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The National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) is the professional association for agricultural educators in the United States. Established in 1948 as the National Vocational Agricultural Teachers’ Association (NVATA), NAAE currently has approximately 8,000 members.

NAAE seeks to advance agricultural education and promote the professional interests and growth of agriculture teachers as well as recruit and prepare students who have a desire to teach agriculture. Membership benefits assist members in growing professionally and in becoming more effective agricultural educators. Members may be engaged in agricultural education at a variety of levels; pre-service college students earning their degrees in agricultural education, classroom teachers, teacher educators, and state staff of agricultural education departments.

History
Agricultural educators who had formed state associations for agricultural educators organized the National Vocational Agricultural Teachers' Association (NVATA) in 1948 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1997 at the annual NVATA convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, the name of the organization was changed to the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

Structure
The NAAE is comprised of state agricultural educators’ associations. The governing body of the organization consists of a board of directors with a president, president elect, and six regional vice presidents. These associations are considered to be affiliates of NAAE. Some states include NAAE dues in their membership fees, others allow members to choose whether they will belong to the state association, NAAE, or both.

The NAAE board of directors consists of the six Regional Vice Presidents, six Regional Secretaries (also elected by their region's membership), a president-elect, and a president. The president-elect and president both serve one-year terms. Directors typically work their way up to the board by becoming involved first at the state level, then regionally, and finally, at the national level.

Regions

 * Region I - Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montant, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
 * Region II - Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
 * Region III - Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin
 * Region IV - Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio
 * Region V - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennesssee, Virgin Islands
 * Region VI - Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virgina

Member Initiatives
NAAE currently has three areas of priority for serving its members:
 * 1) Professional development
 * 2) Teacher recruitment and retention
 * 3) Advocacy

Professional Development
From webinars and workshops to conventions and Communities of Practice, NAAE offers opportunities for idea sharing and support amongst agricultural educators, nationwide, to grow and develop professionally.

NAAE webinars are a convenient and economical way to get quality agricultural education-specific professional development. They can be accessed at http://www.naae.org/webinars/. NAAS”s online networking site, Communities of Practice is home to 32 different communities that offer increased focus on various areas of interest in the field of agricultural education. Members from all stages of life can learn from other educators by posting questions and answers in discussion boards and uploading lesson plans for sharing across the nation.

Conventions and workshops give members the chance to meet and greet with other agriculture teachers. Whether they are interested in learning more about teaching methods, FFA programs or industry updates, there is something for everyone at state, regional and national conferences and conventions.

Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Not only is NAAE interested in providing opportunities to current agriculture teacher, they are also involved in the recruitment of future educators. The Teach Ag campaign offers current educators the materials needed to market the profession in their classes and provides information for those considering a career in agricultural education, both online and at youth conferences.

NAAE also recognizes the need for teacher retention and offer resources to early career teachers, including mentoring programs to offer leadership and guidance throughout their induction years.

Advocacy
NAAE keeps members up to date on legislative happenings with their newsletter, Advocacy in Action, and encourages teachers to use the tools provided on the website to contact their congressmen.

Award Initiatives
Recognition is a major focus of NAAE. Each year, teachers and supporters across the nation are awarded for their outstanding contributions to their students and the profession. The awards and sponsors are as follows:
 * NAAE Outstanding Teacher-sponsored by Toyota
 * NAAE Outstanding Young Member-sponsored by John Deere
 * NAAE Teachers Turn the Key-sponsored by Dodge
 * NAAE Teacher Mentor-sponsored by CEV Multimedia
 * NAAE Ideas Unlimited-sponsored by Delmar Cengage Learning
 * NAAE Outstanding Cooperation
 * NAAE Outstanding Service Citation
 * NAAE Lifetime Achievement
 * NAAE Outstanding Middle/Secondary Program-sponsored by the National FFA Alumni Association
 * NAAE Outstanding Postsecondary/Adult Program-sponsored by Toyota
 * NAAE Professional State Association
 * Delmar Cengage Learning - NAAE Upper Division Scholarship–sponsored by Delmar Cengage Learning

Links
For more information about NAAE and its programs, visit www.naae.org