Staff

Joe Khayyat
IGIA Executive Director &
Executive Director of the Mid Am Trade Show
e-mail: joe@illinoisgreen.net

Joe joined the IGIA in August 2005. He serves as editor of the Trending Green newsletter, the member website illinoisgreen.net and IGIA's public site, gardenillinois.com. He develops promotional materials and campaigns for IGIA, is leading efforts to formulate a comprehensive marketing strategy for the association, and is active with industry conferences and association events. He coordinates the IGIA's activities at the Illinois State Fair, including the association's public presence at its Outdoor Amphitheatre in Conservation World. He works to cultivate partnerships and sponsorships with IGIA as well as consulting members with their business strategic planning.

As the Executive Director of the Mid Am Trade Show, Joe serves as the liaison between the Mid Am Board of Directors, the show's management team and the three ED's of the owner organizations (IGIA, ILCA and WGIF). He oversees and guides the activities of the management team, helps shape the strategic direction and vision for the trade show and leads ongoing efforts aimed at fostering the stability and future growth of Mid Am to ensure it remains viable for years to come.

He previously served as Governor Jim Edgar's Director of Scheduling and was the Press and Promotions Director for the Illinois State Fair. Before coming to the IGIA, he was on the special events staff for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and worked at promoting Conservation World at the State Fair. He and his wife Katy have one son, Alex.