Anna Ball, Ph.D.

Dr. Anna Ball serves as Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Professor in the College of ACES at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, bringing extensive experience in agricultural education and academic leadership. Her journey began on a beef cattle operation in western Illinois, leading to a BS in Agricultural Education from UIUC (1996), followed by MS and PhD degrees from the University of Missouri. Her distinguished career includes faculty positions at UIUC, University of Florida, and University of Missouri, where she held multiple leadership roles including Department Chair and Faculty Fellow positions. As a renowned teacher educator, she has earned numerous prestigious recognitions, including Fellowship in the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), the AAAE Outstanding Researcher Award, and the USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Award for the North Central Region. Her research focuses on innovative teaching practices in agricultural education, and she has been consistently recognized for her teaching excellence through awards such as the University of Missouri College of Agriculture Outstanding Senior Teaching Award and the Gold Chalk Award for graduate education.