Mindy Bunselmeyer focuses on service over titles within Illinois FFA

With an infectious smile and a can-do attitude, Mindy Bunselmeyer leads the Illinois FFA organization as their executive director. But before she took on this leadership role, she was inspiring students in her own agriculture classroom.

“I miss the classroom actually,” Bunselmeyer said. “Teaching about agriculture and getting students excited about things that they didn’t even know existed because the agriculture industry really serves us in so many ways.”

Mindy credits her high school agriculture teacher as a pivotal influence in her career. “His name was Mr. Richard Watson, an absolute game changer for me,” she said. “I would not have this job or be doing what I am doing without him and so I know that if I can do one-tenth, one-hundredth of what he did for me, for other people, then I have filled my purpose and met my calling.”

But as she reflects on the first time she sat down in Mr. Watson’s classroom as a student, Mindy had no idea she would find a passion that would become the focal point of her life. Mindy recalls, “I was the only girl in our ag classes and FFA at the time, but both my parents and my ag teacher were like ‘Hey kid, if this is what you want to do and this is your passion, go nuts.’ And so I did, FFA became my thing.”

Her passion led her to serve as an Illinois FFA State Reporter in 1989, a role few FFA members achieve. When she was nearing the end of the one-year term, the organization at the state-level was in a transitional era. Feeling as though she had more to contribute, Mindy made the decision to run for state office a second time. She says, “I felt like my first year was not only incomplete, but I knew that I could do better, and I knew the organization needed some consistency and I felt like I had that dedication in my heart.”

So, at the next Illinois State FFA Convention, Mindy was elected State President, becoming the first female to hold that position. While she was humbled by the opportunity, being the first female to take on that role was never what she was striving for.

Mindy recalls the moment she ran off the stage after being elected State President. She was immediately met with praises for conquering what others were calling a historical achievement. For Mindy, her focus was always her service to the organization, not the title that was associated with it.

She says, “What I didn’t know was that when I came off the stage, that would be the first question. ‘How does it feel to be the first State President?’ and of course my answer’s like, ‘Uhh, probably like any guy that got elected State President. I am really excited, and I know I have work to do,’” she said.

Years later when she would take on her current executive director position with the Illinois FFA, that ‘first female’ title would come back as she is also the first woman to serve in that role. However, Mindy holds on to the lessons she learned from her time serving as state president and encourages other young leaders to also lead with their heart, not their title.

“I am a leader who wants to serve. I am someone who has a passion for the organization. I know what it did for me and I want to give back and I happen to also be a female. Which is amazing!” she said. “I love being a mom, ‘favorite aunt’ is my favorite job description, but in the sense that we focus too much on that and I always guide our leaders to focus on who you are as a leader and let all the other descriptions fall away.”

While it sounds like Mindy has seen it all within the organization, she recently started to view the Illinois FFA through a different lens as both of her children are finally old enough to participate themselves. She says experiencing the organization from a parent’s point of view has been rewarding beyond belief.

Mindy Bunselmeyer: not just a woman without limits, but a leader who brings light and wisdom to each of her endeavors.