Matthew Klopfenstein, a senior at Wayne Trace High School and a member of the Wayne Trace FFA chapter, was elected to serve on the 2014-2015 Ohio FFA State Officer Team as State Treasurer. The State FFA Officer team consists of six constitutional officers and up to 10 District Presidents.
In order to be elected, Klopfenstein went through months of preparation including a written application and essay, four interviews, a written test and two appreciation letters. Applicants must have scored above 65% throughout the interview process to be in the running for a State Officer position.
After the announcement was made, Klopfenstein said, “I was nervous and excited as I sat and waited for the results to be announced. Having my family and friends there to share the excitement meant a lot to me. I am looking forward to the upcoming year of service as the State Treasurer.”
The new officer team will begin their year of service with training sessions where they meet and get to know the other team members, learn about their duties and responsibilities, and plan and set goals for the upcoming year. The Ohio FFA officers spend the summer attending all of the FFA Camp Muskingum sessions.
During the fall, officers present chapter workshops, Greenhand speeches, and conduct numerous fall camps and coordinate and present the Ohio Legislative Leadership Conference. The officers serve as delegates to the National FFA Convention in October and work hard preparing to attend chapter meetings, activities, banquets and planning for the State FFA Convention in May.
Klopfenstein was also selected as the State Star in Agribusiness during the recent State FFA Convention. This award was based on an application and on-site interview detailing his business (Deborah’s Goldens) that involved the breeding and sale of registered Golden Retriever dogs.
