ALUMNI IN ACTION
WITH DEVRY
BOUGHNER-VORWERK
Most people know her as the Chief of Communications Officer and Global Leader of Corporate Affairs for
Cargill or the 1992-1993 California State FFA Vice President hailing from the Gonzalez FFA Chapter. To me, she
will always be my mother’s best friend and one of the best “aunts” ever. At State Conference in April, Devry
Boughner-Vorwerk had the pleasure and opportunity of speaking at the Delegate Luncheon. Now we get to
go a little more in depth with her life at Cargill and past experiences in FFA.
Interview by Hollister FFA Member, Taryn Wright
What made you want to get involved in FFA?
I loved the leadership aspect. I loved being challenged.
I loved agriculture and everything it offered.
What is your greatest memory from being in FFA?
There is not ONE memory.
There are MANY
memories! The one unifying memory is wearing the
blue jacket. Being an FFA member is one of the achievements I
am most proud of in my life.
Zipping up the blue jacket
conjures memories of leading
my sheep into the ring, or
stepping behind the podium
for parliamentary procedure,
judging vegetables, attending
leadership conferences, and
the list goes on and on.
What advice do you have for current and
future FFA members?
Don’t squander your moments in FFA! Take advantage
of every opportunity that seems right for you. Learn
from your teachers, your instructors, your peers. Make yourself
uncomfortable, put yourself out there. For example, give a
speech in front of a lot of people if that’s something that makes
you uncomfortable. Show animals at the fair, even if it scares
you. You will learn so much about life while caring for animals!
Soak in the FFA experience because it is a true gift, a blessing.
What is something valuable FFA taught you?
FFA brought the world of food and agriculture
to life for me, and demonstrated that a career
in agriculture was possible and that devoting my
life to advancing the food system was exciting and
meaningful.
Photo Captions: top, Devry speaks to delegates at
the 2018 State Conference; bottom, Pictured with her
mother, while in high school, Devry enjoyed her SAE
sheep project, and showing at local fairs.
{ Continued on page 7 }
California FFANEWS • PAGE 6 • Winter 2018