Dr. Brad King, the Agriculture Education Specialist at the Office of Public Instruction in Helena has announced that Friday April 29th will be his last day in the position that he has held for the past 10 years.
We understand that King will be going on Long Term Disability Retirement, after suffering for several years in his battle with Multiple Sclerosis.
Brad King is stepping down at a very positive time for Montana’s FFA program. In the past few years since King has been Montana’s State Ag Ed Specialist, Montana has seen a dramatic growth in Career and Technical Education, with the number of local Ag Education Instructors in Montana high schools increasing from 74 to over 90 instructors.
During Brad King’s time at OPI, Montana was one of a handful of states whose Ag Teachers piloted the National Ag Ed Program Quality and Content Standards, with his office implementing the Advancing Ag Ed support authorized by Montana’s legislature.
As the state Ag Ed Specialist Brad King has worked closely with State FFA Advisor Jim Rose, during a time when the number of FFA student members has increased from 2500 to over 5,000 students.
On the national level, last October the Montana FFA Association was recognized as the first place state in the nation in regards to percentage of FFA membership gained in one year. The association received an award banner and recognition during one of the convention sessions at the 86th National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky for this honor. The Montana Association also received a gold award for being a 100{2fba0047518ad2e639da733ea78e24abf77cec06f485a26b152e17f2a77aa67a} membership state.
A national search for Dr. Brad King’s replacement at the Office of Public Instruction is expected to begin this coming Monday. An interview committee will review applicants and try to make an offer within the next few weeks.
© Northern Ag Network 2016 – Taylor Brown
