Samuel Gillis

2022-2023 STATE PRESIDENT

Hometown: Olympia, WA
Favorite Food: Chicken & Waffles Fun Fact: My first SAE was a backyard hobby nursery that my dad and I started when I was 5!

Sam Gillis joined FFA in his freshman year of high school. He quickly began seeking out opportunities to better his community and chapter through community service and fundraisers. “FFA has been such a large part of my life for the past four years.” Gillis says. “I couldn’t be more thankful for the connections I have made and the friendships I have formed as a part of my FFA journey.”

Gillis was elected to the 2022–2023 state FFA officer team as President at the 92nd Washington FFA Convention.

From Olympia, Gillis was the District III FFA Secretary in 2020-2022 along with, vice president and reporter in the Elma FFA Chapter in the past. In high school, he was also active in track and field and SkillsUSA.

While in FFA Gillis served as an admin on a FFA themed instagram page as one of his supervised agricultural experiences. As a part of this agricultural communications SAE he had the opportunity to interview state and national officers over zoom and connect them with members all over the country. He also had the opportunity to highlight individual members for their efforts in their own SAEs and work in their communities. Gillis plans to attend Washington State University after his time in FFA, to study agricultural education with the goal of becoming an agricultural educator. 

“Over the past four years FFA has helped to mold me into the person I am.” Gillis said. “Even when I felt as though I didn’t belong anywhere else, there was always a sense of community when I would enter a room full of blue jackets. I hope that this year I can help invite new members into that community and ensure that everyone is provided with opportunities to grow.”