Colorado ag teachers serve as National FFA Teacher Ambassadors
By Callie Hanson Saults , For The Fence Post, September 14, 2026
Agricultural educators often wear several hats, balancing classroom instruction with FFA chapter activities, officer teams, competitions and other responsibilities.
Colorado agricultural education teachers Alison Brown of Dolores Secondary School, Taylor Eurich of Windsor High School and Alexandra Grimes of Greeley West High School are the three educators from the state currently serving FFA ambassadors.
National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA are current classroom agricultural educators selected to help connect fellow teachers with the educational resources and opportunities available through the National FFA Organization. Ambassadors also provide feedback from teachers to National FFA, advocate for the organization and support professional growth among agricultural educators.
“A National Teacher Ambassador is an agricultural teacher who serves as a resource between National FFA and the agricultural teachers in their state,” Brown said. “We provide resources and serve as a point of contact if teachers have questions.”
The program began in 2016 with 24 ambassadors. Teachers are selected annually, and those chosen participate in training covering their role, available National FFA resources and how to prepare and deliver educational workshops.
ACCESS FOR TEACHERS
For these educators, a significant part of the job is making the large amount of information available through National FFA easier for Colorado teachers to access.
“I think we get really busy, so it’s nice to know somebody in your state who also does your job personally,” Brown said. “That person can connect you with people you may not know as well and share resources.”
Brown said those resources include lesson plans and classroom activities, along with materials designed to help teachers fulfill their responsibilities as FFA advisers.
“Along with being an FFA adviser and a classroom teacher, educators also have to run a chapter and work with officer teams,” Brown said. “National FFA offers tons of resources to help with all of those components and the extra roles you play as an agricultural teacher.”
Ambassadors are expected to take that knowledge beyond their own classrooms. As part of the program, each ambassador delivers educational workshops about National FFA resources and opportunities. They also gather feedback from educators and exchange ideas with agricultural teachers from around the country.
“We are our best resource out there,” Eurich said. “Having the ability to pick up the phone and call someone in Tennessee or Kentucky to get a different vantage point on something is amazing to me.”
Those connections ultimately benefit students as well. Eurich said ambassadors can help connect Colorado agricultural education programs with National FFA opportunities that teachers and students may not otherwise know are available.
“They are provided access to resources that a lot of people don’t even know exist,” she said. “So they kind of get that inside scoop before everybody else.”
Grimes said the additional training gives ambassadors a better understanding of resources ranging from lesson plans to scholarships, awards and student opportunities.
“Because we receive that extra training, we can bring the information back to other educators here in Colorado and to our state association,” Grimes said. “That allows us to better serve our students and give them access to opportunities some of us may not have otherwise known about.”
HELPING NEW EDUCATORS
That support is especially important for educators who are just beginning their careers. Brown noted one of her priorities this year is connecting with newer agricultural teachers. She and another Colorado ambassador worked with first- through third-year educators this summer, and she hopes to continue reaching teachers with five or fewer years in the profession.
“The first couple of years are really the hardest years of teaching,” Brown said. “My goal is to connect with teachers who are probably in year five or below, get as many resources into their hands as possible and give them points of contact. I want to help build a system of support for them.”
Eurich noted she was also drawn to the National FFA Teacher Ambassador program because it offered an opportunity to provide other educators with the kind of support she wished she had early in her career.
“The ambassador program is a resource for teachers that is run by teachers,” Eurich said. “I enjoy the fact that I get to be that for teachers when I didn’t get to have that when I first started.”
For Eurich, a significant part of the ambassador role is helping agricultural educators and students see National FFA as an organization they can turn to directly for support and resources.
“Part of my role is to bridge that gap and make sure teachers and students know that National FFA is, in fact, accessible and that they can contact them,” she said.
Professional development is also a key component of the ambassador program itself. In a survey of the 2024-25 group, all participating ambassadors reported the program enhanced their ability to grow professionally, particularly through greater knowledge of FFA resources, networking with other agricultural teachers and becoming a resource for their peers.
Grimes has seen that network extend well beyond Colorado.
“I have actually met some of my best friends in agricultural education outside of Colorado because of this program,” she said.
EXCHANGING IDEAS
Those relationships provide opportunities to exchange ideas and see how agricultural education programs operate in other parts of the country. Grimes plans to arrive early for the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this fall to visit another teacher’s program.
“That is another awesome part of this program,” Grimes said. “It really does create and facilitate those connections.”
She hopes to continue building those relationships while becoming more active in the agricultural education community. After completing three years as an ambassador, educators are eligible to apply to become mentor ambassadors, who provide additional support to other participants throughout their terms. Grimes said becoming a mentor is one of her goals for the future.
While much of their work is aimed at supporting other teachers, Brown said the impact ultimately comes back to students.
“When teachers are supported and able to do their jobs at a high level, that benefits the students in my program as well as students in every program across Colorado,” Brown said.
Grimes agreed, noting the opportunities available through agricultural education can prepare students for careers both within and outside agriculture.
“Colorado FFA and agricultural educators are working to make sure our students are ready to go out and become active members in whatever field they enter, whether it is agriculture or not,” Grimes said. “I think this program is one more step that helps us go above and beyond some other programs and prepares students for that future.”
Source: theFencePost, 9/14/2026
