Meet the people of 4-H who are breaking down barriers, creating change, and inspiring others.
As educators, community activists, industry experts, innovators, and leaders, these 4-H trailblazers are paving the way for generations to come. Get to know this month’s trailblazing youth, alumni, and supporters who have created change and opportunity within their communities and bring the 4-H mission to life.
Featured 4-H Trailblazers
Jesse Lee Eller
CEO & Founder, Studio 5 - Learning + Development, Inc.
As CEO and Founder of a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, he understands what it means to honor and value the diversity of people and of thought. Through his leadership and guidance, Studio 5 empowers people to do the best work of their lives through meaningful thought partnerships with the world’s leading human-centered organizations. In 2015, Jesse founded and launched the Cultivating Change Foundation - the largest organization globally that focuses on valuing and elevating LGBT agriculturists.
Marcus Hollan
Chief People Officer, Studio 5 - Learning + Development, Inc.
With a passion for people development and organizational change, Marcus served as the Executive Director of the Cultivating Change Foundation, a 501(c)(3) aimed at valuing and elevating LGBT agriculturists through advocacy, education, and community. At Studio 5, his focus is on building the ecosystem to attract and retain top tier talent by creating the conditions that produce a meaningful employee experience. He believes that human capital is the most valuable asset to have and that the development of people in an organization is vital to its success.
Ann Veneman
Former Secretary of Agriculture, USDA
Once named one of Forbes most powerful women, Ann Veneman has earned her place in history, both nationally and internationally. Veneman’s first notable role was serving as the Secretary of Agriculture, where she is the only woman to date to hold the position. In 2005, she was appointed as the fifth executive director of UNICEF, where she advocated for solving global hunger and children’s and women’s rights.
Dr. Carrie Castille
Director, USDA-NIFA
From Assistant Professor at Louisiana State University to state director of the Louisiana Rural Development, Dr. Carrie Castille has spent her career being a champion for education, agriculture, and rural issues. After several roles and a number of Louisiana state honors— she was the first woman inducted into the University of Louisiana Lafayette College of Engineering Hall of Distinction—today, Dr. Castille is the first woman to serve as director of USDA-NIFA in a non-acting capacity.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell
US Representative, Alabama
Congresswoman Terri Sewell credits her experiences in Alabama 4-H and a number of mentors for investing in her. Among her many accomplishments, she is notably the first woman elected to Congress in Alabama and the first Black woman to serve in the Alabama Congressional Delegation. Today, she uses her platform to advocate for voter rights and equality.
Jennifer Sirangelo
President & CEO, National 4-H Council
As the first female to serve as president and CEO at National 4-H Council, she has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and recipient of the Female Executive of the Year Award.
Discover More 4-H Trailblazers
Stanley Celestine Jr. - School Board President
The Louisiana 4-H alum is a nationally recognized education reformer and the youngest member elected to the Avoyelles Parish School Board.
Dr. Renita Marshall - Vice Chancellor and Associate Dean, Southern University
The Louisiana 4-H alum is the first African American female professor in the Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center, Charter President of the National Association for Black Veterinarians, and Contact Veterinarian for the State Agricultural Emergencies for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture.
Carla Hall - Chef, Television Personality
The renowned chef, award-winning television personality, and Tennessee 4-H alumna has a passion for diversity in food culture, agriculture and equity in food access, which is rooted in her philosophy that food connects us all.
Lazarus Lynch - Chef, Activist, Media Personality
An advocate for food security and human rights and a New York 4-H alum, Lazarus Lynch is a two-time Chopped Champion winner, and host of Snapchat’s first-ever cooking Show, Chopped U, and Food Network Digital's Comfort Nation.
Tay Moore - Student, National 4-H Council Trustee
The former Louisiana State 4-H President is currently studying political science and music and Louisiana State University, while serving as the Young Alumni Advisory Committee (YAAC) Representative of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees.
Dr. Robert Jones - Chancellor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A son of a sharecropper in the Jim Crow era of southwestern Georgia and a Georgia 4-H alum, Dr. Jones established himself as a successful scientist, renowned scholar, award-winning musical artist, and today, spearheads innovative research in COVID-19 testing.
Dr. Philson Warner - Scientist, Cornell University Cooperative Extension
Dr. Wilson is the founding director of Cornell's Hydroponics, Aquaculture, and Aquaponics Teaching and Demonstration Labs, located at Food and Finance High School in New York City.
Craig Melvin - Anchor, TODAY & MSNBC
As a former South Carolina 4-H member, Craig Melvin is a 2x Emmy Award winner and one of the youngest recipients of the Associate Press Award for his work in journalism.
Terren Moore - Agency Owner and Founder, Moore Farms & Insurance
The Texas 4-H alum is a first-generation farmer who founded Moore Farms and Insurance Services in 2021.
Kyle Bridgeforth - Partner, Bridgeforth Farms
A fifth generation farmer who grew up in Alabama 4-H, Kyle is an advocate for advancing the diversity in agriculture for future generations.
Nikki Clifton - President, Social Impact and The UPS Foundation
The Georgia 4-H alumna has been instrumental in UPS’s response to human rights and social justice issues, including spearheading and coordinating UPS’s anti-human trafficking awareness and education.
Dr. Juliette Bell - Former President, University of Maryland Eastern Shore
The former university administrator and Alabama 4-H member is a biochemist and HBCU advocate who earned the Millennium Award for Excellence in Teaching in STEM at Historically Black Colleges from the White House, among other honors. She is the vice-chair of National 4-H Council’s Board of Trustees.
Monica Rainge - Deputy Secretary for Civil Rights, USDA
A former Master Georgia 4-H'er and current agricultural lawyer, Monica Rainge has led programs in land retention, supporting socially disadvantaged farmers, and building a more equitable workforce.
Woodie Hughes Jr. - Assistant Extension Administrator and State 4-H Program Leader, Fort Valley State University
Hughes currently serves as the 1890 regional land-grant universities’ state 4-H representative on the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) 4-H Leadership Committee and is the first African American to serve on the committee.
Dr. Rukeia Draw-Hood - 4-H Program Leader, Prairie View A&M University
Dr. Draw-Hood has more than twenty years of experience in non-formal education and youth development, and directed the nation's first urban 4-H Community Center run by Michigan State University Extension.
Dr. Makola Abdullah - President, Virginia State University
Dr. Abdullah has served in various administrative and leadership roles at several historically Black colleges and universities across the country. In addition, he was the youngest African American to receive a Ph.D. in engineering.
Dr. Jewell Bronaugh - United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, USDA
Dr. Bronaugh's tenure with Virginia State University's Cooperative Extension program and Department of Agriculture has led to her current role as USDA Deputy Secretary.
Dr. Monique Chism - Under Secretary for Education, Smithsonian
The Ohio 4-H alum's career spans 24 years in education, from educator to administrator to staff members of the US Department of Education.
Dr. Anthony Burrow - Associate Professor, Cornell University
A proud Iowa 4-H alum, Dr. Burrows is the director of the 4-H Program for Research on Youth Development (PRYDE), where he aims to link science and service in innovative ways through 4-H to promote positive youth development.
Manola Erby - Youth Specialist and Program Leader, Alcorn State University
The Mississippi 4-H alum develops 4‑H programs in career readiness and leadership, leads workshops and training sessions for educators, and sources opportunities for young people in the community from youth-serving organizations.
Winzer Andrews - Retired, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center
Winzer Andrews’ dream started when he was 9 years old in his hometown of Truxno, Louisiana. His love of animals and supporting youth lead him to major in Animal Science at Southern University. He is now known as a Trailblazer within Louisiana’s Cooperative Extension program, becoming the first Black Louisiana 4-H Agent and first Black President of the Louisiana State 4-H Agents Association.
