St. Louis Region Celebrates Opening of Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center in East St. Louis
The June 2026 grand opening of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition (JJK FAN) Innovation Center in East St. Louis drew coverage from across the region. The center was developed through a partnership between the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, University of Illinois, Lansdowne UP, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
STL TV covers the recent opening of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food Agriculture Nutrition Innovation (FAN) Center, where East St. Louis youth have opportunities to gain hands-on experience in agriculture and prepare for STEM careers.
Ahead of the ribbon cutting, Illinois Business Journal was among the first to cover JJK FAN's anticipated opening, spotlighting the center's role in connecting East St. Louis youth with agricultural education and STEM career pathways.
St. Louis Public Radio profiled the human story at the heart of JJK FAN, spotlighting Danforth Center Senior Research Coordinator Antonio Brazelton and his work bringing crops like collard greens into the curriculum. The story explored how the center is helping young people in East St. Louis see plant science careers as viable and see scientists who look like them.
The St. Louis American offered a comprehensive account of the JJK FAN opening, capturing the community's excitement and the scale of the Innovation Center's vision. The piece quoted Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd directly: "I can say from my experience of working with many scientists that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. We will not leave a scientist, an entrepreneur or an innovator behind simply because they grew up in neighborhoods that lack opportunities."
St. Louis Magazine used JJK FAN's grand opening as a jumping-off point to examine how the broader St. Louis bioscience ecosystem is working to build a workforce pipeline from East St. Louis classrooms to research labs and manufacturing floors. Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd was quoted on the importance of reaching students early and ensuring that talent is not left behind.
First Alert 4 shared an inside look of the ribbon cutting, reporting on the passive solar greenhouse, maker space, and STEM labs, and quoting students on how the center is already shaping their futures. The piece also highlighted the Danforth Center's role in the partnership connecting education with workforce development in agriculture, science, and engineering.