ACE Board of Directors Candidates
Kay Ledbetter Kay Ledbetter describes herself as a loyal and committed co-worker. She started with Texas A&M AgriLife in 2005, after a 23-year career in newspaper reporting. The first 10-12 years were spent growing as a writer for the agency, which included both Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. She is located at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Amarillo, 500 miles from Texas A&M and the rest of her team. In the past 5 or so years, her title changed from Communications Specialist III to Senior Editor, Communications Coordinator-news team and then Communications Manager. With the current title of Communications Manager, she covers three regional Centers in Amarillo, Lubbock and Vernon, as well as multiple departments – Department of Animal Science and Department of Soil and Crop Sciences -- on the Texas A&M University campus. Additionally, she serves as the AP editor for all AgriLife Today news stories completed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications Unit and as a publisher. In addition, she supervises two team members. Kay said she was quick to volunteer within the ACE organization to not only grow as a communications professional, but to also help the organization grow and recognize others who had leadership potential. Highlights of her ACE contributions include: -- Level Up Mid-Year 2023 Conference chair. -- Learning Communities Director on the Board. -- AmpUp ACE Mentorship committee. -- Served as chair of the Media Relations Learning Community, Writing Learning Community and the Marketing Learning Community. -- Co-chaired the 2019 San Antonio conference and served on the 2014 Portland and 2017 New Orleans conference planning committees. She also volunteered to help with the 2025 conference planning. -- Chaired a Media Relations Made Easy: Crisis Communications workshop following annual conference and taught/hosted ACE’s Media Relations Made Easy curriculum in every form, from two days to an hour-long presentation. -- Past Texas state representative -- Two terms on the Professional Development Committee. -- Writing Award of Excellence for ACE recipient in 2014. -- Media Relations Award of Excellence for ACE recipient in 2011. -- Conference presentations and webinars and session host. -- Attended 18 annual conferences, actively recruiting Learning Community members and leaders at all of them. -- Participated in call-out to past members to survey/recruit them. Kay credits ACE for providing her the opportunity to develop skills and giving her confidence in her career. She also credits ACE with helping her go from being ‘just a reporter’ to a multi-faceted communications specialist and leader. |
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Candidate for Professional Development Director
David Keto University of Wyoming Extension David Keto is the Manager of Communications & Technology at the University of Wyoming Extension. David has worked for Extension at Wyoming for 13 years, 8 as a video producer and 5 as communications manager. He has the pleasure of leading a small team of dedicated communicators who work for Extension and provide expertise for the experiment stations and college departments as well. David has been an ACE member since his earliest days in extension. He has been part of the Electronic Media/Photography, Management & Leadership, and Instructional Design LCs. He has also served in LC leadership, conference planning, and as a mentee in the ACE mentorship program. David looks forward to taking his next step in ACE leadership as a board member. As a candidate for Professional Development Director, David looks forward to helping continue the tradition of relevant and compelling professional development at the annual conference. He also has some ideas for new partnerships with other similar groups and organizations who could potentially partner on professional development opportunities. As a board member, David would welcome input from all ACE members to keep our organization strong and focused on meeting the needs of members to continue their professional growth. |  |
Cyril Ibe Central State University Cyril Ibe, Ph.D., is the Interim Communications Coordinator for Central State University’s 1890 Land-Grant Programs in Wilberforce, Ohio. Dr. Ibe transitioned from his previous position as Media Relations Specialist for CSU Land-Grant Communications, a position he held from May 15, 2023. In his new position, Dr. Ibe’s responsibilities include, among other things, editing and production supervision of most Land-Grant print and digital publications; coordination of special projects such as Homecoming, and Memorandum of Understanding agreements; hosting/production of the Research Connection podcast; and supervision of two videographers and one media specialist in Land-Grant Communications. For nearly a decade, Dr. Ibe worked as a reporter for Pioneer Press Newspapers in north suburban Chicago. A CSU alumnus, he has held several positions at his alma mater, including as assistant professor of journalism and digital media; and host/producer of Miami Valley Journal, a weekly, hourlong public affairs program on WCSU-FM, from 2009 to 2013. His bachelor’s degree from Central State was in mass communications with a minor in French. He earned his master’s degree in journalism from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, where he worked as a writer for university relations. His doctorate in health science research is from Trident University, Cypress, Calif. |
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Candidate for Marketing & Membership
Lisa Stearns The University of Tennessee Lisa Stearns leads the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s marketing and communications team as Vice Chancellor. The department serves four units—UT Extension, UT AgResearch, the Herbert College of Agriculture, and the College of Veterinary Medicine—along with numerous programs across the state of Tennessee. Prior to joining the Institute, Stearns was a healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience overseeing the marketing and communications efforts for a large, multi-hospital system in East Tennessee. Stearns received her M.S. in broadcast journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and her B.A. in journalism from California State University Fresno. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in learning and leadership at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. |  |
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Candidates for Research |
Jacqueline Aenlle Kansas State University Dr. Jacqueline Aenlle is an Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications at Kansas State University. Her research focuses on the science of science communication, with recent work examining scientists' experiences in digital outreach and the role of trust in science communication. Dr. Aenlle leads the Kansas Science Communication Initiative and is committed to advancing interdisciplinary, collaborative science communication efforts and programming. She also holds several service roles within the profession including serving as a panel manager for U.S. Department of Agriculture grant programs and as a board member for the Journal of Applied Communication (2023-2025). If selected, she looks forward to strengthening collaboration between the ACE Board, the Journal of Applied Communication, and the Academic and Research Learning Community to advance strategic initiatives and better serve the profession. |
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Kelsey Hall Utah State University Dr. Kelsey Hall is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Communication at Utah State University, where she conducts research on agricultural communication, Extension education, and local and regional food systems. An ACE member since 2007, she has served on the Academic and Research Learning Community, served on 2018 and 2024 ACE annual conference planning committees, reviews journal articles and conference submissions, and presents research at the ACE Conference. Dr. Hall’s research has secured over $863,215 in external funding and resulted in 17 peer-reviewed journal articles, 44 conference posters, 25 conference papers, 17 conference abstract presentations,14 Extension publications, and 1 book chapter. She has led national studies to describe and characterize communication units at 1862, 1890, and tribal land-grant universities, particularly those units that focus on the Cooperative Extension, agricultural research and related academic mission areas. This research provides valuable insights for communication unit directors, and she is currently collaborating on an updated study in 2025. Her experience bridging academic and applied communication research makes her well-suited for the ACE Research Director role. She will work to advance ACE’s research priorities, strengthen collaboration between the Academic and Research Learning Community, JAC editorial board, and ACE Board, and support members in producing high-impact scholarship that benefits the profession. |
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Voting Opening Soon