Structure & Trustees

Caleb Wright is serving as the president of the board this year. He has served on the Board since 2017, previously serving as the Program Committee Chair. He is the Chief Operating Officer of Versant Strategies, LLC which is a strategic partner of the Foundation. In addition to serving on our board, he also serves on the board of the Penn State College of Ag Sciences Alumni Society. He currently lives in Harrisburg with his partner and corgi. During his free time, he returns to the family farm in Huntingdon, PA to assist with their Polled Dorset sheep and Boer goats.  

Since 1985 Deb Seibert has been an integral part of agriculture education in the Manheim community, serving as both an agriculture education instructor and adult Young Farmer advisor at Manheim Central High School. Before her career as an educator, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry from Delaware Valley College and was a shepherd for two years in the mid-west. She completed graduate degree work in Instructional Certification-Agriculture Education and Instructional Technology and Media Systems. Deb retired from teaching in 2018.

Seibert has the distinction of being both a CASE NRE and APB certified instructor.  Throughout her career, she has been recognized by the Pennsylvania and National Associations for Agriculture Educators with the Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award, Outstanding Adult Education Program, and Lifetime Achievement Award among others.  She has had the opportunity to serve both PAAE and NAAE in a variety of leadership roles.  She served a three-year term on the National Council for Agricultural Education where she helped develop the SAE For ALL program and National Quality Program Standards.

Over and above her work with the Pennsylvania FFA Foundation, she is is an officer of the Manheim Community Farm Show, Penn State Master Gardener, and proud alumni of the Killingly CT FFA chapter..  

In addition to her professional honors and accomplishments, Seibert is most proud of her title as Marine and Air Force mom.  

Matthew Hackenberg spent four years as an active member of his FFA chapter during his high school years, serving as Vice President during his sophomore and junior years and President during his senior year. During his FFA career, he participated in several CDE’s and was fortunate to represent Pennsylvania at the National convention twice, for Creed and Extemporaneous Speaking. Hackenberg joined the board in 2018 and is currently serving as the Finance Committee chair.  Hackenberg serves as a Loan Officer with AgChoice Farm Credit, a strategic partner of the Foundation.  In his spare time, Hackenberg enjoys working on his farm where he’s raising a herd of beef cattle and makes hay.  He also enjoys fishing, hunting, and spending time with family and friends. 

Katie McLaughlin grew up on a small beef farm outside of Mifflintown. She was a member of the Juniata FFA Chapter where she participated in Career and Leadership Development Events and held officer positions.  She served as a State FFA Officer on the 2014-15 state officer team and on the Pennsylvania FFA Association Board. Katie joined our board in 2019 and is the chair of the fundraising committee. Currently, Katie is the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretaries at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Becky is a Board Certified DME Specialist and Accredited Business Intermediary. Her education and training background fuels her desire to understand how things work while trying to get the simplest answers and best methods for implementation. She is the go-to woman for R.J. Hedges’ training and the voice of many of their videos and podcasts.

Becky is a Lifetime Alumni with Penn State. As a 2008 graduate from Penn State with a BS in Agricultural Education, she considered teaching in a high school setting, but instead has spent the last 12 years working in sales and marketing both as a trainer, educator, and content developer.

The proud mom of 2 spunky, fun-loving kids, Miles & Lane; she and her husband enjoy spending time with their family outdoors.  She is involved in her community serving as the Vice president and Budget committee chairman for her town council and volunteers for numerous community activities throughout the year.  She is also part of Templeton Auctioneers and enjoys helping with their public sale business, working livestock auctions, and volunteering for numerous charity auctions.  She often puts “her money where her mouth is”, biding and buying animals from kids when she feels the price for the animals isn’t where they should be.  A lifelong animal lover, she is the “fur mom” to rescue dog Dee-Dee, and cats Owen and Murray.

In her spare time, you can find her digging in her flower beds, chasing kids through the back yard, or loading up a wagon with kids and stuffed animals to take their dog DeeDee on walks through town. She joined the Board in 2019 and now chairs the Marketing Committee. Becky was a Pennsylvania FFA State Officer serving on the 2003-04 team.  

Hannah Masser is currently employed at MidAtlantic Farm Credit (a strategic partner of the Foundation) as a lending manager. She also serves as a member of the Farm and Home Center Board. In her free time, Masser enjoys spending time with her adorable dog, Winston. She also enjoys working on home improvement projects, traveling, and hiking/backpacking in the mountains across the country. Hannah currently serves as the Programming Committee Chair.  This is her second year on the board.

Gary Swan grew up on a third-generation dairy farm in New York State. Advocacy for agriculture and the FFA has been at the forefront for him from the time of his youth when he served as state FFA president (New York) and national FFA president. He has served as a trustee of the Pennsylvania FFA Foundation since 2015 and currently serves as our Advancement and Advisory Committee Chairperson.  He also serves as a member of the Pennsylvania State Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence. Before retirement in 2013, he served ten years as Director of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s Governmental Affairs & Communications Division.

Andrea Harrell joined the board in 2019, offering her skills to the Programming Committee. Mrs. Harrell was the first female president of the Little Dutchmen FFA Chapter and participated in Parliamentary Procedure and Public Speaking.  She currently works at her alma mater as the Athletic/Assistant Principal Secretary. Previously, she was employed as the Events Assistant at Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services working with the volunteers. She and her husband John live on a farm in Lebanon County where they grow soybeans, wheat, and corn.  They also have a 1200 finisher pig and a 2400 nursery pig facility.   In her spare time, Mrs. Harrell loves spending time with her family and friends and enjoys floral design.  She is the mother of current State Officer Reporter, Alayna Harrell. 

Michael Kenney serves as General Counsel and Advisor of Governmental Affairs for the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, headquartered in Pittsburgh. Michael served as the 2007-2008 State FFA Vice President and participated in both public speaking and market animal SAE projects during his time in FFA. Michael was named to the 2019 Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest, and also volunteers with the Western Pennsylvania Cystic Fibrosis Finest Foundation. In his free time, Michael enjoys traveling to new places and spending time with friends and family.  He joined the Foundation board in 2018. 
 

Jason Klouser joined the board in 2017; he currently serves on the Programming Committee. He served as Chaplain on the 2003-04 State Officer Team and earned his American Degree in 2004. Klouser currently works for the PA Department of Agriculture as the Director of Enforcement for the Horse Racing Commission.  

Casey McMasters is a Past State Officer, serving on the 2011-2012 team.  She earned her Keystone Degree during her senior year of high school and participated in collegiate FFA at Penn State. She lives in Shelocta, PA with her husband, 2 sons, and their 2 dogs. McMasters is a Value Stream Leader with Bayer Healthcare Radiology Division. She joined the board in 2020, serving on the fundraising and programming committee. In her free time, she and her family enjoy boating on the Allegheny river, attending Penn State Football games, and traveling south to visit family in warmer weather! 

Growing up on a small farm in northern Pennsylvania, Toby started his agriculture education career with 4-H at a young age. He became involved with FFA when he joined the Ag Ed Program at Penn State University and heightened his involvement during his student teaching at Twin Valley HS. In 2016, Toby served as an FFA Advisor and Ag Teacher at the Keystone Central School District. Toby has recently moved to Minnesota and is the Extension Educator in 4-H & Youth Development with the University of Minnesota Extension, a job he previously held at the Penn State Extension. Toby holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Extension and Education and an Associate’s of Science in Wildlife Technology from Penn State Dubois. He joined our board in 2018 and is actively involved in the program planning committee.

Joel Rotz is the Manager of Government Affairs and Communications for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. During his esteemed career, Mr. Rotz has earned numerous awards related to service to Farm Bureau, Penn State Extension, Penn State Ag Council, and an Honorary State FFA Degree.  As an FFA member, Mr. Rotz was named Star Greenhand, Star Chapter Farmer, and Agriculturalist Award winner respectively in his three years of high school, participation in the Chambersburg FFA Chapter. During his FFA career, he participated in local and county public speaking and parliamentary procedure contests. Mr. Rotz stated "I am a true believer in the leadership development that FFA provides to our youth. An experience I never seen matched in all my further education and adult development." Mr. Rotz joined our board in 2018 and currently serves on the Advancement and Advisory Committee.  

Aden Russell was in FFA for multiple years during high school, participating in several CDE’s including parliamentary procedure, dairy judging, tractor driving, and land judging.  He received his Keystone degree and held several offices prior to graduating. Aden is married to Raylene, an ag teacher, and FFA advisor.  They have two daughters who are starting their FFA careers.  The Russell's live in Huntingdon County on a 235-acre farm where they raise dairy show heifers for 4-H and FFA projects for their girls. In addition to joining our board this year, Aden also serves on the Juniata Valley School District Board as Vice President and on the Huntingdon Career and Technology Board as Past President. Aden is a territory manager for Krone North America.  
 

Megan Slates grew up in Washington County, PA where she participated in the H.G. Parkinson FFA chapter.  She attended Penn State University for Agriculture Education and is now an agricultural educator at Penn Manor High School. She recently completed her Master's in Agriculture Education and Communication from North Carolina State University. Megan lives in Lancaster County but enjoys spending time at her family’s lake house in her free time.  She joined the board in 2017 and currently serves on the Fundraising Committee. She also serves on the Lampeter Fair Board.

Luke Walton is Vice President at BB&T now Truist Bank. He joined the board in 2015 and currently serves on the Finance Committee.