Blue, Gold and Beyond: Virginia’s FFA Teacher Ambassador Duo
The 2025-26 National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA at their summer training.
If you’ve ever stepped foot in an agricultural shop or managed a greenhouse, you know that being an FFA advisor is a massive undertaking. Between the late nights spent coaching career development event teams, to the endless paperwork of Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, filling out award applications and helping students, as well as animals, along the way, the workload can feel overwhelming. Luckily, for teachers across the Commonwealth, Dakota Stroud and Caitlin Tatum are stepping up to make sure no one has to do it alone.
Representing the Signal Knob Middle and Bassett FFA Chapters, these two have been chosen as the 2025-26 National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA from Virginia. They are the “boots on the ground,” serving as a direct link between National FFA and local classrooms to ensure every teacher has the support he or she needs.
Stroud and Tatum together last summer at the ambassador training.
Leading by Example, Growing Together
Stroud is a name many FFA advisors in Virginia know. A veteran in the ambassador program, he has also spent the last four years building a standout program at Signal Knob. He’s become the “go-to” resource for teachers across the state, always ready to hop on a call to help a fellow advisor work through a technical question or a program hurdle.
Stroud is one of the 2025-26 National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA from Virginia.
Joining him this year is Tatum, who brings a fresh perspective to the role in her first year as an ambassador. Adding on to her ambassadorship, Tatum is in her seventh year of teaching. Her journey to the agricultural classroom was a bit of a surprise, even to her.
“Never in a million years did I think I would be an agriculture teacher,” she says. “But I’m so glad I said ‘yes.’”
Tatum is a 2025-26 National Teacher Ambassador for FFA from Virginia.
That one “yes” changed everything for her community. In her four years at Bassett, Tatum’s not only revitalized her own chapter, but also helped launch a local middle school program. Her passion for building things from scratch and seeing students succeed makes her an incredible mentor for new advisors who are still trying to find their footing.
A Legacy of Service
At the end of the day, the work Stroud and Tatum do isn’t just about filing award applications or mastering the latest educational tools. It’s about the quiet moments of mentorship that keep a struggling teacher from giving up. It’s about ensuring that when a member zips up his or her blue corduroy jacket for the first time, they have an advisor who is energized, supported and ready to lead them.
By pouring their hearts into their fellow teachers, Stroud and Tatum are planting seeds that will bloom for generations. They remind us all that in the FFA family, we don’t just grow crops; we grow each other. Their dedication is a beautiful reminder that while the work of an agriculture teacher is never truly done, it is a journey we never have to walk alone.
