College of ACES Alumni News

The ACES Alumni Board is seeking nominations for three positions on the ACES Alumni Board of Directors.

Nominees must have received a degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

The Board of Directors meets four times per year on a week day. Most of the meetings are held on campus, unless otherwise decided by the executive board. 

Board members are expected to serve on a committee(s) to further the mission of the ACES Alumni Board of Directors.  Standing committees are:  Nominating Committee, Alumni Engagement, Award & Recognition, Student Engagement, Fundraising and ACES Family Academies.  Additional committees are established on an as needed basis.  These committees meet via conference calls between board meetings.

Open positions include:

• Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) Vocational Director

Nominees must have received a degree in a course of study or shall have pursued a vocation or profession which involves the course of study within the Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Department from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. 

• District 8 Director

Nominees must have received a degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. The nomine must reside in one of the following counties Bureau, Shelby, Coles, Edgar, Cumberland, Clark, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Richland, Clay, Marion, Lawrence, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Wiliamson, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Pulaski, or Massac. 

• Extension Director

Nominees must have received a degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

The nominating committee requires the following information:

A letter outlining why the alumnus or alumna wants to serve in this capacity and the skills or experiences that the alumnus or alumna will bring to the Board of Directors.

Resume or curriculum vitae

One letter of reference and two additional names which may be contacted.

More information can be found online about these positions: https://acesalumni.illinois.edu/about/board-directors 

Please send nominations to the ACES Alumni Association at acesalumni@illinois.edu

Nominations Due November 1

Freshman and spring transfer applications are now open, and prospective students can learn more about virtual visits and so much more on the College of ACES future students page. ACES offers virtual options for class and group visits, too.
Share these resources with young people in your life! 

Once an Ag Econ (B.S. 2009) undergraduate student in the College of ACES, Patrick Martin has had an impactful career in public affairs.

Currently, Patrick is managing the Cozen O’Connor Midwest public affairs practice based in Chicago by serving as Principal and Director. In this position, he directs the firm’s government relations and public advocacy efforts in the Midwest, working between the Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices. His practice focuses on advising companies in healthcare, energy, financial services, retail, transportation, cannabis, higher education, and several other business sectors. Patrick advocates directly before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and state and local governments throughout the Midwest.

Prior to working for Cozen O’Connor, Patrick spent time at McGuireWoods Consulting in Washington, D.C., quickly becoming the youngest senior V.P. in company history and working with former Indiana Governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh in both government and private practice.

When thinking back on his time at the University of Illinois, Patrick notes a few points that made his experience unique.

With the intimacy of the College of ACES through small class sizes and involved instructors, Patrick was able to build lasting relationships with successful faculty such as Dr. Robert Thompson (now retired). Patrick says that Dr. Thompson helped him realize that he had a passion for policy and continued to keep in touch after he finished his undergraduate degree. When working in his first post-college position for then Senator Evan Bayh, Patrick was able to talk to Dr. Thompson about both having worked with Bayh in the past 

Despite staying busy with work and his wife and two children, Patrick still manages to stay active in the UIUC alumni associations in Chicago and Washington, D.C., as well as mentoring students and interns regarding careers in public policy.

If you are interesting in submitting yourself or someone you know to be featured as a Univeristy of Illinois College of ACES distinguished alumni on the ACES Alumni Association website and social media pages, please email acesalumni@illinois.edu.

Virtual ACES Family Academies has concluded for the summer. We are excited that we are still able to offer the sessions that were presented thoughout the summer. 

All the sessions are now accessible on the ACES Family Academies webpage.  

Please contact the College of ACES Alumni Association at acesalumni@illinois.edu or call (217) 333-7744 with any questions or concerns.

The ACES Alumni Assciation congratulates the recipients of the 2020 Award of Merit Award:

David Gilmore

Shortly after graduation in 1989, with a degree in Agriculture Economics, David Gilmore started working with John Deere. He has held many roles within the company, and currently serves as Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Agriculture and Turf Division. In addition, he has served on the Minnesota FFA and Iowa FFA Foundation boards and is engaged with John Deere’s own FFA Alumni and Supporters Chapter.

David and his wife, Lori, have two children and currently reside near Geneseo, Illinois. Both are active in their church and community, specifically youth leadership and spiritual development. Additionally, David has represented Deere and Company on the board of the Equipment Lease and Finance Association and currently on the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Ag Sector Board.

On campus, David is a corporate advisor to the Hoeft Technology and Management Program, an integrated university minor in which engineering and business majors collaborate with industry.

Mark C. Gossett

Since he graduated from the College of ACES in 1983, Mark C. Gossett has continued to serve his alma mater in a variety of ways. He is currently the Chief Risk Officer and a member of the Management Committee at The Northern Trust. His career highlights include developing the first foreign exchange online trading platform for his firm, leading a key part of the business successfully through the financial crisis from 2008 to 2010, quintupling the company’s European presence, and leading the largest acquisition in the history of the company.

Mark has maintained close ties to the University of Illinois, previouslyserving on the Illinois Leadership Council. For nearly 20 years, he led Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity’s career days.

Mark says the College of ACES has engrained in him a culture of loyalty and dedication that has helped him maintain his long-term commitment to The Northern Trust and his service activities.

Tim Hassinger

After graduating with an Agricultural Economics degree in 1984, Tim Hassinger worked for Dow AgroSciences, culminating with him being named President and Chief Executive Order in 2014. In 2017, Tim was named President and CEO of Lindsay Corporation, where he solidified a path forward for the manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology.

While with Dow, Tim built on his firm belief in STEM education to empower employee Ag Ambassadors, who were trained to speak to the public about production agriculture, helping to address misperceptions. Currently based in Omaha, Nebraska, he serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2019, Tim was also appointed to serve on the USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade.

Robert Johnson

As a graduate from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Robert “Bob” Johnson leveraged himself into a very successful career on the family pork farm and to the advantage of colleagues in leadership roles in agricultural co-ops. Bob is entering his 50th year of service to the grain and pork industries. Prairie Farmer named him an Illinois Master Farmer in 1998.  He was also honored when his farming operation was named the No. 1 Best Managed Farm in America by Farm Futures magazine.

As a member of the Illinois Community Colleges Trustees Association, Bob provides a connection between U of I and community college administrators to benefit prospective transfer students. He is also a member of the University of Illinois Foundation President’s Council and was also part of a major effort to raise funds to remodel the facilities of the Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity.

Penny Lauritzen

Penny Lauritzen graduated from the College of ACES in 1986.She has worked in professional farm management and rural real estate sales for the past 28 years. Penny has assisted in economic development efforts, such as the Carroll County Rural Partners, Lanark MAPPING Project, and Timber Lake Playhouse Corporate Partners initiative. She is also an alumnus of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program.

In addition to her professional career, Penny was instrumental in creating the career discovery event, Women Changing the Face of Agriculture (WCFA). WCFA is designed to encourage female high school and college students to network with professional women in the agriculture industry. The event has evolved over ten years to include 5,500 students, many of whom are now working in the agriculture, food, and natural resources industries. WCFA was hosted on the U of I campus in 2017 and 2018.

In addition to the food and fellowship of the Celebrate Food and Agriculture event, this year’s celebration included the reveal of custom terra cotta animal head medallions.

When the University of Illinois Stock Pavilion was constructed in 1913, it featured 52 terra cotta animal head medallions on the exterior north wall. The designs featured 10 different species viewed as important to the livestock industry (two each of beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep).

During Stock Pavilion renovations in the 1950s, the animal heads were removed and many were damaged. Intact medallions were stored on the South Farms, but many were lost over the decades.

Watch a video about the animal head medallions.

In 2018, five of the pieces were returned to the Department of Animal Sciences. Two other medallions were found in a campus storage room and in a local garden.

During recent efforts to reinvigorate the interior and exterior of the Stock Pavilion, Longshadow Planters of Pomona, Illinois, was contracted to create molds of the remaining pieces to reproduce dry cast limestone medallions. Five of the reproductions were selected for incorporation in the wall on the south exterior of the Stock Pavilion.

The John N. Chester Estate Endowment supported the recreation of the animal head medallions. The recovered original pieces remain on display in the Stock Pavilion.

The search continues for three of the original 10 medallion designs. Help the College of ACES find the Holstein and Jersey cows and Poland China pig. If you have any information about the missing medallions, contact the College of ACES Office of Advancement at 217-333-9355 or acesadvancement@illinois.edu.

Learn More

Do you have an updated email address on file? Do you have an email you prefer to receive correspondence to? Did your email address recently change?

We want to stay connected to you!

All invitations to events and college updates will be sent via email only. Please update your email address to stay connected today!

With the rising cost of postal mail, email communication is a cost-effective way for the ACES Alumni Association to stay connected and provide updates, event announcements, and invitations to you as our alumni. Please feel free to share your email address with us by sending it to acesalumni@illinois.edu 

Were you a member of 4-H?  The University of Illinois Extension, Illinois 4-H, and the Illinois 4-H Foundation invite you to join the newly formed Illinois 4-H Alumni Association. A free life-time membership is available online go.illinois.edu/4Halumni . We hope your 4-H memories bring a smile to your face. We're creating memories daily with today's 4-H members.

Online social networking is a great tool to stay in tought with alumni and friends from the College of ACES! We want to stay connected to you! We post regular updates about activities, alumni profiles, on campus happenings, etc. Stay connected with us!

ACES Alumni Association hosts the following groups online: 

ACES Alumni Facebook - www.facebook.com/acesalum

College of ACES Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/UofICollegeofACES/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/acesalumni

Linked In - go.illinois.edu/ACESAlumniLinkedIn

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/acesalumni

Flicker - https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=illinois%20ACES%20alumni

Instagram - www.instagram.com/acesalumni 

Check out Class Notes online - 

https://acesalumni.illinois.edu/news

Be sure to share any special times in your life with the ACES Alumni Association to keep your fellow alumni updated! Newly married? New job? Promotion? New book? New baby? We hope to hear from you. 

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