For years, teachers across the country have advocated for their students regardless of their environment — whether it be in-person, virtual or hybrid.
Agricultural education teachers are no exception. For the past few years, they have worked together to share the story of FFA and agricultural education in their states and communities. This summer, more than 82 agricultural education teachers will continue to share the story as part of the National Teachers Ambassadors for FFA program.
The program, which began in 2016, provides teachers with the tools to share information about FFA and agricultural education with their communities. Teachers selected for the program receive intensive training in June and July to learn and collaborate on educational resources. Similar to last year, this year’s training will be virtual.
Throughout the year, the ambassadors will present workshops and work with teachers from across the country to brainstorm and share ideas. Through the year, the ambassadors will serve as a voice of the organization to teachers across the country. They will, in turn, provide feedback from those in the educational field to the National FFA Organization
Those individuals who have been selected to serve on the National Teacher Ambassador for FFA program are:
- Alabama — Emily Hammet, Allison Heald, and Jeff McKinney;
- Arizona — Isaiah Govea and Aleah Shook
- California — Amanda Ferguson, Jason Ferreira, Sierra Meyers, and Cara Parlato
- Colorado– Maral Howell
- Connecticut — Kathryn Dal Zin, and Pebbles Lacross
- Delaware — Oliva Aten and Matthew Wood
- Florida — Shelby Ball
- Georgia — Pauline Benton and Nancy Sell
- Idaho — Katie Cooper and Kellsie Peterson
- Illinois — Cassandra Perrin and Erin Ruiz
- Indiana — Carlee Pickering
- Iowa — Bridget Mahoney
- Kansas — Kim Clark and Laura Miller
- Kentucky — Cameron Earlywine, Logan Layne, and Kristan Wright
- Maryland — Leasa Gudderra
- Michigan — Jennifer Glombowski and Victoria Yackle
- Mississippi — Millie Chism
- Missouri — Jackie Carlson, Josh Bondy, Avery Deevers, and Lindsay O’Hara
- Minnesota — Jessica Bester
- Montana — J.R. Pierce
- Nevada — Cody Sanders
- New Hampshire — Carrie Hough and Deborah Stevens
- New Jersey — Robin McLean and Tiffany Morey
- New York — Tina Miner-James
- North Carolina — Hailey Batchelor, Tyler D’Angelo, Amie Mabe, Amber Nead, and Jodi Riedel
- North Dakota — Breanna Bregel and Nikki Fideldy-Doll
- Ohio — Katie Black, Hannah Everetts, Stephanie Jolliff, and Derek McCracken
- Oklahoma — Cody Dawson and Megan Thormodsgard
- Oregon — Abby Chase and Madison Hynes
- Pennsylvania — Melanie Berndtson and Darla Romberger
- Puerto Rico — Kenneth Barbosa
- South Dakota — Nicole Roth
- Tennessee — Jessica Brown, Terra Davis, Jason Dossett, and Ryan Inman
- Texas — Charlotte Main, Kasey Naylor, and Lily West
- Utah — Lisa Clement and Chad Warnick
- Virginia — Herb Hoffeditz, Jasmine Thompson, and Amy Whitten
- West Virginia — Brianne McCauly and Zach Tennant
- Wisconsin — Emma Huber and Jennifer Russell
- Wyoming — Grace Godfrey
“Our ambassadors are our key communicators for us — not only by sharing information out in the field but also by sharing with us the challenges our teachers and advisors face every day,” said Christine White, chief program officer for the National FFA Organization. “Through this program, we equip teachers with the tools they need to be successful in not only developing future leaders but also in telling their stories.”
