Forty-four FFA members–the largest pool of candidates in more than 15 years—have been selected to vie for national office at the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo this October.
The process to become a national officer is arduous, with the candidates – each state FFA association can submit one individual member annually – taking part in an extensive interview process with the National FFA Officer Nominating Committee. The committee is comprised of students who interview and select the national officers.
Candidates will be evaluated through seven rounds on five national officer competencies: character, influence, areas of knowledge, communication, and being a team player. All rounds provide candidates the opportunity to show who they are on a personal level. Specific rounds are also designed to enable candidates to show their skills in preparing and delivering speeches, facilitating workshops, advocating to stakeholders, and creating quality written content.
It takes a highly motivated person to become a successful National FFA Officer—an opportunity afforded to few members. Becoming a national officer requires members to learn about their passions and gain a better understanding of what life as a national officer is like. The life of a national officer is nonstop hard work and never-ending commitments, but it is a life-changing experience—one they will cherish forever.
Congratulations to the following members who will run for a position on the 2019-20 National FFA Officer Team this October:
| Hannah Black | Alabama |
| Bailey Roden | Arizona |
| Dawsyn Smith | Arkansas |
| Genevieve Regli | California |
| Brianna McBride | Colorado |
| Megan Davenport | Connecticut |
| Ariana Gaston | Delaware |
| Kyle Garner | Florida |
| William Sizemore | Georgia |
| Caleb Johnston | Idaho |
| Miriam Hoffman | Illinois |
| Claire Baney | Indiana |
| Peyton Schmitt | Iowa |
| Garrett Craig | Kansas |
| Grace Clark | Kentucky |
| Sara Toal | Louisiana |
| Cahlen Cheatham | Maryland |
| Benjamin Butcher | Michigan |
| Kegan Zimmermann | Minnesota |
| Will Cornelius | Mississippi |
| Sydnee Mason | Missouri |
| Mamie Hertel | Montana |
| Jake Judge | Nebraska |
| Heather Lacovara | Nevada |
| Chad Howe | New Hampshire |
| Lyle Logemann | New Mexico |
| Kimberly Doyle | New York |
| Justin Daniel | North Carolina |
| Kolesen McCoy | Ohio |
| Brooklan Light | Oklahoma |
| Kourtney Lehman | Oregon |
| Justin Kurtz | Pennsylvania |
| Yomar Roman | Puerto Rico |
| Cristina LaPaglia | Rhode Island |
| Philip Rhodes | South Carolina |
| Clayton Sorum | South Dakota |
| Julia Knaggs | Tennessee |
| John Rodriguez | Texas |
| Kacie Jones | Utah |
| Tess Seibel | Virginia |
| Seth Smith | Washington |
| John McCutcheon | West Virginia |
| Amelia Hayden | Wisconsin |
| Kiley Mcconnell | Wyoming |
All candidates will participate in Phase I of the process, which includes a writing exercise, personal round, one-on-one interviews and a stand-and-deliver interview. Following these four rounds, the top 50 percent of candidates in the country and the 50 percent in each region will advance to Phase II of the process. This phase includes round-robin conversations and media interviews with stakeholders; facilitating to real-life students; and a final personal round. The candidates advancing to Phase II of the process will be announced during the National FFA Convention & Expo.
