Nancy (second from left) and Randy (not pictured) Trivette are recognized as new members of the Forever Blue Circle for establishing the CASE Endowment.
Randy and Nancy Trivette have dedicated their careers to agricultural education, working in Virginia and New Jersey as certified agriculture educators and then state FFA executive secretaries. As FFA Alumni, both have also experienced the student perspective.
They have also been very active at the national level, serving on the National FFA Board of Directors and the National FFA Foundation Board of Trustees, among other roles. Over the years, they have generously donated to support FFA at all levels.
Randy said, “We know that activities happen at every level. You can’t ignore one level or another because they all link together. And that linkage is very important.”
The couple’s support builds on the family’s rich agricultural education history. The Trivette Teach Ag Endowment through the New Jersey FFA Foundation helps future agriculture educators, and The Trivette Family Legacy Fund through the Virginia FFA Foundation benefits FFA members by funding travel and leadership experiences.
It is an understatement to say that the Trivettes have significantly impacted FFA and agricultural education. Recently, they found an additional path for giving back.
Knowing the financial barriers teachers face, in 2023, the couple established The Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) Endowment with the National FFA Foundation. The endowment is funded through an annual qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from their IRA as well as contributions from other donors; it supports established educators and teachers new to their careers.
As a state leader and national CASE director for several years, Nancy has a collection of incredible experiences chronicling the success of educators who received CASE certification. She easily cites teachers who are changemakers, transforming FFA chapters and agricultural education programs and, she said, “knocking it out of the park.”
“I have seen the impact that CASE certification has made on teachers. In some cases, without CASE certification, agricultural education would’ve lost teachers, programs, students and FFA members, and future ag teachers,” Nancy said.
When the Trivettes learned about QCD from their financial advisor, they agreed it was a wonderful opportunity.
“He made it very clear that if we donated through the qualified charitable distribution process, it would be tax-free,” Nancy said. “It would go directly from the IRA required minimum distribution to the National FFA Foundation.”
“We believe in FFA,” Nancy added. “That’s really how we got our start, and we want to help others do the same.”
You can support the CASE Endowment with a gift of any size. Visit FFA.givenow.stratuslive.com/case.
