Alumni

“We need all different kinds of minds.”

Temple Grandin’s neurodivergence is one of her biggest strengths. As a consultant and professor of animal sciences, she has led groundbreaking work in animal behavior and livestock handling, breaking barriers for both women and neurodivergent individuals in agriculture. 

Her chute systems and restraining equipment are now used nationwide, setting the bar for humane livestock handling.

When Bayer’s Crop Science division Head of R&D Mike Graham returns to campus this week, he’ll be looking ahead to the future of agricultural innovation and the enduring value of land-grant research. 

When Steve Ericson walked into the Illinois State Fair as a young exhibitor in 1974, he couldn’t have imagined that one day he’d return, not to show livestock, but to help connect Illinois-grown food to families in need. Now, as Executive Director of Feeding Illinois, Ericson turns his lifelong connection to agriculture into a mission to fight hunger across the state.

Each year, the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign proudly recognizes the remarkable accomplishments of its alumni. At the 2026 ACES Alumni Awards Gala, award recipients will be recognized across four categories: Outstanding Young Alumni, Career Achievement, Award of Merit, and ACES Family Spirit. The 2026 honorees will be celebrated on April 13 at Pear Tree Estate.

The next time you grab a bag of popcorn at an Illini basketball game, you will be snacking on a local innovation years in the making. Thanks to a commercial partnership between Riggs Beer Company and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, fans will soon enjoy Illini SuperPop™ — a new popcorn variety developed and grown right here in Champaign County.

Bill Tarter likes to say he grew up a Southern Illinois farm boy. The oldest of nine in a tight-knit Irish Catholic family, he found money was scarce, but opportunity was not.

His parents, both high school graduates, fostered an environment that encouraged their children to participate in 4-H, FFA, school plays, band and anything else that expanded their world.

“We didn’t have a penny, but neither did anyone else,” he said. “We didn’t know you were supposed to have money. We just knew you were supposed to work hard and show up.”

Dakoda Maguire, a senior in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Robert M. Harrison Leadership Award.

When Fleda Mask Jackson learned that Black women in the United States have worse pregnancy outcomes than white women regardless of education, income, and occupation, she embarked on a career path uncovering the root causes and creating pathways to support mothers and babies.

Jackson, a nationally recognized expert on maternal mental health, has spearheaded research on stress and depression as risk factors for pregnancy outcomes, and she has partnered with March of Dimes, United Way Healthy Start, and local and national health agencies to create safe spaces for pregnant women.

When former Urbana mayor Diane Marlin first set foot on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus as a high school freshman competing in the state science fair, she had no idea the community would one day become her lifelong home. 

During her senior year of high school, Anna Oldani visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and was impressed by the engineering program and the opportunities the school offered. After a conversation with the admissions office, she knew Illinois was the right fit.