INDIANAPOLIS – Josie Jennings hopes to use her time as the new FFA president to advocate for production agriculture and to encourage farmers and others to share their stories.

Jennings, of the Global Impact FFA chapter in Springfield, Ohio, was named president of the National FFA Organization in October during its 99th annual convention. She’s one of six officers who will lead FFA for the 2026-27 year.

“To be honest, I don’t remember hearing my name called, just stepping forward when I heard ‘from the state of Ohio,’” she recalled. “I’m convinced I’ll never be able to put into words the emotions of (Oct. 24), and the truth is that I am still processing them today. What I do remember is, as I ran up to the stage and hugged my teammates for the first time, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and overflowing joy.

“Sure, the national officer selection process was nearly eight days in Indianapolis, but that moment was also a testament to the past eight years I’ve spent in the blue jacket.”

Jennings said she was fueled to pursue a national officer role by a mission to notice the unnoticed and intentionally celebrate the stories that sit at the core of FFA. That could look like a student in the back of a classroom who is nervous to raise their hand in a workshop or a farmer who feels like their foundational role in FFA is forgotten, she noted.

“I want to embody a table-setting leadership, one defined by welcoming people in and leaving a spot for them to sit down and share their story,” Jennings explained. “Good leaders welcome others in the door, but great leaders bring people home in a way that has nothing to do with where they’re from.”

She said her officer team wants to ensure that leadership development rooted in agriculture, service and advocacy for production agriculture are forefront values of the FFA. As the officers travel across the country, they hope to be a listening ear and then a voice that connects national FFA with the priorities and needs of local chapters and state associations, she added.

“I’ve spent the past year and a half outside of the blue corduroy as an agribusiness and agricultural communications student at Oklahoma State,” Jennings said. “My time beyond the jacket has proved the most fulfilling roles invest in something that outlasts us. Through authentic connection, faith, and forward-thinking fueled by the values of those before us, I aim to truly embody people-focused leadership over the next year as I serve the National FFA Organization.”

During her senior year of high school at Global Impact STEM Academy, Jennings said she worked with her chapter officer team to host an event called Little Farmer’s Day at the school. The chapter welcomed third graders from the county and exposed them to farm equipment, livestock, food science stations and more, she said. Global Impact STEM Academy is an agricultural-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) school.

The school is in a part of the county that had little exposure to production agriculture, Jennings said. Watching chapter FFA members, third graders and agricultural professionals from across Clark County, Ohio, gather to celebrate their roles in cultivating agriculture was easily a highlight of her time with FFA, she said.

In addition to her majors in college she is working toward a minor in agricultural real estate appraisal and a certificate in ethical leadership. After graduation, Jennings said she plans to return to Ohio and work in the farm transition and succession planning sector.

She said she’s looking forward to seeing how her experience as FFA president will expand her worldview and open doors for career opportunities.

“We will have the chance to meet corporate sponsors, authentic leaders and exceptional high school students from across the entire country this year,” Jennings said. “I know I will use the lessons and connections gathered from this unique once-in-a-lifetime adventure far beyond when this experience finishes and I was down the steps of Lucas Oil Stadium next October.”

The current officer team will serve until the end of the 100th national convention in October 2027 in Indianapolis.