Hillary Smith: National FFA President 1997–98
Georgia · No. 71 of 100 · National FFA President 1997–98
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 1997–98 (No. 71 of 100)
- Home state: Georgia
- Record on this page: Her national term and the organization’s milestones during it; later life is not documented in the sources found for this site
Hillary Smith of Georgia led the national officer team from the fall of 1997 to the fall of 1998, a year in which the National FFA Organization moved into a new national headquarters. The public record available for this site on her personal story is thin, so this page sticks to what is documented.
The Year in Context
The National FFA Organization’s history timeline lists several milestones from 1998, the final year of her term:
- The National FFA Center in Indianapolis was dedicated on July 20, 1998, replacing the long-time home in Alexandria, Virginia.
- 1998 was the last year the National FFA Convention was held in Kansas City, where the first convention took place in 1928. The convention moved to Louisville the following year.
- In the years just before her term, the organization had launched its first website, FFA.org (1996), and announced the move of its national center to Indianapolis and its convention to Louisville.
Georgia’s National Presidents
Georgia has produced four of the 100 national presidents on this site’s list: Jim Thomas (1959–60), Hillary Smith (1997–98), Andy Paul (2014–15) and Doster Harper (2020–21). The state is also home to one of FFA’s most famous alumni, Jimmy Carter, a member of the Plains FFA chapter, whom National FFA describes as the only FFA member so far elected U.S. President.
What the Record Does Not Show
The sources found for this site do not describe Smith’s chapter, education, career or later life, and her name is common enough that we will not guess. State FFA, Georgia FFA Foundation and local newspaper records are the likeliest places to find more, and we welcome documented additions.
Next: Lisa E. Ahrens, 1998–99 →