Eliot Clay has served as the Illinois Environmental Council’s Land Use Programs Director since July 2023, having previously served as the State Programs Director from 2021 to 2023 and the Agriculture & Water Programs Director from 2018 to 2020. Eliot provides leadership and guidance for IEC’s policy agenda on agriculture, conservation, and other matters related to how natural and working lands are utilized in Illinois. He also co-leads the Illinois Livestock Reform Coalition and was appointed by Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton to the state’s Good Food Purchasing Task Force in 2024.
Prior to his work with IEC, Eliot was a staff member of the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus for nearly four years, providing assistance as a Legislative Analyst for the Environment & Conservation Committee and the Agriculture Committee. He also served as a graduate assistant with Illinois Issues magazine and the Springfield-based NPR station.
Eliot earned his undergraduate degree in political science and English literature at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and then obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Illinois-Springfield.