ACE delivers meaningful programs and services to our membership. Throughout the year, ACE offers online and face-to-face professional development, networking opportunities and much more. Members have many opportunities to learn and grow through ACE in the company of other professionals in diverse communication-related fields.

Members work together to create relevant programming for a vibrant, growing community of communicators. Together, we make ACE great!

Click Here to Join ACE

Membership benefits include:

• Discounted rates for the dynamic, annual ACE Conference
• Learning Communities where members network and share the latest information, questions and tips
• Evaluation and recognition through the annual ACE Critique and Awards program
• Access to webinars and podcasts
• Publishing opportunities in the Journal of Applied Communications, a quarterly peer-reviewed professional journal
• Opportunities to build leadership skills through ACE committees, learning communities and the ACE Board of Directors
• Access to job postings for career opportunities around the country and the world
• Easy connection with the member directory
• ACE Development Fund grants for selected professional development activities
• Bi-monthly newsletter from the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center at the University of Illinois

Current ACE members: Check your renewal status by logging into your member profile. The login button is found at the top right of the homepage.

ACE Membership Options

Professional Member

Any individual who has a professional interest in communicating about agriculture, natural resources, life and human sciences, and related sciences will be eligible for professional membership. Annual dues are $160.

Student/Recent Graduate

Anyone who is a full-time undergraduate or graduate student, or has graduated within the last two years, will be eligible for student/recent graduate membership. Your membership will require proof of student/recent graduate status – send to aceoutreach@gmail.com. Annual dues are $80.

Institutional Membership | 5 Members  or 12 Members

Institutional membership allows for institutions to pay directly for individual memberships and is transferable to another individual within the institution only upon a change of employment with the member. Institutional members receive full benefits, including voting privileges. Bundle of 5 members or 12 members. Annual dues are $800 (5 members) or $1,920 (12 members).

International Chapter

International Chapter membership is designated for developing countries where budgets and salaries preclude paying individual memberships. We accept a developing country as defined by the World Bank. The representative provides a list of communications and technology professionals qualified for membership (working in information and technology units of agricultural education, research and development institutions). This group of persons have “chapter member” status and receive the equivalent of one individual membership (e.g., one vote in ACE elections and one set of ACE materials that can be duplicated for wider distribution in the country). Chapter members are eligible to participate in the Critique and Awards (C&A) program and meetings and conferences at the professional member rate, but they cannot serve as officers or directors of the ACE Board of Directors. This type of membership does not imply a lesser professionalism or skill level on the part of the members from charter-status countries. Chapter status for a country does not preclude individuals in that country from applying and paying for an individual membership.

Retired

Any member who has retired from employment is eligible for retired membership on the membership application form for the next membership year.  Annual dues are $100.

Life

Any member who is eligible for retired member status may apply to become a life member. Life membership will take effect upon approval by the ACE Board. One time payment of $300.