Chris Vitelli: National FFA President 1999–2000
Florida · No. 73 of 100 · National FFA President 1999–2000
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1999–2000 (No. 73 of 100)
- Home state: Florida
- Education at election: Sophomore at the University of Florida, majoring in agricultural education and agricultural leadership
- Elected: October 30, 1999, at the 72nd National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky
- Term: A year-long leave from college to serve
Chris Vitelli was elected National FFA President at the 72nd National FFA Convention, the first one held in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a 20-year-old University of Florida sophomore, and like every national officer he took a year away from college to serve.
Election at the 72nd Convention
A Lancaster Farming report on the 1999 convention says Vitelli was elected on October 30 to lead a six-member officer team. Jodee Ruppel of Indiana was elected national secretary. Minutes of an October 2000 meeting of the National FFA Board of Directors list the rest of the 1999–2000 team: Leslie Small of Indiana as central region vice president, Joe Shultz of Ohio as eastern region vice president, Carol Spruill of Georgia as southern region vice president and Marshall Baker of New Mexico as western region vice president. The same minutes record that the national officers submitted a report with six recommendations for the board’s consideration.
The 1999 Convention in Context
- According to the organization’s history timeline, 1999 was the first National FFA Convention in Louisville, with 46,918 attending.
- The National FFA Foundation announced a record $7,310,000 raised in 1999, the 33rd consecutive year of record support for FFA and agricultural education programs.
- The incoming Foundation board chair announced the 2000 Foundation theme, “Invest in Today’s Generation.”
- The Foundation reported having provided more than $85 million to FFA members since 1944 for awards, scholarships and achievement programs.
What the Record Does Not Show
The sources found for this site cover Vitelli’s election and the officer team, but none ties him to a later career. We do not attribute a later position to him without a source that links it to the FFA presidency, and we welcome documented additions.
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