Region VI Secretary
New York
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Mary-Elizabeth Foote is in her seventh year as the Agricultural Science Teacher and FFA Advisor at Schuylerville High School in upstate New York and has nine years of classroom teaching experience. Since joining Schuylerville in 2019, she has helped expand the Agricultural Education program from a single-teacher program serving 75 students to a two-teacher program enrolling more than 265 students annually.
Foote is committed to inquiry-based, hands-on instruction that empowers students to lead their own learning. This approach has led her to become a CASE Certified Teacher in Agricultural Business Foundations; Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; AgXplore; Animal Health and Veterinary Science; Agricultural Research and Development; Principles of Agricultural Science–Animal; Principles of Agricultural Science–Plant; and Food Science and Safety. She has secured more than $125,000 in grant funding to support experiential learning opportunities, including the development and operation of a fully functional mobile maple syrup production unit.
Foote places a strong emphasis on professional involvement through the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) and the New York Association of Agricultural Educators (NYAAE). She has participated in Teachers Turn the Key, the National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Program, and the XLR8—eXcellence in Leadership for Retention Program, and currently serves a second term on the Advocacy in Agricultural Education Committee. At the state level, she has served as a Regional Trustee for both NYAAE and the New York FFA Board, including leadership roles as Chair of the Advocacy, Legislative, and New York FFA Realignment Committees.
Beyond the classroom, Foote advises a 75-member senior high and 25-member junior high FFA chapter. Under her leadership, more than 300 members have competed in Leadership and Career Development Events, with 32 teams or individuals earning top-three finishes at the state level and seven advancing to the National FFA Convention. Her students have earned two National Proficiency Awards, with four additional top-ten national finishes.
Foote’s work has earned recognition as the NAAE Region VI Outstanding Early Career Teacher, a SUNY Cobleskill Rising Alumni Award recipient, and the 2025 Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) Model Teacher. She holds an associate degree in Agricultural Business from SUNY Cobleskill, a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science with a minor in Agricultural Communications from The Pennsylvania State University, and a master’s degree in Agricultural Education from SUNY Oswego, where she graduated summa cum laude. Foote resides in Hartford, New York, where she manages a small farm with her husband, Aaron Sedgwick.
