Newly elected National FFA Eastern Region Vice President Joey Nowotny races toward the stage alongside predecessor Caroline Groth.
Ask recently elected National FFA Officer Joey Nowotny where his FFA journey began, and he won’t describe tractors, farm fields, or childhood chores.
Instead, he’ll smile and say it all started with two words: free pizza.
As a sixth grader who had recently moved from New York to Delaware—with no agricultural background whatsoever—Nowotny overheard an announcement promising free pizza at the first FFA meeting of the year. He showed up for the slice. What he didn’t expect was to stay for the people, the opportunities and the sense of home.
By ninth grade, he was fully invested. In his agriculture class, Nowotny worked alongside his agriculture teacher and advisor, Dr. Matthew Wood, to bring his aquaponics Supervised Agricultural Experience to life. The system they built didn’t simply sit idle—it produced vegetables that fed the school’s culinary program. Nowotny wasn’t just learning about agriculture; he was living it, watching his work ripple into other classrooms and students.
Then came a rare opportunity that few high school students ever experience. Through a friendship formed within the organization, he stepped into managing 11 commercial poultry houses, each stretching 700 feet in length and housing 50,000 birds. Together, those houses produce nearly 30 million pounds of poultry annually, a responsibility that offered him both experience and the reminder that passion doesn’t need a pedigree, especially when it comes to agriculture.
In 2023, he became Laurel FFA’s first state officer since 1986—breaking a 37-year gap. Nowotny went on to serve two consecutive terms as Delaware FFA state sentinel. When his name was called, he recalls remembering less about himself and more about the eruption of support from his chapter. “Seeing them fly out of their seats in excitement, for me, meant everything.”
Joey Nowotny meets with members, creating connections that reflect the heart of his FFA journey.
Serving as Delaware FFA state sentinel for two consecutive years reshaped the way Nowotny approached leadership. It became purpose, intention, and above all, service. Now, he found himself leaning into intentional connection, entering every chapter visit, banquet and conversation with one goal in mind—to make members feel seen. “I wanted to reach every member,” he explains. “I wanted to hear their stories.”
That heart carried him all the way to the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo, where he became one of six national officers selected from candidates all across the country. Statistically, just 0.0006% of FFA members will ever wear the national jacket. Nowotny—who once joined for pizza—became one of them.
As he steps into his year of national service, the newly elected eastern region vice president is fueled by a singular passion: connection. From a slice of pizza to the highest level of student leadership in agricultural education, Nowotny’s journey is a testament to something profound:
FFA doesn’t just shape leaders—it reveals who they can become when someone believes in them, when they say yes to a small moment, and when they follow the unexpected path.
