New Mexico State 4-H has announced the selection and election of five officers and five ambassadors, aged 14 to 18, for the 2024-25 4-H Leadership Team. The new leaders were chosen at the annual State 4-H Conference held in Las Cruces in July.
“Five new officers were elected by 4-H delegates representing New Mexico counties and five new ambassadors were selected by a panel of judges,” said Cheryl Butterfield, New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service state 4-H agent.
The newly appointed leadership team includes Denny Turner of Curry County as president; Jaleh Mosher of Sandoval County as vice president; Kate Dion-LaMont of Santa Fe County as secretary; Faith Carter of Lea County as reporter; Sam Prada of Los Alamos County as song and recreation leader; Nadya Neparko of Doña Ana County as STEM ambassador; Lacey Knight of Doña Ana County as horse ambassador; Shaylee Priest of Curry County as leadership ambassador; Journey Sheehan of Hidalgo County as small stock ambassador; and Kyle Wood of Curry County as beef ambassador.
“I enjoy working with the leadership team members,” Butterfield stated. “The beginning of each year with a new team is always exciting and a new adventure as the youth plan and prepare for the upcoming state 4-H events.”
Throughout the year, these officers and ambassadors will undergo training and participate in planning retreats to prepare for their statewide responsibilities. Their duties include organizing statewide leadership events such as Youth Get-Away, Senior Leadership Retreat, and State 4-H Conference. They will also assist with junior livestock shows at the New Mexico State Fair, participate in 4-H Day at the state capitol, promote National 4-H Week, attend various county and district events, and travel to Washington, D.C., for an educational leadership event where they will meet members of the New Mexico congressional delegation and agriculture industry leaders.
For more information on this year’s 4-H leadership team, visit https://nm4h.nmsu.edu/leadership/youth.html.