(TRENTON) –  Four counties from around the state are represented in the 2019-2020 State FFA officer team that was elected as part of the 90^th Annual State FFA Convention, which concluded May 24 at Monmouth University. The state officers represent New Jersey FFA at several state and national functions throughout the year, including visiting FFA chapters all around the state.

The new officers with the chapters they represent are Jamie Specca (Northern Burlington), State President; Owen Donnelly (Warren Hills), State Vice-President; Talia Priore, (Woodstown), State Treasurer; Ryan Jordan, (Cumberland Regional), State Parliamentarian; Kailyn Emmett, (Salem Tech), State Secretary; Karleen Wilford, (Cumberland Regional), State Reporter; Nicole Sickler, (Woodstown), State Sentinel.

“Each of the members elected this year has invested significant time and energy into FFA and I know will add to the great tradition established by previous officer teams,” said New Jersey State FFA Advisor and Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Education Program Leader Erin Noble. “They have each earned the respect of their peers and I know they will embrace the high responsibility that comes with being elected. We are confident these officers will be excellent ambassadors for FFA throughout New Jersey and nationally as well.”

Some of the state officer duties include assisting chapters in the execution of their program of activities; encouraging FFA members to participate in food, agriculture and natural resources education and FFA programs; maintaining positive relations with members, the agribusiness sector, the public and others interested in agricultural education; traveling to FFA chapters around the state 2-3 times per month; assisting at career development events, including fall, spring, and summer; and representing the New Jersey FFA Association at events of other state agricultural organizations.

FFA is a component of a food, agriculture and natural resources program of instruction that prepares students to pursue fulfilling careers in the business, science, education and technology of agriculture. There are more than 2,300 FFA members in New Jersey and nearly 670,000 members across the nation. 

For more information about New Jersey Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Education and the state FFA program visit http://www.jerseyageducation.nj.gov/.  Also keep up to date with New Jersey FFA news on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NJFFA/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/NJFFA and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/newjerseyffa.

For information about the national FFA program visit https://www.ffa.org/home.

###

To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA.