COLT and FFA’s Leadership Conferences: What They Are and What They Aim to Build
Leadership in Action: Officer Roles, Community, and Service
Most FFA members first meet organized leadership training at a summer officer workshop, usually under a name that sounds like a spell: COLT. The letters stand for Chapter Officer Leadership Training, and FFA’s own coverage shows the format changes a great deal from state to state. This article explains what COLT is, how a few states run it, how it fits with larger conferences, and what a member can do before, during and after a training day to keep it from fading by October.
- Key takeaway: COLT and similar events are structured practice in roles, teamwork and public representation, and their value depends on what officers do next.
- Caution: the sources describe what events aim to do and what organizers say, not measured results.
What COLT Is
FFA’s August 2025 feature describes COLT as training that state associations host each summer for chapter officers. It does not follow one template. Arizona’s version has been held at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus, Georgia’s takes place at campsites, and Maryland’s has officers leading workshops specific to each office. Maryland’s sessions also cover table etiquette, social media and contacting legislators, and include a ropes course (source).
Terrie Shank, executive director of the Maryland FFA Association, said it does not matter what office goes next to your name, because officers are a team. An Arizona association leader told FFA the heart of the organization is at the local level, which is why chapter officers are the audience.
Beyond COLT
FFA’s January 2024 piece on leadership conferences lists several national programs, among them the Washington Leadership Conference, which was marking its 55th year, the FFA Member Leadership Series, New Century Farmer, Next Gen Conferences and a State Officer Leadership Continuum. The piece names BASF as a partner and quotes Karissa Jones, an Indiana FFA alumna who works for BASF as a strategic account manager, saying the conferences gave her exposure that helped her figure out a career path (source).
Closer to home, FFA’s October 2025 feature on Section 23 in Illinois describes an annual Leadership Training School that trains chapter officers and members. One activity, called Bid to Lead, is a mock auction of leadership traits. The section says its mission rests on three pillars: premier leadership, personal growth and career success (source).
Making a Training Day Count
| When | Try this |
|---|---|
| Before | Write down one thing you want your team to do differently this year |
| During | Collect two ideas from other chapters and one contact you will follow up with |
| After | Hold a 20-minute team meeting within a week to pick one idea and assign an owner |
The table is this site’s suggestion. It reflects a common problem with any workshop: ideas get collected, but nobody owns them.
Questions Readers Ask
Is COLT only for presidents?
No. The sources describe it as training for chapter officers as a team, with sessions by office.
Does attending guarantee a better year?
No source says so. Training can give officers shared language and goals, but a chapter’s year still depends on follow-through.
What if my state runs it differently?
That is expected. The three examples above differ in setting and content, so ask your advisor or state association what yours includes.
Honest Limits
The sources are FFA feature stories that quote organizers. They do not measure whether officers who attend perform better. They also describe only a handful of states, and the Washington conference and other national programs are mentioned for context, not evaluated.
On this site, Beau Williamson was a California state officer before his national term, Mark Sanborn became a leadership speaker and author and Travis Park later became National FFA Advisor. Their bios do not claim a specific training event shaped any of those paths.