Welcome back to school from NAAE! As you begin a new year of learning, leading, and making a difference in the lives of your students, we’re wishing you a successful and rewarding school year ahead. Thank you for all you do for agricultural education. We’re excited to support you throughout the year! | | 2026 NAAE Awards and Scholarships | | In case you missed it, the 2026 NAAE Awards and Scholarships were announced in July! Congratulations to the outstanding NAAE members from across the country who have been named this year’s award recipients. Our award winners will be recognized during the 2026 NAAE Convention, December 1–5 in New Orleans, Louisiana. | | 2026 National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy | | |
The National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy (NATAA) was held July 13-17, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. NATAA is a professional development institute available to all members of NAAE. The process and selection to become an agriscience ambassador is rigorous, with a limited number of openings each year.
14 agricultural educators were selected to participate in this year’s professional development academy. Since its inception in 2003, National Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors and the teachers they have trained have impacted well over a million students across the United States, from Puerto Rico to Alaska. Furthermore, Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors conduct workshops around the U.S. to share
the same concepts with other science and agricultural educators. More than 3,500 educators have been trained by Agriscience Teacher Ambassadors.
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Julie Branen, OK
Justice Fitzgerald, TX
Cameron Frazier, IN
Erica Hart, MO
Brianna Lammers, IN
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Morgan Looten, MO
Jared Parks, NC
Jese Shell, OH
Jalynn Sifford, NC
Kaylee Stone, UT
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Clayton Thomas, IL
Coty Vannoy, TN
Zane Webster, NM
Ryan Weed, WI
| | Corteva Agriscience™ puts science to work as a proud sponsor of the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy (NATAA), a special project of the National FFA Foundation. | | Save the Date for National #TeachAg Day! | | NAAE members, mark your calendars for National #TeachAg Day on Thursday, September 17, 2026! This annual celebration highlights the incredible impact of agricultural educators while inspiring the next generation to explore careers in agricultural education. Whether you're introducing students to the profession, sharing your own journey, or engaging your community, National #TeachAg Day is an opportunity to celebrate the work you do every day and help grow the future of our profession. | | |
Join us for the NAAE #TeachAg Breakout 2.0 Challenge!
NAAE is excited to bring back the #TeachAg Breakout Challenge with an all-new Breakout 2.0 experience! This interactive activity helps students explore the skills and rewards of becoming an agricultural educator while competing with programs from across the country. The change will take place on National #TeachAg Day, Thursday, September 17, 2026. Click here to register your students.
2026 National #TeachAg Celebrating Planning Guide
As you prepare for National #TeachAg Day, be sure to check out the 2026 National #TeachAg Day Celebration Planning Guide! Designed to help you create a celebration that reflects your unique style and vision, this guide is packed with ideas to help you make the most of the week leading up to National #TeachAg Day and the celebration itself. Whether you're continuing favorite traditions or trying something new, you'll find inspiration and resources to help make your event a success.
#TeachAg Interactive Student Notebook
Looking for resources you can use year-round in your classroom to help spread the #TeachAg message? Check out our #TeachAg Interactive Notebook! This free resource is filled with activities and worksheets to get your students thinking about a career in agricultural education.
| | See you in New Orleans for the 2026 NAAE Convention! | | Join us in New Orleans, Louisiana this year and experience the premier ag ed professional development event of the year: the 2026 NAAE Convention. Find the piece to your professional development puzzle in over 80 different ag ed specific professional development workshops or network with your peers from across the nation. There is no better way to invest in yourself as a professional! You won't want to miss it! | | |
Advance Registration Now Open! Save through October 13!
NAAE members receive a $30.00 discounted rate for NAAE Convention and ACTE CareerTech Vision! Make sure you are paying the NAAE rate through our link and marking “Agricultural Education” as your field of specialization. Visit our Registration webpage to register today!
Convention Housing Block Now Open
This year’s event will be hosted at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. There are very few single nights available, however, NAAE has booked an overflow hotel a very short walking distance (0.2 miles) from the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. Visit our Housing and Travel webpage to book your accommodations.
Resources to Help You Get Approval for NAAE Convention
Visit the NAAE Convention Attendee Resources webpage to download our Administrator Support Letter and Justification to Attend NAAE Convention Letter. These resources outline how convention participation supports professional growth, strengthens classroom instruction, and ultimately benefits students, giving you a helpful tool to share when requesting approval.
NAAE Convention Schedule
A schedule-at-a-glance for the 2026 NAAE Convention is now available on our website. A more detailed schedule, including workshop descriptions and room assignments, will be released at a later date. Visit our website to access the 2026 NAAE Convention Schedule.
| | NAAE Committee Member and Leadership Applications | | |
NAAE takes pride in being a grassroots organization. Our committee structure and process are essential to the continued growth and success of NAAE, ensuring members have a strong voice in shaping the direction and future of our organization.
We are currently seeking members for 2027-2029 NAAE Regional representatives for each of our five committees. Applications for 2027-2029 NAAE Committee regional representatives are due on September 15, 2026. Apply here.
Current committee members are eligible to serve in a leadership capacity as Committee Chair or Committee Secretary. If you are eligible and would like to apply to be a Chair or Secretary of your committee, please submit your MOU and application by September 15th.
| | NAAE Board of Directors and Regional Secretaries MOU | | |
If you are interested in serving on the NAAE Board of Directors or as a regional secretary, please note that memorandum of understandings are due September 15 for the following NAAE Board of Directors and Regional Secretary positions to Alissa Smith.
President
President-Elect
Region III Vice President
Region V Vice President
Regional Secretaries
| | 2026-2027 NAAE Membership Reminders | | |
The new membership year began on July 1, 2026, and Dues Remitters have been emailed their 2026-2027 NAAE Membership Rosters. Rosters are due by September 1, 2026, and additional rosters can be submitted throughout the year.
The dues remitter on file from 2025-2026 was emailed the roster so please have them forward it if your state elected a new Dues Remitter.
Lastly, the 2026-2027 NAAE Membership Incentive will provide an early-bird registration to each state that submits and pays for at least 95% of their active members from 2025-2026 by September 1. Roster and payment must arrive to NAAE by September 1 to be eligible for the incentive.
| | Online Personal Finance Institute for Agricultural Educators | | The Career and Technical Education Consortium of States (CTECS) is offering a National Online Personal Finance Institute specifically designed for agricultural educators, sponsored by NAAE. The 15-week professional development opportunity is divided into two parts and provides 45 hours of professional development focused on helping teachers build confidence in teaching personal finance topics. The institute is aligned with national personal finance education standards and is designed to help educators integrate financial literacy into agricultural education courses or develop standalone personal finance offerings for students. Registration closes August 21. | | Educators Empowering Educators (E3) Cohort 3 | | |
The Global Teach Ag Network's Educators Empowering Educators (E3) Cohort 3 program is creating opportunities for agricultural educators to lead the profession through collaboration, innovation, and global learning. Cohort 3 brings teams of educators together for a two-year professional development experience focused on global agriculture, sustainable development, and agricultural literacy.
Participants engage with researchers and industry experts, develop classroom resources connected to global agricultural issues, and help lead the Global Ag Literacy Summit. Through this investment in teacher leadership, Cohort 3 is equipping educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to help students better understand the interconnected challenges and opportunities facing agriculture around the world.
Cohort 3 Applications are due Friday, September 11.
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Calendar
August 20 - Teacher Recruitment, Retention and Recognition Committee Meeting
September 1 - NAAE State Officer Roster Due
September 15 - NAAE Committee Member and Leadership Applications Due
September 15 - NAAE Board of Directors and Regional Secretaries MOUs Due
September 17 - National #TeachAg Day
September 30 - Professional State Association Award Applications Due
October 13 - NAAE Convention Advance Registration Closes
| | The National Association of Agricultural Educators is a federation of state agricultural educators' associations with more than 10,000 members. NAAE members are involved in school-based agricultural education at any level, from middle school through postsecondary, and state and national agricultural education leadership. | | |
National Association of Agricultural Educators
www.naae.org | #TeachAg | naae@uky.edu
(859) 967-2892 or (800) 509-0204
You are receiving this email because you are a member of NAAE.
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