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Funk Awards Banquet

The 2026 banquet will be held on September 14, 2026

More details and registration link coming soon!

2026 Recipients:

Paul A. Funk Recognition Award
Richard Cooke, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
DK Lee, Crop Sciences

Spitze Land-Grant Professorial Career Excellence Award
William Helferich, Food Science and Human Nutrition
Patrick Tranel, Crop Sciences

Runge Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award
Jennifer Hardesty, Human Development and Family Studies

Faculty Award for Global Impact
Erik Sacks, Crop Sciences

Senior Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension
Shelly Nickols-Richardson, Food Science and Human Nutrition

Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension
Nicholas Seiter, Crop Sciences

Senior Faculty Award for Excellence in Research
Matthew Hudson, Crop Sciences

Faculty Award for Excellence in Research
Jessica Rutkoski, Crop Sciences

Senior Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Brian Ogolsky, Human Development and Family Studies

Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
Shardé Smith, Human Development and Family Studies

Karl E. Gardner Outstanding Undergraduate Adviser Award
Travis Johnson, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Kelly Tu, Human Development and Family Studies

John Clyde and Henrietta Downey Spitler Teaching Award
Elissa Thomann Mitchell, Human Development and Family Studies

Team Award for Excellence
ACES Learning Design Team (ALIL), Office of Academic Programs

Professional Staff Awards for Excellence

Advising, Teaching, and Outreach
Caroline Helton, Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Administrative/Management or Technical Contributions
Amanda Lombardo, Office of Research

Innovation/Creativity
Daniel Gaither, Office of Research

Sustained Excellence in Research
Glenn Bressner, Animal Sciences

Staff Award for Excellence
Kevin Dejewski, Animal Sciences
Krystle Simmons, Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Marcella M. Nance Award
Samantha Hurt, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Graduate Student Research Awards
Devin Goodson, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Isabel Werle Noe, Crop Sciences

Specialized Faculty Teaching Award
Emily Hurth, Human Development and Family Studies

Luis V. Logeman Graduate Student Teaching Award
Maya Carter, Human Development and Family Studies
Jane Gross, Natural Resources s Environmental Sciences

ACES Awards
Office of the Dean, 227 Mumford Hall, MC-710
1301 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
Email: aces@illinois.edu
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