Joana Colussi has joined the Department of Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she worked as an instructor and extension educator, and previously, as a postdoctoral researcher. Born and raised in Brazil, Colussi earned her bachelor’s degree in social communication from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as a master’s degree in agribusiness and a Ph.D. in business administration from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. She joined academia following a 10-year career as an agricultural journalist in Brazil, during which she received several national and international awards for her work. Colussi’s research addresses farm management and production economics, with a focus on technology adoption and international agriculture. She analyzes the role of information in adopting digital technologies and the influence of weather forecasts on farm decision-making in both the United States and South America. Working as an extension educator with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s farmdoc program for the past five years, Colussi has witnessed the transformative impact of extension programs in advancing agricultural education in the United States. Specifically, she has collaborated closely with key stakeholders in the Midwest, Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Her multidisciplinary expertise will be an asset in ensuring that Extension programs, such as the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture, remain relevant by effectively engaging diverse audiences and reinforcing Purdue Extension’s mission. In her free time, Colussi enjoys traveling, soccer games, good food and events with live music.