By Bill Spiegel, Byline Editor
From a budding rockstar in suburban Houston, Texas, to beef cattle communications and stock shows in Springfield, Illinois, Devin Bollman’s career aspirations have taken a unique journey.
She was all-in as lead guitarist for a cover rock band, plus choir and musicals in high school, but was introduced to 4-H and FFA by her friends.
“It started with a couple of livestock projects and grew into speech and public relations contests. It quickly became something I fell in love with,” says Bollman, who is communications and membership manager at Illinois Beef.
She attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 2020 with a degree in animal science.
“That was the height of COVID, so it was kind of limited as to what I was going to do,” she recalls.
Bollman worked for Cattle in Motion, picturing and taking videos of cattle in preparation for livestock auctions, preparing sale catalogs, and working in the background as sales were conducted.
“That’s kind of where my intro to Adobe began, and I could use my creativity to make assets like sale catalogs, writing footnotes, or creating these small pieces that led to finding my place as a communicator and using my creative side,” she explains.
Her travels across Texas, meeting and cultivating relationships with cattle ranchers and operators, solidified that agricultural communications was where she wanted to be. “Everywhere I went, I found a friend or connection. It’s kind of one of those things where I found I was doing what I love to do: communicating with people who are like me and sharing experiences with people like me. I found an industry where every day I feel connected and at home with my industry,” Bollman says.
In 2022, she moved to Springfield, Illinois, for her new job at Illinois Beef, where she does social media communications, puts together the association’s e-newsletter, handles all aspects of membership, and coordinates the organization’s junior program, about which she is passionate.
“I’m also the official staff photographer,” she adds. “I have a little bit of a creative eye, and being our design person when it comes to all things creative.”
Bollman says the best part of being an ag communicator is being able to share stories about the industry.
“I feel like that’s such a cliche answer, but sharing my perspective is my favorite part of the job. I feel like I have a unique perspective because I didn’t grow up in it,” she explains. But it’s something that today, this version of Devin would give everything for, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
Devin has a mixed-breed dog named Ryder who goes with her everywhere, from the office to fishing trips and Devin’s boyfriend’s cattle barn. And with her boyfriend, Devin loves to attend cattle shows across the country together.
“That’s kind of where I thrive. Just being around cattle and stockmen from across the country. Those are my people, and I enjoy them deeply,” she says.