Meet the new National FFA CEO, Scott Stump. As you’ll learn, his passion for agricultural education, career and technical education, and, of course, FFA, shines through his values and experiences.
Q: Let’s step back to your childhood. What were you interested in and how were you exposed to FFA?
A: I grew up in an agriculture education family. My dad taught agriculture for 37 years in northeastern Indiana, and my mom was my 4-H advisor. I was never pressured to follow the path, but agriculture was a big part of our family culture growing up. We were all involved and took advantage of all the wonderful opportunities our education and experiences had to offer.
Q: How did your upbringing lead you to a career in agricultural education?
A: Interestingly, I tried to get away from agriculture education. When I started at Purdue University in the fall of 1985, I initially followed a biochemical and agricultural engineering degree path. I thoroughly loved my biochemistry classes and was fascinated by the emerging technology at the time. But then I spent a year as an Indiana FFA state officer traveling to classrooms across the state. It was in those classrooms that I found my purpose – helping people grow and building systems that build people.
Q: What are the things you are most proud of accomplishing in your role with the United States Department of Education?
A: In my role as assistant secretary of career, technical and adult education, I worked to provide a funding stream for career, technical and agriculture education programs. That funding allows for professional development opportunities for educators and equipment updates in agriculture education classrooms so students can access the latest technology, for example. We also ensured that state and local programs had the flexibility to allocate funds in ways that best fit state and local needs.
Q: What drew you to pursue a leadership position with the National FFA Organization?
A: I’ve seen FFA from many vantage points as a member, teacher, state leader, national FFA staff member and as a parent. I know firsthand the positive difference FFA can make in the lives of our members. My experiences have prepared me to guide FFA into years of growth, and when the opportunity with FFA opened, it seemed like I was being called to serve in a different way.
Q: What most excites you about the future of FFA?
A: We’re in a time of change and flux, and that always leads to opportunities. In the disruption we’ve experienced in the last year, we’ve learned how technology is a tool to help reach those students we haven’t reached before – providing access to more students across the country to grow them as leaders and set them up for career success. I’m excited to dig in with the board, staff, state leaders, sponsors and stakeholders to identify the shared opportunities for growth to guide our path forward. We know we have opportunities to grow in underrepresented or marginalized communities where agriculture education has not been previously offered. Because we’re in an industry that’s calling us to do more and build a skilled workforce, we get to be part of preparing this generation to step into roles and join agribusiness employers or step out boldly as entrepreneurs and run their own businesses.
