The year was 1969 and it proved to be an important one at the National FFA Convention in Kansas City. The delegates had voted to provide full membership privileges to women. It was also the year that Charles Postles was elected as the Eastern Region Vice President. Only two others from Delaware had ever earned the honor of serving as a National FFA Officer: S. Pennewill Isaacs (Secretary, 1941-1942) and John W. Webb, Jr. (Eastern Region Vice President, 1947-1948). Over the past 47 years, there have been many deserving candidates that have worked hard in hopes of being elected, but no one from Delaware had succeeded in being one of the top 6 selected by the National FFA Nominating Committee to serve.
Delaware’s dry spell came to an end this afternoon, when David Townsend was elected to the 2016-2017 National FFA Officer team as President at the 89th National FFA Convention & Expo. As a National Officer, David will travel more than 100,000 miles, nationally and internationally, to interact with business and industry leaders, thousands of FFA members and teachers, corporate sponsors, government and education officials, state FFA leaders, the general public and more. The team will lead personal growth and leadership training seminars for FFA members throughout the country and help set policies that will guide the future of FFA and promote agricultural literacy.
David is a 2014 graduate of Middletown High School. He was very active in their FFA chapter and Agriscience program, led by Jeff Billings and Cheryl Vest. In March 2014, David was elected as the 2014-2015 Delaware FFA State Treasurer, serving a membership of more than 10,000 students. He is currently attending University of Delaware studying Agriculture & Natural Resources and Plant Sciences.
