URBANA, Ill. (Chambana Today) — This fall, the U of I’s College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) will welcome more than just its 2025 freshman class. A cohort of new and newly promoted faculty will see 12 faculty members take on new roles and 17 new hires strengthen the school’s academic, research, and outreach excellence.
New and reclassified faculty members joined all of ACES’ academic departments with roles ranging from instructor to professor. They join the hundreds of top-ranked educators in the College of ACES who are committed to training the next generation of leaders with research-based information and hands-on experiences.
“Faculty promotions and new hires are vital to maintaining the strength of our college and sustaining our mission,” said Dean Germán Bollero. “By elevating our current faculty and bringing in fresh perspectives, we ensure that our students and stakeholders benefit from the highest levels of scholarship, teaching, and outreach. These individuals will help drive our continued impact in the communities we serve, both locally and globally.”
Faculty Promotions
To the Rank of Professor
- Hope Michelson, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
- Andrew Steelman, Animal Sciences
- Dawn Bohn, teaching professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Hannah Holscher, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Zeynep Madak-Erdogan, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Marta Yanina Pepino de Gruev, Food Science and Human Nutrition
To the Rank of Associate Professor
- Josephine Rudolphi, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Joseph Janzen, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
- William Ridley, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
- Chance Riggins, clinical associate professor, Crop Sciences
- Jessica Rutkoski, Crop Sciences
- Rachel Vann, Crop Sciences [to start on Jan. 19, 2026]
- Jorden Brotherton, clinical associate professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Sihui Ma, teaching associate professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Allen Barton, Human Development and Family Studies
- Courtney Cuthbertson, Human Development and Family Studies
- McKenzie Johnson, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
New and Reclassified Faculty Members
- Ann-Perry Witmer, teaching associate professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Natalie Loduca, clinical assistant professor, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
- Aaron Staples, assistant professor, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
- Haden Botkin, assistant professor, Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications
- Tiffany Marzolino, assistant professor, Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications
- Christopher Wirz, assistant professor, Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications
- Courtney Archer, assistant professor, Animal Sciences
- Nathaniel Brookshire, instructor, Animal Sciences
- Elli Burris, instructor, Animal Sciences
- Lisa Ainsworth, professor, Crop Sciences
- Carl Bernacchi, professor, Crop Sciences
- James Patrick Santiago, assistant professor, Crop Sciences
- Pablo Torres Aguilar, assistant professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Jessica Fish, professor, Human Development and Family Studies
- Stephanie Martinez-Fuentes, assistant professor, Human Development and Family Studies
- Maria Garcia, assistant professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
- Jonathan Henn, assistant professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences