Announcement of New NAAE CEO No images? Click here Alissa Smith Named CEO of NAAELexington, Ky. – The board of directors of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) is pleased to announce that Alissa F. Smith of Nicholasville, Ky. has been hired as NAAE Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Her assignment in this capacity will begin October 1, 2020. In this assignment, Smith will lead this not-for-profit education-related professional membership association, which serves agricultural education professionals throughout the United States and its territories. In partnership with the NAAE board of directors, Smith will be responsible for the short- and long-term success of the organization by overseeing the leadership and management of the organization. Smith will work with the board of directors and staff to assure NAAE’s relevance to school-based agricultural education and NAAE members, the accomplishment of organization’s mission, vision and strategic plan, and the accountability of the organization to its members. “I am excited to take on this new challenge in leading NAAE,” stated Smith. “I look forward to staying on course with the great programs and services that we have provided over the years and expanding programming to be responsive to needs of our members and agricultural educators at all levels as we continue to grow NAAE and the agricultural education profession.” For the past 14 years, Smith has been associate executive director of NAAE where she is the primary driving force behind the development of programming to support the recruitment, retention, and recognition of agricultural educators in all stages of their careers. In addition to her work at NAAE, Smith is an accomplished textbook and workbook author and she has served as a university resource teacher for agricultural education student teachers for the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining the NAAE staff, she taught agricultural for five and one-half years in the Jessamine County School District in Ky. Parker Bane, NAAE President and agriculture teacher at Normal Community West High School in Normal, Ill., said, “We are most fortunate to have Alissa Smith in this new role with our organization. Alissa is respected and valued highly by our members as well as our external sponsors and partners. She will continue and expand our mission of providing outstanding professional development for agricultural educators, advocacy for the agricultural education profession, and recruitment and retention of agricultural educators. In addition, she will keep our organization on a sound financial footing.” Smith received the Honorary American FFA Degree from the National FFA Organization in 2019; the DuPont George Washington Carver Teacher Mentor Award in 2015, and the American Cancer Society Mid-South Community Volunteer Award in 2010-11. Smith replaces Dr. Wm. Jay Jackman who has chosen to vacate the position after almost 25 years in this capacity. Smith and Jackman will overlap as NAAE chief executives through December. The National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) is the national professional association for school-based agricultural educators. NAAE is ... “Professionals providing agricultural education for the global community through visionary leadership, advocacy and service.” There are over 9,000 NAAE members nationwide who are agriculture teachers/instructors in middle schools, secondary schools, and postsecondary institutions, agricultural education faculty in colleges and universities, statewide coordinators of agricultural education, college/university agricultural education students, and others who support the school-based agricultural education profession. ### Connect with Us |