The California FFA named its new state officers at a conference on March 24, 2026. The newly elected president is Jaycee Salas of Atascadero, at right.
Courtesy of California FFA
A San Luis Obispo County high schooler has been named the new student leader of the California State FFA.
Jaycee Salas, a senior at Atascadero High School, was elected in late March to serve as the president of the California FFA organization for the 2026-27 school year, according to a news release.
Salas, alongside five other students from across the state, underwent an intensive selection process involving multiple rounds of interviews before being elected to serve in the FFA’s state offices, the release said.
The students first interviewed with the State FFA Nominating Committee, the release said. A total of 59 people were chosen to advance from those initial interviews, before doing additional rounds and ultimately being elected.
The new officers were announced at the California FFA State Leadership Conference, held March 21-24 at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario.
According to the release, the students chosen to serve as state officers for the FFA take a gap year, putting their college or career plans on hold to serve the more than 108,000 members of the California delegation.
“Throughout their year of service, the officers will interact with business and industry leaders, thousands of middle and high school students, agricultural educators, corporate sponsors, government and education officials, local FFA leaders, and the general public,” the release said.
The California FFA named its new state officers at a conference on March 24, 2026. The newly elected president is Jaycee Salas of Atascadero, at left. Courtesy of California FFA
Their responsibilities include leading personal growth and training conferences for FFA members across the state and setting policies to guide the organization’s future, the release said.
The newest leadership team, with Salas at the helm, was announced on March 24 at the conclusion of the 98th annual State FFA Leadership Conference.
Soon after, Salas and the other new leaders were recognized on the organization’s Instagram.
Nikki Baca, principal of Atascadero High, congratulated Salas on the achievement in a school communication, describing it as a “HUGE honor.”
“We could not be more proud of Jaycee and the incredible FFA program we have here at AHS,” Baca wrote. “This is a reflection of the passion, dedication and opportunities our students experience every day through FFA.”
According to the email, Salas will be recognized at the district’s April 21 school board meeting, where the FFA program will be giving a presentation.
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Sadie Dittenber writes about education for The Tribune and is a California Local News Fellow through the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. Dittenber graduated from The College of Idaho with a degree in international political economy.