Wyoming FFA welcomes new advisor

At the beginning of July, Stacy Broda took the reins of the Wyoming FFA Association in her new position as the Wyoming State FFA Advisor.
    “Right now, I am trying to get my feet of the ground,” comments Broda on her beginning. “I’m very excited, and I think we are going to do some really cool things.”
    Broda, who has a strong FFA background, looks to continually improve the state association, while remaining true to Wyoming FFA traditions.
Rich background
    Since her high school years, Broda has been an active member of the Wyoming FFA Association.
    “I was a member of the Cheyenne FFA before the chapter split,” says Broda. “Then, I served as State FFA Secretary in 1999-2000.”
    Following her term as a state officer, Broda interned for the Association under advisor Ron Pulse and ran for a National FFA Office.
    “Prior to this, I was the State Executive Treasurer, and I’ve been on the FFA Foundation Board for eight years now,” she mentions, adding that serving as an ex-officio board member will be among her new duties with the organization.
Advisory duties
    The term for state FFA advisor is two years, as dictated by the Wyoming Department of Education.  Broda will also be in charge of working with state officers and preparing state events along with working with the new board.
    “First off this year, I’ve been working with the state officers and helping them to prepare for their year of service,” says Broda. “We’re preparing for state fair, National Convention, and FIRE conference in November.”
    Broda also adds that helping the state officers to conduct chapter visits and organize the State FFA Convention in April is an important role she will fill.
    “This position also means taking care of all the planning and organizing for state events, membership requirements and all the paperwork for National FFA,” she comments.
    Changes in the structure of the funding from the Department of Education have also provided for a change in the structure of the organization. On top of the advisor duties, Broda will also be working to keep finances in order, and the organization will not be filling the executive treasurer position Broda previously held.
Board of Directors
    In her first few weeks on the job, Broda has developed a Board of Directors for the Association, which includes seven members.
    “We created a Board of Directors, and I’m really excited about that,” says Broda. “We’ll have an ag teacher from every region, the state officers will have a vote and the last position is a university, community college or business leader.”
    The Board of Directors will follow the same model that National FFA uses for decision making. The delegates will make recommendations at State FFA Convention each year and pass those recommendations on to the Board of Directors, who will make the final decisions on whether to adopt the recommendations or not. The Wyoming Vocational Agriculture Teacher’s Association will also have the opportunity to make recommendations to the board.
    “I’m excited to be able to work with a Board of Directors and have their support for my first couple of years,” Broda comments.
Continuing developments
    In order to facilitate the multitude of events that are conducted by the Association every year, Broda notes that they will enlist the help of Wyoming FFA supporters.
    “We will be giving a lot more people the opportunity to help and be involved,” she says, adding that there has been huge support from across the state. “It is exciting to hear from all of our Wyoming FFA supporters.”
    “We are going to change up convention,” comments Broda. “We’re also talking about creating a conference for older members that is at the same time as FIRE.”
    The FIRE conference targets young FFA members, and Broda hopes to provide continued opportunities for learning for the junior- and senior-aged students.
    “We aren’t trying to turn everything around and make complete changes,” she adds. “We are tweaking things a little. Ron Pulse was advisor for 28 years, and he has done some great things for Wyoming FFA, so we aren’t changing those things that work.”
    “I’m excited to be working with young people again, helping them to be successful in FFA and helping the organization to move forward,” she comments.
    Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.