Amy Roady named inaugural director of Evans Center at Illinois
Agricultural communications leader and alumna Amy Roady has been named the inaugural director of the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Roady brings more than two decades of experience spanning agricultural communications, Extension, journalism, nonprofit leadership, and corporate communications. In her new role, she will help establish the long-term vision for the Evans Center, which was created to strengthen collaboration, professional engagement, and public dialogue surrounding agriculture and food systems.
A graduate of the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, Roady most recently served as a corporate communications partner for Carle Health. She previously spent more than a decade with the Illinois Soybean Association, where she led communications and outreach efforts focused on consumer and farmer engagement, sustainability, market development, and public understanding of agriculture.
“Amy’s career reflects the kind of leadership, relationship-building, and strategic communication that the Evans Center was created to advance,” said ACES Associate Dean for Academic Programs Anna Ball, who also leads the ALEC program. “She understands the important role communication plays in connecting research, industry, producers, and the public.”
Roady has served as a University of Illinois Extension educator and has taught agricultural communications coursework at Illinois. Her professional experience also includes international engagement through the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and agricultural trade missions in multiple countries.
“As a proud Illinois graduate, it is deeply meaningful to return to the institution that helped shape my career,” Roady said. “The Evans Center creates an exciting opportunity to strengthen collaboration across agriculture while helping foster thoughtful conversations around food systems, science, and society.”
Named in honor of Professor Emeritus James F. Evans, the Evans Center builds on Illinois’ longstanding leadership in agricultural communications and serves as a hub for experiential learning, industry collaboration, and professional engagement.
Roady will begin her role as inaugural director on June 16, 2026.
To learn more about making a gift to the Evans Center, contact Stacey Cole in the College of ACES Office of Advancement at 217-244-1676 or smcole@illinois.edu. Gifts can also be made online at evans.aces.illinois.edu/give.