WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) spoke on the House Floor Tuesday to congratulate the 2024-2025 Tennessee FFA State Officer Team. A former state officer himself, Rep. Rose also spoke about the lifelong benefits the organization has on student leaders across the country.
The full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:
Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize the 2024-2025 Tennessee FFA State Officer Team.
I want to commend FFA for all it does to support our nation’s young people and the many ways it has helped produce some of our nation’s best and brightest.
For countless elected officials, including me, FFA is where it all started. It’s where we began honing leadership skills, learning ways to meet challenges big and small, and seeing the value of hard work. The experiences FFA students are afforded in those few short years will continue to matter to them throughout their lives.
Serving in an officer role can be transformative. I know because I had the chance to be one. I was elected FFA president of my local chapter in Cookeville, Tennessee, in 1982. The following year, I was fortunate enough to be elected Middle Tennessee State Vice President. My time as an FFA state officer taught me tremendous lessons I’m proud to hold onto today. I still keep two of my FFA blue corduroy jackets in framed cases on my office wall as a reminder of the lessons learned from that experience.
I say all of this to send a message to FFA students everywhere: living to serve isn’t just part of the FFA motto. It’s a lifestyle.
With that, I’d like to congratulate the newly elected Tennessee FFA State Officers:
T. Wayne Williams – State President
Emily Whitehead – East Tennessee State Vice President
Skylar Baird – Middle Tennessee State Vice President
Sarah Ault – West Tennessee State Vice President
Shelbi Wallace – Secretary
Eli Julian – Treasurer
Paige Pardue – Reporter
Lexi Rush – Sentinel
FFA chapters across Tennessee are preparing student leaders for big things. In fact, it’s those chapter officers and this slate of state officers that give me so much hope for the future of our state.
Madam Speaker, Members of Congress, please join me in recognizing the newly elected Tennessee FFA State Officers. Congratulations to each and every one!
You can watch the full speech here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://johnrose.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-rose-congratulates-2024-2025-tennessee-ffa-state-officer-team