Strengthening National ACT: 2026-27 Officer Retreat

Stillwater, Oklahoma, was the perfect place to kick off the 2026–2027 National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) year.

As the newly elected National ACT President, our officer retreat gave me a completely new perspective on leadership. After serving as National ACT Member Relations Coordinator the previous year, stepping into the president role has challenged me to look beyond my own chapter and think about how we can create meaningful opportunities for ACT members across the country.

Our retreat was a chance for our officer team to come together, get to know one another better and, most importantly, start putting ideas into action.

Planning for the Year Ahead

Our Friday business meeting was packed with brainstorming, discussion and planning. We spent the day talking through ways to strengthen National ACT, increase member involvement and make it easier for students to connect with their national organization.

I am incredibly proud of the time and thought this team is already putting into making ACT stronger for our members. We also took officer photos and gathered content that we will be able to use throughout the year.

One of the biggest goals coming out of our retreat is creating more opportunities for members to be involved at the national level without requiring them to commit to a national officer position.

This year, we are launching several new initiatives to help make that happen:

National ACT Representative Program: Each chapter will have the opportunity to select one member to serve as its National ACT Representative. Representatives will meet virtually with the national officer team once a month, creating a direct line of communication between chapters and National ACT. This program will give members a way to get involved nationally, share what is happening at their chapter and help us better understand what ACT members need.

ACT Connect: We also introduced ACT Connect, an opportunity for individual members, officer teams and entire chapters to request a virtual meeting with a National ACT officer. Whether a chapter has a question, a member wants to learn more about National ACT or an officer team needs help with an idea, ACT Connect will provide a more personal way to connect.

Monthly Photography Contest: Starting in October, winners of the National ACT monthly photography contest will receive cash prizes. We hope this will encourage more members to participate and give students another opportunity to showcase their photography and agricultural storytelling skills.

Critique & Contest: We also lowered the entry fee for the National ACT Critique & Contest to just $3 per entry, making it more accessible for students to participate and have their work recognized. These changes are just the beginning. Our goal is to make National ACT feel less like an organization that exists above individual chapters and more like a community that members can actively participate in throughout the year.

Connecting With Oklahoma Agriculture

Of course, the retreat wasn't all business meetings.

To celebrate a full day of hard work, we connected with the Oklahoma State ACT officer team over ice cream. Getting to spend time with another chapter and build relationships outside of a formal meeting was one of my favorite parts of the retreat.

We also traveled to Pawhuska, Oklahoma, where we had the opportunity to hear from members of the Chamber of Commerce and the president of the Cavalcade Rodeo.

Their perspectives gave us a look at the connection between agriculture, tourism, business and rural communities. As agricultural communicators, understanding those connections is incredibly important. Agriculture doesn't exist in a bubble, and neither do the communities that depend on it. Hearing from community leaders about their experiences and the role young professionals can play in rural communities was an experience I won't soon forget.

While in Pawhuska, we also toured The Pioneer Woman Lodge, where many of Ree Drummond's cooking and television episodes are filmed. It was a fun opportunity to see another example of how agriculture, food, media and tourism can come together to tell a story and attract people to a rural community.

Looking Ahead

I left Stillwater feeling grateful, inspired and even more excited for what this year has in store for National ACT.

Taking on the role of National President is a responsibility I don't take lightly. There is a lot to learn, but I am fortunate to be surrounded by an officer team that is willing to dream big, have honest conversations and put in the work to turn those ideas into reality.

Our retreat wasn't just about planning a calendar of events. It was about asking how we can make National ACT more connected, more accessible and more valuable to the students who are part of it. I can't wait to see where this year takes us.

Here's to a great year for National ACT!