Tennessee FFA Association - State Officers

Elissa McLerran
Secretary
elissamclerran@tnffa.org

Age: 19
Birthday: May 8, 1992
Parents: Tim and Laura McLerran
Siblings: Timothy

FFA Stats

Chapter: Clay County FFA
Enterprise: My SAE is Beef Production, Vegetable Production, and Fruit Production.
Offices Held: Historian , Vice President , President
FFA Activities:    I competed in land judging events from local to state level and earned
                             high individual score at the local level; our team placed 4th in the state
                             competition in 2007 Parliamentary Procedure; in 2008, team
                             placed first in district and competed in sub-regional contest. Placed first
                             at district level in 2008 and 2010 in Ag Mechanics and Skills. Placed
                             1st in 2009 and 2010 district prepared public speaking contest and also
                             placed 4th at the sub-regional; placed 1st in extemporaneous speaking
                             contest at Camp Clements leadership training camp. I competed on the
                             Meat Judging team. Received Greenhand Degree (2007),
                             Chapter Degree (2008), State Degree (2010)

College Stats

Year: Sophomore
Major: Agribusiness Management
School: Tennessee Tech University
Activities:           -Honor Society Freshman Representative (2010)
                            -Honors Associated Scholars Guild (2010)
                            -Honors ASG Green Committee (2010)
                            -Honors Society Steering Committee (2010)
                            -Honors “Fresh” Committee (2010)
                            -Lambda Alpha Sigma (2010)
                            -Collegiate FFA (2010)
                            -Collegiate 4-H (2010)
                            -Collegiate Block & Bridle (2010)
                            -TN Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers (2010)
                            -TN Farm Bureau YF&R District Secretary (2010-2011)
                            -Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society
                            -LAS Ag Council Rep (2011)
                            -Rose Scholarship
                            -Award for Academic Achievement freshman year (residential scholar)
                            -LAS Outstanding Pledge (2011)
                            -State FFA Secretary (2011-2012)
                            -CTE Post-Secondary Student of the Year (2011)

Describe your SAE:
My SAE is in Vegetable Production, Fruit Production, and Beef Production. I manage a ½ acre garden of various fruits and vegetables, including corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, okra, peppers, watermelons, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I also help my grandfather with his 50 head herd of Angus beef cows when I’m at home.

What is your favorite CDE:
My favorite CDE was Land Judging.

Most memorable FFA Moment:
My most memorable FFA moment was when my best friend received her State Degree. She lives on the only dairy left in my county, and it's been in the family for generations. Just seeing her hard work pay off was phenomenal.
Who is your role model?
My brother is my role model. He is such a selfless leader. He’s always been a behind-the-scenes kind of guy who does so much for other people. He never cares who gets the credit, as long as a good job is done.

What are your career plans?
I want to get my Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, then get my Master’s in Leadership or Communications. I want to work in Public Affairs for an agricultural company.

What advice would you give to a greenhand?
Get involved in everything you can! You never know what you might like. I thought I would hate Land Judging when I was a freshman, but I ended up loving it, having tons of fun, and our team even went to state.