Jake is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Champaign, Iroquois, Ford, and Vermilion Counties. His work includes writing, copyediting, graphic design, website content, video editing, and photography. Jake began working for Illinois Extension in 2020 as Office Support and started as Marketing Communications Coordinator in January 2023. 

A native of Danville, Jake graduated with a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Before coming to Illinois Extension, Jake worked at The News-Gazette and was editor of The Independent News for two years. Jake has also served on the marketing committee of the hot air balloon festival Balloons Over Vermilion since 2016.

In his spare time, Jake enjoys spending time outdoors, whether hiking or gardening, always documenting his trips with plenty of photos. This passion has transitioned to him wanting to capture the great work and programming that Illinois Extension provides the community, and he hopes to use this skill to promote and expand Extension programming in his unit.

Publications

• Master Gardener and radio mainstay celebrates 30 years
• Empowering veterans through gardening: the Master Gardeners and the VA
• The Spark of Curiosity: How Cloverbud Camp bridged the gap for 4-H Families

Awards

• Interdisciplinary Unit Team Excellence Award, University of Illinois Extension, 2023