under Forty’ Outstanding Young Leaders in the Up-state by the Anderson INDEPENDENT MAIL.

A nationally-known leader in Agricultural Education, Keown has served as a member of the board of directors of the National Young Farmer Association since 2015. A regular featured speaker at conferences of the National Association of Agricultural Educators, the National Association of Young Farmers and the National Association of Career and Technology Education, Keown planned and coordinated the National Conference of Young Farmers in Charleston, SC in 2015.

Keown is the son of Linda R. Keown of Iva and the late James B. Keown. He was nominated for the award by John W. Parris of Columbia, director of the SC Agri-News Service.

Timothy Keown