Pennsylvania 4-H alumna Margee Wolff was a member of several clubs in Westmoreland County, including the County Council and the Travel-All Club.
As a 4-H'er, Wolff showed dairy cows and participated in a variety of other projects including gardening, sewing, and crafts. She represented Pennsylvania at Citizenship Washington Focus, National Congress, and National Conference, where she was selected to return as a part of the planning committee. During college, she worked as a Program Assistant at the National 4-H Center, and, after she graduated from Penn State, she even traveled to Japan for six months through the 4-H IFYE exchange program.
Wolff notes that she has many fond memories of her 4-H years, including time at the fair, traveling with the Travel-All Club, competing with the dairy judging team, working at the 4-H Center, and exploring Tokyo during her exchange program. All of those experiences have led to life-long friendships.
She continues to use the skills she learned in 4-H in her current role as the vice president of leadership, education, and engagement of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington DC. Wolff leads her team in volunteer engagement initiatives and leadership training for the nation's largest general farm organization.
Wolff credits the public speaking and leadership skills she learned in 4-H with sparking her career path. She explained, "My club leader, Jean Bash, made everyone in the club do a demonstration. My first was teaching others how to make a pin cushion from a mason jar lid when I was eight. I went on to compete in public speaking at State Days, and then I led workshops when I worked at the 4-H Center. That sparked my passion for speaking, leadership, and facilitation, and I went on to earn a master's degree in a related topic. The first years of my career at the Farm Bureau were spent developing and leading workshops for adults, and I had the skills to get my first job in the field because of my 4-H experience."
Wolff with her first 4-H dairy project in 1977.
Wolff is still connected to 4-H. Part of her job at the Farm Bureau is managing the organization's relationship with National 4-H Council. She is a frequent attendee at national 4-H events, and she has also been a speaker at the Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference.
When asked what advice she would give to current 4-H members, Wolff said, "Stretch yourself and try new things. 4-H provides so many opportunities to explore and challenge yourself. You never know which project or trip might spark a lifelong friendship, skill or career."
