Anna Ball

Anna Ball joined the College of ACES Office of Academic Programs as the Associate Dean in August, 2019. Ball grew up on a beef cattle operation in western Illinois, and received a Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Education at the University of Illinois in 1996. She taught Agricultural Science and Industrial Technology in Illinois and then attended the University of Missouri where she received a Master's degree in Practical Arts and Vocational-Technical Education in 2000 and a PhD in Agricultural Education in 2002. She returned to the University of Illinois as a faculty member in Human and Community Development from 2002-2006 before assuming faculty roles in Agricultural Education at the University of Florida and at the University of Missouri, respectively. While on faculty at Missouri, Ball served her department as the Director for Undergraduate Studies, Director for Graduate Studies, and Department Chair, and university wide as the Faculty Fellow for Broader Impacts in the Office of Research, and as a Faculty Fellow for Faculty Development in the Office of the Provost. Ball is a teacher educator, recognized for her research in innovative teaching practice. She is a Fellow in the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), has received the AAAE Outstanding Researcher Award, and the Outstanding Agricultural Educator Award for her scholarship in her discipline. As an award-winning teacher, she's been recognized numerous times for her innovative teaching methodologies including the University of Missouri College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources Outstanding Senior Teaching Award, the Gold Chalk Award for graduate education, and the USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Award for the North Central Region.