The University of Illinois Extension has welcomed Tara Heath as the new County Director for Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren counties.
A lifelong resident of McDonough County, Heath brings deep local roots and extensive experience in agriculture and extension work to her new role.
“I was raised on a farm outside of Macomb, and I’ve lived in McDonough County all my life,” said Heath. “I went to school at Western Illinois University and got my degree in agriculture, and stayed and worked at WIU for several years before joining Extension.”
Before stepping into her new posittion, Heath served as a commercial ag educator for Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell Counties.
“I really enjoyed that work for extension, and I’m super excited to come home,” she added.
Heath comes into the role as longtime County Director Lisa Torrance steps into retirement after 24 years of working with Extension.
As Torrance reflects on her career, she notes just how much her role has evolved over the years.
“It has changed a lot. The biggest change is that when I came in and was over one county and about three or four people, and now I’m supervising four counties, and have somewhere between 15 and 20 people most of the time, depending on the time of the year that I’m supervising.”
Torrance shares some of the highlights from working in Extension include community programs such as Welcome to the Real World, Youth Leadership Academy’s and County Fairs.
