Gill retires after 35 years of service in Penn State’s College of Ag Sciences

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After 35 years with Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Chuck Gill recently retired from his role as senior public relations specialist and news editor, bringing to a close a distinguished career marked by editorial leadership, trusted counsel, and a lasting impact on how the college shares its mission with audiences across Pennsylvania and beyond.

“Chuck played an instrumental role in helping to lead the communications unit, using thoughtful, compelling storytelling to advance the college’s strategic goals and its historic land-grant mission,” said Troy Ott, dean of the college. “His work elevated the college’s voice, strengthened awareness, and built lasting support among the many people and communities served by the college and Penn State Extension.”

A State College-area native and Penn State alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, Gill joined the college in 1990 as a writer/editor and was promoted to news coordinator in 1997.

During his career, Gill wrote and edited thousands of news releases, articles, fact sheets, marketing pieces and other materials, while also assisting hundreds of journalists by providing information and coordinating interviews with faculty and extension experts.

He also served as editor of the college’s Penn State AgScience magazine for several years and was entrusted with preparing college-related text and background information for the dean’s office and the Penn State president’s office, supporting public remarks, talking points and other communications.

Gill also led communication outreach for the college’s signature events, most notably serving as publicity chair for the Ag Progress Days planning committee. Jesse Darlington, show manager and college facilities coordinator, said Gill played an integral role in the event’s success.

“Chuck’s leadership in advertising and media helped promote our show each year through preshow press releases, ad placement and media relations,” Darlington said. “It was a great pleasure to work with Chuck, and I can’t thank him enough, whether it was joining me on radio interviews or creating all the public address announcements that are broadcast across the showgrounds. Chuck was the voice of Ag Progress Days, and I’ll greatly miss hearing his voice during the show.”

In addition, Gill served as chair of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Radio Committee for 20 years, working with communications colleagues and county extension educators to produce daily features and localized reports for broadcast throughout Pennsylvania and beyond. During that time, he expanded the network of radio stations carrying Farm Show newsfeeds from about 60 to more than 100.

Reflecting on his career, Gill said some of his most memorable moments involved interactions with sitting presidents. One was President Bill Clinton, who spoke at the Graduate School commencement at the Bryce Jordan Center and later visited the Penn State Berkey Creamery, which is part of the College of Agricultural Sciences.

“I was at the Creamery with Jennifer MacIsaac, then assistant to the dean for public relations, to assist Clinton’s advance team, if needed,” Gill said. “Upon his arrival, I had a chance to meet and shake hands with the president, who became the only person ever allowed to mix ice cream flavors at the Creamery.”

Gill also assisted with registering the White House traveling press pool when George W. Bush spoke at the FFA convention at Eisenhower Auditorium on campus in 2005. He had the opportunity to enter the auditorium and hear President Bush speak.

Among Gill’s proudest accomplishments was writing a news story that first reported on colony collapse disorder in honey bees, which quickly gained national media attention. He also authored op-eds for the dean’s office on topics including the need for research investment in the wake of a swine flu outbreak and after the emergence of the spotted lanternfly. Those op-eds were published in the Harrisburg Patriot-News and The Philadelphia Inquirer, respectively.

While there were many highlights, Gill said his decades-long career also included challenges, such as departmental reorganizations and changes in unit leadership that required flexibility and adaptability.

He noted that some of the most difficult moments occurred during challenging budget cycles, when there was significant anxiety about state appropriations and the future of the college and Penn State Extension. On a few occasions, budget pressures led to layoffs in the college, including in the communications unit, which Gill recalled as particularly stressful.

“The 2015-16 state budget impasse was especially difficult, as there was a real possibility that Penn State Extension would be shut down, programs terminated, and educators laid off statewide had there not been a resolution in time,” he said. “As the college’s primary media spokesperson during the impasse, I was inundated with media queries and requests for interviews and information, and that was challenging at times because the politics involved were highly sensitive.”

Throughout these years and much of his career, Gill worked closely with Mary Wirth, director of college relations and communications until her retirement in August 2025, who said she greatly valued his guidance and expertise.

“I had the privilege of working with Chuck for my entire 24 years in college communications,” Wirth said. “He was an impeccable professional, well respected, and had a wealth of knowledge. His nickname was ‘The Rock’ because he was dependable and always the go-to person for questions.”

Gill reflected on how communications evolved during his career, noting that when he arrived at Penn State in 1990, before the development of the World Wide Web, the college and Penn State Extension were using a platform known as PENPages, an online database of text files — including articles, fact sheets and research reports — that the public could access via landline phones and dial-up modems. The rise of digital media and smartphones and the subsequent decline of “legacy” media such as newspapers, over-the-air and cable TV, and broadcast radio led to lasting changes in how communicators approach their work.

“Legacy media revenue fell, newsrooms shrank and audiences became more fragmented,” he said. “This made it harder to develop and maintain relationships with local reporters and editors and get our messages out to the public. It led to revolutionary shifts in the media ecosystem and required us to adapt and learn to deploy new communication technologies and platforms to better target audiences. And this revolution isn’t over yet — and may never be as AI increasingly becomes a factor.”

Despite those changes, Gill said the most gratifying part of his role remained the opportunity to work alongside faculty, staff and students to bring their stories to life.

“These have been amazingly smart but approachable people who are committed to addressing real-world problems and — through their research and educational endeavors — are dedicated to improving people’s livelihoods and health and helping to conserve our environment and natural resources, all while developing a new generation of leaders,” he said.

Before joining the college, Gill worked in western Maryland as a radio news director and as public relations manager for a small publishing company serving the collectibles market. He also worked briefly in cable television marketing and radio advertising sales.

He began his college career at Allegheny College in Meadville, where he worked for the campus radio station and was an all-conference soccer player and co-captain. He also played on an undefeated conference championship team that was inducted into the Allegheny Athletics Hall of Fame.

Gill, who lives in Boalsburg with his wife, Roxann, said he looks forward to spending more time with their son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons in retirement.