Jace Wilkey Email & Phone Number

Growing up on a sheep and goat operation in West Texas taught me the importance of agriculture and its impact on our food systems. Whether it be through social media, public campaigns and policy, or journalism, nothing brings me more joy than telling a story that both my audience and myself can fall in love with. My time at Texas A&M University has helped me develop my proficiency in writing articles in an AP Style format, designing and publishing infographics, recording and editing informative videos, and leveraging key communication models. Ultimately, the biggest asset for agriculture, as well as any industry, is the ability to tell engaging stories. During my time as a policy intern in Washington, D.C., I learned the importance of representing our rural communities and their industries through effective policy. I spent many weeks receiving phone calls, emails, and letters detailing our cooperative members' concerns and perspectives regarding agricultural public policy. At the same time, I closely followed the 2018 Farm Bill and its deliberations in the 117th Congress, which gave me unique insight into the structure and process of legislation. Additionally, I took part in government relations events where I had the opportunity to meet congressional representatives and advocate agricultural policy initiatives. This experience reinforced the importance of crafting and telling a compelling story to both constituents and political bodies. After returning to College Station, I began to pursue student worker positions that highlight the process of communication. Here, I had the opportunity to serve as the communications assistant for the J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering. In this role, I oversaw the production of social media posts that highlighted faculty, students, and research within the department. This required me to procure on-site photographs, craft social media captions, and analyze audience data.Following my time at J. Mike Walker '66, I decided to take the AGCJ student assistant position within the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications. Here, I carry out a variety of tasks. These include managing the ALEC Media Labs, conducting inventory checks, producing social media graphics and flyers, writing and editing syllabi, and writing department articles. I also provide technical support for a research project that utilizes DialSmith Perception Analyzer.

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  Texas A&M University

  Agricultural Communication/Journalism