Florida student named to 2012-13 National FFA Officer team as national president
2012 - 2013 National FFA President Clay Sapp
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012/National FFA Organization) – From an early age, Florida student Clay Sapp knew he was a good communicator and teacher.
But it wasn’t until he took some agricultural education classes and joined FFA that he discovered how he wanted to channel those two skills. He learned about the country’s need for great teachers who could teach agriculture. He determined that his passion lies in school administration.
“I want to teach high school agricultural education and then obtain a master’s degree in educational leadership,” he said. “My goal is to become a school administrator so I can encourage classroom innovation and motivate students to become better scholars and young people.”
Today, to conclude the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Sapp was elected National FFA president for 2012-13.
Joining him on the 2012-13 National FFA Officer team are Kalie Hall of Georgia as national secretary, Joenelle Futrell of Kentucky as Eastern Region vice president, Lindsey Anderson of California as Western Region vice president, Brennan Costello of Nebraska as Central Region vice president and Wiley Bailey as Southern Region vice president.
For the next year, the group will travel more than 100,000 miles across the country to engage top leaders in business, government and education. The national officers will lead personal growth and leadership training seminars for FFA members. The team will help set policies that will guide the future of FFA and promote agricultural literacy.
A seven-year member of the Madison County High School FFA chapter in Madison, Fla., Sapp served as a Florida national FFA delegate from 2008-2010 and won his state’s prepared public speaking competition in 2010. He was student body president his senior year in high school, salutatorian of his graduating class and a varsity baseball and tennis player.
“As a national FFA officer, it will be my mission to activate change and growth in the National FFA Organization,” he said. “I plan to develop strong relationships, be a champion of FFA and agricultural education and seek new ways to strengthen student experiences within FFA.”
Dual enrollment hours he accomplished in high school enabled Sapp to graduate from North Florida Community College with an associate of arts degree in just one full college semester after high school. Today, he is a University of Florida at Gainesville student pursuing a major in agricultural education and communication.
“I intend to serve and give of myself as a leader and role model,” he said. “I realize that not all of my hopes and dreams for our organization may be feasible but in a year from now I want to know that I planted seeds to advance the National FFA Organization’s mission for the future of agriculture.”
Sapp is the son of Ed and Gina Sapp; his father was his FFA advisor in high school.
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