February 4, 2025
.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale)
by Aaron Zimdars
The current National FFA officer team was selected in October at the 97th annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Mary Schrieber of East Troy, Wis., had the honor of being selected to the team.
The officers are chosen based on an intensive interview process, past achievements in FFA, and a demonstrated passion for agriculture and leadership. Today, there are 1,027,273 FFA members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Schrieber started her FFA journey in middle school as a trivia quiz bowl team member. She was encouraged to continue in other FFA activities such as creed speaking events and leadership conferences. Schrieber eventually began a Supervised Agricultural Experience in beekeeping, which exposed her to the production side of agriculture.
“It allowed me to experience the wonderful community of mentors and supporters in this industry that I now call home,” she says.
Schrieber ran for state office as a senior in high school and served as the Wisconsin state sentinel for 2022-23. Last year, she was the state president, and now she is one of six National FFA officers, serving as the central region vice president.
“The coolest experience of my life was running for national office,” Schrieber says. “What really pushed me to try to run for national office was to ensure that students felt a sense of belief in their belonging within this organization.”
Exciting opportunities
Some of Schrieber’s work involves leading workshops, delivering speeches at conferences and making appearances at state FFA conventions. She also will participate in the state officers summit in Washington, D.C., which is an opportunity for state FFA leaders from around the country to gain insight into the workings of policymaking in the nation’s capital. She will travel extensively around the country, visiting more than 30 states this year.
With so much travel and time spent on the go, she says, “It’s a whirlwind of a year, a wonderful opportunity — a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of year.”
The national officers embarked on a trip to Japan at the end of January to interact with the Future Farmers of Japan organization and to learn about trade relations regarding commodities and exports between that country and the U.S.
While undergoing this yearlong journey, Schrieber is taking a break from her studies and will return to college in the spring of 2026. She is hoping to secure a career in agricultural policy, advocating for agriculture at the government level.
“I believe FFA does a really wonderful job of instilling passion for agriculture within the competitions and the conferences, along with a passion for leadership that no organization really can do for agriculture and agricultural education,” she says.
When asked if there’s anything she wants to let fellow FFA members know, she says: “If someone hasn’t told you yet, you do belong in this organization. You can be successful here. This can be a community where you can really thrive.”
Zimdars lives in Ripon, Wis.
Read more about:
FFAYou May Also Like