Okawville Junior-Senior High School agriculture teacher Joshua Berg was elected Vice President of the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT) at the association’s 100th annual conference last week. Berg joined more than 200 agricultural educators attending the conference held in Bloomington, Illinois.
Berg will serve as Vice President of the organization for the next year. Traditionally, the vice president goes on to serve as IAVAT President and Past President in subsequent years. His duties will include directing the work of the IAVAT committees composed of teachers throughout the state. He will also hold a seat on the Board of Directors and Administrative Council for agricultural education in Illinois.
The IAVAT, founded in 1922, celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a reception and awards banquet on Tuesday night. The conference was designed to meet the needs of secondary and post-secondary agriculture educators. The total program included general sessions, section/district meetings, business meetings, in-service sessions, and special award recognition sessions. Berg attended several workshops to improve his knowledge on a variety of topics. These workshops included Foundational Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE), Flying into the Future: Drones in Agriculture High School Unit, and How to Grow Better Plants Using Cheap or Free Technology.
Berg served as District 5 IAVAT Director for the last three years. In this position, he represented agriculture programs in southern Illinois, held a position on the IAVAT Board of Directors, and helped plan and implement programs for teachers and students throughout the state. The new District 5 Director is Cherie Rogier, Mt. Vernon. Berg has previously served as Section 22 IAVAT Chairman, Section 22 Treasurer, Curriculum Committee representative, and Recognition Committee representative. He will continue to serve on the Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce. The IAVAT is a professional organization for instructors in agriculture and is affiliated with the National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE), the Illinois Association of Community College Agriculture Instructors (IACCAI), and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).
— Submitted article
Photo caption: 2022-2023 IAVAT Board of Directors (Front): Past President Lisa Oellerich, Scales Mound; Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Jay Solomonson, Illinois State University; President Donna Page, Rochelle; Vice President Joshua Berg, Okawville, IACCAI Representative Doug Robb, Wabash Valley College. (Back): District 5 Director Cherie Rogier, Mt. Vernon; District 1 Director Kindra Callahan, Kewanee; District 2 Director Liz Harris, Normal; District 3 Director Maggie McCalla, Staunton; and District 4 Director Kirsten Wyatt, Paxton-Buckley-Loda.
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