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MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING
OF THE
NATIONAL FFA ORGANIZATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AND
NATIONAL FF A OFFICERS KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
NOVEMBER 11, 1996
The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by Larry D. Case, Chairperson, in the Andy Kirk room of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown hotel. All members of the Board were present except for Edward Smith, State Supervisor, Agricultural Education, State Department of Vocational-Technical Education, Stillwater, OK.
Board of Directors;
Larry D. Case, Chairperson of the Board and Coordinator, Agricultural & Rural Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
Belinda G. Chason, State Supervisor, Agribusiness and Natural Resources Education, Florida Department of Education, Tallahassee, FL
David E. Cox, (USDE Representative), Professor and Associate Dean, Office of Academic Programs, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
David B. Hopson, (USDE Representative), Program Coordinator, Regional School District #7 (Winsted, Connecticut), Blandford, MA
Les A. Olsen, Education Program Consultant, Technical Education Team, Kansas State Board of Education, Topeka, KS
Randy Trivette, Program Specialist, Agricultural Education, State Department of Education, Trenton, NJ
Edgar A. Watkins, Jr., (USDE Representative), Agricultural Education Teacher, Armwood High School, Seffner, FL
John K. Wilkinson, (USDE Representative), State FFA Executive Secretary, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Officers of the Board of Directors:
Larry D. Case, National FFA Advisor and CEO, and Coordinator, Agricultural & Rural Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
C. Coleman Harris, National FFA Executive Secretary and Education Program Specialist, Agriculture, Division of Vocational-Technical Education, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
K. Eugene Eulinger, National FFA Treasurer and District Supervisor, Agricultural Education, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jefferson City, MO
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Board of National FFA Officers:
Seth Demer, National FF A President, Bartlett, NE Cody Wagner, National FFA Secretary, Laramie, WY
D. Joe Caffee, National FF A Vice President, Central Region, Geneva, IN Bill M. Catania, National FFA Vice President, Eastern Region, Westfield, NY Clara-Leigh Horn, National FFA Vice President, Southern Region, Ashville, AL Andy K. McCall, National FFA Vice President, Western Region, Houston, TX Others Present:
Randy Bernhardt, Team Leader, Teacher Services Team, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA
Doug Butler, Team Leader/Senior Regional Director, National FFA Foundation, Madison, WI
Dale Crabtree, Teacher Services Specialist, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA Carol Duval, Teacher Services Specialist, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA Greg Egan, Teacher Services Specialist, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA Wm. Jay Jackman, Executive Director, National Vocational Agricultural Teachers'
Association, Alexandria, VA
Donelle Johnson, Student Services Specialist, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA Jack Pitzer, Communications Consultant, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA Kent Schescke, Senior Regional Director, National FF A Foundation, Madison, WI Bill Stagg, Director/feam Leader, Communications Resources Team, National FFA
Organization, Alexandria, VA
Bernie Staller, Chief Operating Officer, National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation, Alexandria, VA
Scott Stump, Convention Manager/Communications Consultant, Communications Resources Team, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA
Joyce Winterton, Team Leader, Partner Development Team, National FFA Organization, Alexandria, VA
1. REfLECTIQNS
The Reflections was led by Vice President Joe Caffee from Indiana.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTIQN: It was moved by Clara-Leigh Hom (David Hopson), seconded by Andy McCall (David Cox) and carried to approve the Minutes of the July 14-17, 1996 FFA Board meeting in Alexandira, Virginia and the November 6, 1996 FFA Board conference call meeting.
3. NOMINATING COMMl'l"rEE
MOTION: It was moved by Bill Catania (Belinda Chason), seconded by Joe Caffee (Eddie Watkins) and carried to approve the 1996 National FFA Officer Nominating Committee as follows: Emily Buxton, Chair, Ohio;
Dave Haversat, Connecticut; Kevin Oakes, West Virginia; Maggie Goodin, Florida; Lance Wright, Arkansas; James Gamer, California; Christi Davenport, Montana; Kristi Broadbent, Kentucky; and Angel Walter, Wisconsin.
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4.
FINAL
REPORT EROMTHE
1995-96 NATIQNALFFA
OFFICERSMOTION: It was moved by David Cox, seconded by Randy Trivette and carried to accept the 1995-96 National FFA Officer team's final report and to recognize and commend the team for an outstanding job. A standing ovation followed.
(Appendix A)
5. FINANCE CQMMITfEE REPORT - Les Olsen presented the Finance Committee Report in the absence of the Chairperson, Eddie Smith.
MQTION: It was moved by Cody Wagner (John Wilkinson), seconded by Bill Catania (David Hopson) and carried to offer for sale the real estate property owned by the National FFA Organization located at 5632 Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway, Alexandria, Virginia 22309, with any offers subject to approval by the National FFA Board of Directors; and to consider maintaining a portion of land for historical purposes.
MOTION: It was moved by Andy McCall (Randy Trivette), seconded by Clara-Leigh Hom (Belinda Chason) and carried to retain the real estate firm of McShea and Company, Inc. as our sales agent for the Mount Vernon property.
MQTION: It was moved by Clara-Leigh Hom (Eddie Watkins), seconded by Bill Catania (Randy Trivette) and carried to contribute in 1997 an additional amount of $99,000 to the Employee Defined Contribution Retirement Plan to provide total payment to both retirement funds of 7 .9% of actual payroll for fiscal year 1996.
MQTION: It was moved by Cody Wagner (John Wilkinson), seconded by Joe Caffee (David Hopson) and carried to approve the purchase of a sublimation engraving processor for $3,400 from the capital improvement fund.
6. IREASURER'S REPORT- K. Eugene Eulinger, National FFA Treasurer, presented the Treasurer's Report.
MQTION: It was moved by John Wilkinson, seconded by Randy Trivette and carried to accept the Treasurer's Report. (Appendix B)
7. HONORARY AMERJCAN FFA DEGREE-TEACHER APPLICATION Following discussion, the Chairperson of the Board asked Board members Belinda Chason, John Wilkinson and Randy Trivette to meet with Greg Egan, Jay Jackman and available NV ATA Board members to develop a modified application form for the Honorary American FFA Degree -Teacher.
This meeting is to occur during the 1996 National FFA Convention.
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 4:30p.m.
L3fcy:
Case, Chairpei-son-3-
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Final Report to the
National FFA Board of Directors from the
1995-96 National FFA Officer Team
APPENDIX A
It has been said that you really don't know what it is like to be a national FFA officer until your year is over. Our team would like to begin our final report by expressing our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has been a part of our year. We
approached this year with the theme "Create a Future" in mind, and we feel we have been able to accomplish that mission with the support and guidance from many people. While there are too many to list individually, we would like to recognize the National FFA Center and Foundation staffs, the state and local leaders of agricultural education, and you, the National FF A Board of Directors.
We are about to complete our year of service. To help strengthen the National FFA Organization and provide better service to its members, we offer the following observations based on our collective thoughts and experiences.
Observation #1: National FFA Convention Bid Process
• A decision was made this year to solicit bids from cities to host the national FFA convention for the period 1999-2005. The process for this was evolved as we went along. We believe a more structured and defined process needs to be
developed now for bidding and selecting subsequent conventions. Looking back, we have learned what it takes to make an informed decision. It is our belief that a process can be established which guarantees member and teacher involvement, and which can be utilized the next time around. It iS important to develop this process soon to capitalize on the collective knowledge of the current National FFA staff and Board of Directors.
Observation #2: National FFA Board of Directors Visibility
• The National FFA Board of Directors is a body of individuals selected to serve FF A members. Therefore, members of the board should make themselves easily accessible and recognizable to FFA members and advisors. There is a perception that the Board of Directors is a nameless, faceless entity that makes decisions based
primarily on what the national FF A management and staff recommends. Some of our teachers and members do not realize that the Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers who live and breathe agricultural education and FFA. We believe it is vital for continued efforts to be taken to maintain the trust of our teachers and members in the National FFA Board of Directors.
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Observation #3: Task Force and Special Committee Processes
• Task forces and special committees are essential for volunteer boards to operate, especially when working with member-based organizations. FFA has utilized these groups for numerous program and leadership functions. We believe they would be most effective if a general set of guidelines were adopted. Guidelines could include: a timeline of operation, length of duration, specific goals (to
determine when the group has completed its purposes), etc. We also believe the make-up of these groups should be consistently reviewed so that a diversity of people will bring with them new ideas and innovative solutions.
Observation #4: Potential for Greater Membership Growth and Development
• Teachers and students have consistently expressed to us a need for more opportunities for middle school and the college-aged students. Development of programs and services for these groups would greatly enhance both their numbers and their participation in FFA.
• The FFA homepage on the Internet has been a major development for FFA, and it is our belief those efforts should continue. Communications technology holds great promise for the National FFA to better fulfill its mission by directly reaching and involving more FF A members through the Internet.
• There is great interest in international program opportunities among our members. The future of agriculture is global, and our organization needs to create more opportunities for members to have meaningful international experiences.
Staff and financial resources should be directed to provide these opportunities to as many members as possible.
Observation #5 : The Relocation of the National FF A Center
• This was another defining issue the board and national officers faced together.
We believe it is essential to enable members and teachers to develop a sense of ownership for the new facility and all it represents. The FFA Center must be more than just a sterile office building; it should become the symbolic home of FF A's past, promise and future. It should be a place where agricultural education and FFA can be celebrated by all.
• We want to express our sincere hope that all current FFA staff will consider relocating to the new FFA Center. These people have impacted our lives. They are talented and dedicated people who work hard to fulfill FFA's mission. For those whom a move will not be possible, we deeply appreciate their commitment and service, and wish them the very best of success in the future.
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'Observation #6: State Association Needs
• We believe FF A should be successful in every state in the nation. The Local Program Success initiative underscored the importance to the FFA of having successful local chapters. In the same way, our state associations are equally vital to FFA's success. Currently, there are state associations that find it increasingly difficult to maintain their programs and services. The critical nature of the situation
requires that the National FFA Organization take more aggressive action in responding to their needs.
Observation #7: Premier Leadership
• Our organization prides itself on youth leadership development, and with good reason. We believe, however, that more can be done to train and develop leadership skills within the national staff, officers and board of directors. The result of this investment would be more effective leadership and service to our local teachers and members.
A Special Request
This has been one the most significant years of change in our organization's history.
The decisions we have made will impact millions of people. We believe it would be appropriate to provide an opportunity for the 1996 National FFA Board of Directors and national officer team to attend the grand opening of the National FFA Center in Indianapolis and the first national FFA convention held in Louisville.
In Conclusion
Difficult decisions can either tear groups apart or bring them closer together. We are thankful that the latter was true in the case of our team and the Board of Directors.
We leave our year of service to the FFA with the highest regard and respect for the individuals that serve on the National FFA Board of Directors. Further, we thank each of them for their respect and the trust they have placed in us during the past year. As national officers, we have had an opportunity to serve FFA members for a single year. The members of the Board of Directors have chosen to serve them as part of their life's work. For this, we are truly grateful. ·
National FFA Organization 5632 Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway
Alexandria, Virginia 22309
To: Board of Directors
From: Larry Case, Coleman Harris and Bernie Staller Re. FFA Financial Reports
Date: November 11, 1996
Rscal Year Revenue/Expenses/Excess• - FFA Organization (Excludes Alumni results):
Year Revenue Expense Excess
1991-92 $6,440, 107 $6,984,514 ($544,407) 1992-93 $6,600, 129 $6,872,922 ($272,793) 1993-94 $7,768,854 $7,590,813 $178,041 1994-95 $8,947,896 $8,566,024 $381,872 1995-96 $9,210,898 $9, 111,571 $99,327
• Excludes Grant Activity; Includes in-house revenues & expenses
Analysis of Revenue/Expense/Excess for the 12 months ending August 31:
Analysis of Annual Revenues/Expenses/Excess
$10,000,000
$9,000,000
$8,000,000
$7,000,000
$6,000,000
$5,000,000
$4,000,000
$3,000,000
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$0 ($1,000,000)
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APPENDIX B
~-~I Revenues - - Expenses
- --.•1-- Excess
I n(llestment Analysis by Year:
Aug-92 Aug-93 Aug-94 Aug-95 Aug-96
CDs/CMOs
$1,777,030
$1,794,428
$3,282,292
$3,768,341
$4,561,613
cash
$348,842
$247,465
$326, 186
$320,783
$306,564
Inventory
$787,466
$886, 172
$1,006,267
$1,031,633
$983,945
Total
$2,913,338
$2,928,065
$4,614,744
$5,120,757
$5,852, 122
National FFA Organization - Investments**
$6,000,000 - - - - -- ---- - ---- - ----- --- - - --- - - --- - - --- - --- -- - -- --- -- ----
$5,000,000
$4,000,000
$3,000,000
---- --- - - -- - - -- ---._:.._ -------- ------ - -- - --. -------- - --- --- --- --- - -- - - - --- --- - - ---- ----- - ----------- ---- -- -- -- ------.
$2,000,000
$1,000,000
$0
Aug-92 Aug-93 Aug-94 Aug-95
. . ** Investments represents the sum of CDs/CMOs, Operating Cash and Inventory
lccounts Receivable - Merchandise -Aging Analysis: ·
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90 Days
60 Days 12%
30 Days 13%
Aug-95
Balance
$263,521
Current 52%
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90 Days
60 Days 9%
Aug-96
30 Days 24%
Balance
$271,643
Aug-96
Current 46%
