Dr. Lucas Maxwell

Biography

Dr. Maxwell (He | Him | His) grew up on an 1100-acre family farm in Farmer City, Illinois. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale and in 2001, graduated with his Bachelor of Science in General Agriculture with a Specialization in Agricultural Education. While at SIUC he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, serving as Noble Ruler in 1999, Collegiate FFA, and the College AgbassadorÒ Team. After graduation, he served for three years as the Agriculture Instructor and FFA Advisor at Iroquois West High School in Gilman, IL.

After completing a Master of Science Degree, Dr. Maxwell returned to SIUC in 2005 where he served as Coordinator of Recruitment, Retention, and Placement for the College of Agricultural Sciences. During his tenure, the college saw enrollment growth and maintained a retention rate more than 20% higher than the university average. In 2007, he began work on his doctoral degree in Agricultural Education, graduating from the University of Missouri in 2010.

For five years, Dr. Maxwell served as an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education at Arkansas Tech University. While at Tech, he served as faculty advisor to the Agriculture Ambassadors, Collegiate FFA, Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Sorority, and the Agriculture Living Learning Community. In 2017, he was recognized by the student body as the Agricultural Teacher of the Year. Additionally, he was recognized by the University as the Outstanding Faculty/Staff Advisor of the Year and the Young Professor of the Year in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

In August of 2017, Dr. Maxwell began his career at Illinois State University where he works with students at the undergraduate and graduate level pursuing degrees in Agricultural Education, Communication, and Leadership. He is active at both the state and national levels in Agricultural Education serving on the Illinois Agricultural Education University Council and the National FFA Agricultural Issues Career Development Event committee. At Illinois State, Dr. Maxwell chairs or has chaired the Department of Agriculture Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion Committee, the Curriculum Committee, the Recruitment Committee and serves or has served on numerous other committees including the University Teacher Education Assessment Committee. He also serves as faculty advisor or co-advisor to multiple student organizations including Agricultural Education Club, Alpha Tau Alpha, Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences, and Alpha Gamma Rho. His research focuses on secondary and post-secondary professional development in teaching and recruitment, retention, and placement in agriculture food fiber and natural resources. Dr. Maxwell has published eight (8) referred journal articles, thirty-one (31) referred research papers, abstracts, or posters, four (4) non-referred magazine articles and has secured more than $400,000 in grant funding as principal or co-principal investigator.

In September of 2018, Dr. Maxwell was recognized by the Non-land-grant Agriculture and Renewable Resources Universities (NARRU) as their Distinguished Young Educator. This national award recognizes one early career faculty member from over 60 eligible universities. In February of 2020, he was recognized as the Outstanding Mid-Career Alumni form the College of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In 2024, Dr. Maxwell was selected participate in the inaugural class of the College of Applied Science and Technology Leadership Exploration and Development (LEAD) Program as well as the Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP). MCLP is the flagship program of the Multicultural Leadership Institute, a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving central Illinois that strives to create a more diverse and inclusive community, one leader at a time. Further, Dr. Maxwell received the Outstanding Service Award from the Department of Agriculture and was recognized by the National FFA organization for his service to agricultural education and FFA with the Honorary American FFA Degree.