David Townsend: National FFA President 2016–17
Delaware · No. 90 of 100 · National FFA President 2016–17
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 2016–17 (No. 90 of 100)
- Home state: Delaware
- Distinction: First Delaware FFA member elected National FFA President
- Education: University of Delaware
- Later work: Director of member programs, The Fertilizer Institute, Washington, D.C. (as of FFA’s January 2025 profile)
David Townsend became the first Delaware FFA member elected National FFA President in 2016. FFA’s January 2025 “My Work After National Office” feature says he attended the University of Delaware and works as director of member programs at The Fertilizer Institute in Washington, D.C.
Career Advice From a Past President
In that feature Townsend says FFA members have many career options and that factors such as location and job format can help with choices after high school. He adds that a career path isn’t going to be one straight line
. The same article profiles five other past national officers, including 2015–16 President Taylor Wiseman, and presents all six as examples of careers both inside and outside agriculture.
FFA Around This Term
David Townsend followed Taylor McNeel and was succeeded by Breanna Holbert in the line of national presidents.
FFA’s own history timeline records these developments in the surrounding years:
- 2015: FFA announced that the national convention would be held in Indianapolis from 2016 through 2024.
- 2017: Breanna Holbert became the first African American woman to serve as National FFA President, and the official dress guidelines changed.
What the Record Does Not Show
This page is deliberately short. FFA’s profile is the only source this site found, it gives no dates for his employment, and it leaves out his chapter and advisor.
Next: Breanna Holbert, 2017–18 →