Dolores secondary agriculture teacher Alison Brown has been selected to serve as a National Future Farmers of America Teacher Ambassador for the second year in a row.
Brown has been actively working to strengthen agriculture education for Dolores middle school and high school students since she began teaching in the district four years ago.
The National FFA Organization announced the 2026-27 group of 88 ambassadors from 38 states at the end of May. Brown was also one of the educators chosen for the 2025-26 school year. For the 2026-27 ambassadorship program, she was one of three Colorado agriculture teachers selected. According to the organization, agricultural educators are selected to provide training, resources, mentorship and more to fellow FFA teachers across the country.
“The program is designed to identify agriculture teachers from across the country who are passionate about supporting the profession and helping other educators succeed,” Brown told The Journal. “I was honored to be selected as one of the National FFA teacher ambassadors for the 2025-26 year and will be returning this year as well.”
As an ambassador, Brown will deliver workshops, collaborate with other teachers from different states and more. Through this program, ambassadors will support 13,000 FFA advisers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“A large part of the role is helping connect teachers with resources and sharing ideas that strengthen agricultural education programs,” Brown said.
Brown participated in training in Indianapolis this summer and will continue being involved at the National FFA Convention and other gatherings throughout the year.
“I hope to help other agriculture teachers find resources, build confidence and create meaningful experiences for their students,” Brown said. “Agricultural education changes lives, and I want to share ideas and tools that help teachers be successful in the classroom, through FFA and with supervised agricultural experiences.
She said she will be successful if she helps strengthen agricultural education and creates more opportunities across the country.
When Brown first arrived in Dolores, the agriculture and FFA program had a small number of students. Now, the program has more than 30 active FFA members, with students participating in leadership development events, career development contests, state degrees and state conventions.
This year, Dolores’s FFA program also chartered a middle school FFA chapter, extending agricultural education to younger students in the community.
Brown said her favorite part about teaching FFA is “without a doubt” the impact her students have had on her and watching them grow.
“I get to watch young people discover what they are capable of, whether that's speaking in front of a crowd, leading a team, showing livestock, competing in contests or finding a career path they never considered before,” Brown said. “Seeing students gain confidence and realize their potential is what makes this job so rewarding.”
Brown is originally from Port Orchard, Washington, and graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in agricultural education. She said she chose to teach in Dolores because she was drawn to the community for its support for agriculture.
“I knew it was a place where I could make a difference, and four years later I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I've ever made,” she said.
bduran@the-journal.com
