Gary Swan: National FFA President 1966–67
New York · No. 40 of 100 · National FFA President 1966–67
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1966–67 (No. 40 of 100)
- Home state: New York, raised on a dairy farm in Steuben County
- Earlier office: New York State FFA President
- Later work: New York Farm Bureau; staff of the New York State Assembly; private-sector leadership roles; Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (from 2002) as Director of Government Affairs and Communications
Gary Swan led the national officer team in 1966–67 after serving as New York State FFA President. FFA’s own 2026 profile describes his career as a lifelong advocacy for agriculture, first as a salaried professional and then as a volunteer.
A Shy Kid and a Speaking Contest
The profile says Swan grew up shy and introverted on a dairy farm in Steuben County, New York. He credits public speaking events with changing that. He finished near the bottom in his first contest as a freshman and placed second at the Eastern States Exposition as a junior, a climb he describes as the result of setting goals and working toward them. After that contest, Swan recalls, a national FFA president knocked on his hotel-room door, not to congratulate a winner but to encourage someone who had not won, and suggested Swan consider running for national office someday. Swan says that gesture left a lasting impression.
After the Presidency
According to FFA, Swan joined the New York Farm Bureau after his national term, then worked on the staff of the New York State Assembly before holding leadership roles in the private sector. He joined the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau in 2002 as Director of Government Affairs and Communications, directing issue development and advocacy in the state capital and in Washington, D.C. FFA says he has volunteered with more than 30 organizations. In retirement he serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Discovery Center, and he recently completed terms as a commissioner of the State Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence and as a trustee of the Pennsylvania FFA Foundation.
What He Says FFA Taught
Swan describes FFA as a voyage of self-discovery
. The article lists what he says he learned: working on a team, creative thinking, a positive attitude, goal setting and the discipline to pursue goals, and communicating in writing and in public presentations. These are his own reflections, not a measured result.
The 1966–67 Context
Swan’s term came soon after the New Farmers of America merged with FFA in 1965, when the organization was still all-male. FFA’s timeline records the first Career Show in 1966.
FFA Around This Term
Gary Swan followed Howard Williams and was succeeded by Greg Bamford in the line of national presidents.
FFA’s own history timeline records these developments in the surrounding years:
- 1965: The New Farmers of America merged with FFA.
- 1966: FFA held its first Career Show, the ancestor of today’s Career Expo.
What the Record Does Not Show
The FFA profile does not give exact dates for his private-sector roles or name the employers. It also does not describe the national officer year itself. This page leaves family and residence out.