Three members of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences community — Lisa Kelly, Carissa Nelson, and Mynda Tracy — have received the 2026 Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award. The announcement was made on May 11 and recognizes their significant contributions to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award is one of the highest honors for staff at the university. It highlights individuals whose work has a meaningful impact across ACES and beyond. The award acknowledges dedication to operational excellence, service to research and teaching missions, and commitment to supporting students, faculty, and staff.
Lisa Kelly serves as an administrative aide in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. She adapts quickly when there are changes in her unit by taking on new duties. Kelly offers editing advice for student theses and assists faculty with tenure portfolios. She manages social media efforts for her department, curates its website content, helps produce newsletters that connect current and former members, seeks constructive criticism to improve events she organizes, aids in hiring processes, trains new office staff, streamlines office procedures for efficiency, welcomes newcomers warmly, and supports all department members.
Carissa Nelson is a media communications manager for Illinois 4-H within University of Illinois Extension. She delivers marketing statewide and played a key role in rebuilding the Illinois 4-H website that now reaches more than 75,000 users. Nelson maintains an essential marketing guide used daily by all state 4-H staff. She provides communication support across all counties in Illinois through coaching sessions and technical help while offering professional media training for teens. Publications she produces are also used by other states’ programs.
Mynda Tracy works as a development educator at University of Illinois Extension serving Champaign County youth enrolled in local 4-H programs as well as adult leaders and volunteers statewide. Her efforts ensure credentialing opportunities reach noncollege-bound youth from underserved communities throughout Illinois by certifying high school teachers as food handling instructors—expanding culinary program options—and leading initiatives such as ACES’ first dual-credit course in food management.
“These recipients join an esteemed cohort of ACES honorees from previous years, whose work continues to strengthen our college through operational excellence, service to our research and teaching mission, and a deep commitment to supporting students, faculty, and staff,” said ACES Dean Germán Bollero. “Together they reflect the very best of ACES by advancing our land-grant mission through the work they do each day.”
The University allocates $3.8 million annually in scholarships for students; promotes social well-being through nutrition programs; utilizes its Agricultural Experiment Station on campus; maintains high retention rates; offers over 400 study abroad opportunities; advances knowledge globally—all according to its official website.
