AG Students Selected for National Delta Tau Alpha Leadership
Two EKU chapter officers have been selected to serve the National Delta Tau Alpha agriculture honor society for the 2016-17 year. Sydney Kleinert, a senior from Clifton, Illinois, and Bethany McKinney, a senior from Mount Vernon, Kentucky, are serving as National DTA President and Secretary, respectively.
DTA - or 'Dedicated to Agriculture' as it is often referred by students - promotes high standards among its chapters. The practice of ethics and scholarship are two of its main goals. EKU’s chapter recently elected their own officials, and sponsored both women to run a campaign at the National Level.
Both are seniors Agribusiness Management majors. Having served the chapter well since their junior year, the two are ready to tackle employment and life after graduation.
“My mom is my main inspiration. She’s worked in agriculture all my life. Watching her was what got me interested,” Bethany explains. “Delta Tau Alpha has made me a better person. It’s brought me out of my shell. It’s made me more involved with Eastern Kentucky University.”
As National Secretary, Bethany is responsible for recording the happenings at the National Convention, as well as recording all communications among national officers throughout the year. “The EKU chapter has been trying to reach out to other schools for a while now. It’s my goal to make that communication easier.”
After graduation, Bethany hopes to offer subsidies to farmers, working within the USDA and Farm Service Agency.
During her last year as a student, Bethany works extensively with National president, Sydney Kleinert.
Sydney got involved in DTA last spring. “I wanted to make connections. I grew up on a cattle farm, but we also had the largest sheep operation in the county. I saw how important it was to really know the people you work with, because raising livestock can be tricky.”
As President of both the local chapter and the National organization, Sydney is responsible for a number of things. “It’s helped improve my leadership and organization skills for sure,” she says. Sydney publishes a newsletter every month. She has created a website for the national organization, and runs both the National Facebook page as well as the local chapter Facebook page. Sydney meets with advisors, and runs every meeting of the DTA, both locally and at National conferences.
“I’m really glad Bethany is here; the other National officers are spread throughout Kansas, Tennessee, Texas, and Missouri,” she explains. Bethany is also the secretary for the local chapter, which has 41 members to date.
Published on September 20, 2016