NEWS RELEASE
Vivayic Co-Founders Announce $1M Gift to National FFA to Honor Upcoming 100th Anniversary
LINCOLN, Neb. (July 31, 2025) – The National FFA Organization recently announced a partnership with Vivayic, the nation’s largest learning solution provider for agriculture, to create virtual leadership labs. This unprecedented collection of modules will use a challenge-based learning approach to help prepare FFA members for success. Development of these online programs will start this fall, with plans to make the leadership labs available to FFA members by the summer of 2026.
The partnership is made possible by an in-kind gift of learning design and elearning development services by Vivayic valued at more than $100,000 per year for 10 years, from 2025 through 2034.
The co-founders of Vivayic – Seth Derner of Nebraska and Doug Kueker of Missouri – both credit their experience as FFA members with giving them the skills, relationships, and confidence needed for success. Seth, who grew up on a ranch near Bartlett, Nebraska, and Doug, who grew up on a farm near Sweet Springs, Missouri, were both national FFA officers in 1990s. After working together at the National FFA Organization in the early 2000s in Indianapolis, they decided to launch Vivayic in 2006 after returning to their respective home states.
“With the 100th anniversary of FFA coming up in 2029, we were looking for a way to say ‘thank you’ to an organization that has meant so much to us and so many members of our team,” said Doug Kueker, based in Kansas City, Mo. “We hope this gift inspires other former members and partners in the ag industry to think about how they can give back, as well.”
Planning for the partnership started early this year but was announced publicly at a recent conference of state FFA officers in Washington, D.C. Vivayic and the National FFA Organization plan to engage student leaders and local agricultural education teachers in the design and testing of the online leadership resources.
“We work with industry leaders across the country, and they all share the same concern: how do we develop the next generation of talent to lead in their communities and take leadership roles in the ag industry? FFA already does a great job, and we hope this partnership expands the reach so that even more youth are prepared to make an impact – whether that’s at the local level or a leadership role in an ag organization,” said Seth Derner, located in Lincoln, Neb.
Vivayic has grown to now employ nearly 40 people and develops training curricula, designs elearning, and consults with companies on talent and leadership development. Vivayic is the largest provider of these services to the agriculture industry in the United States with an estimated five million farmers, ranchers, agriculture professionals and students annually participating in a training experience designed by Vivayic for its corporate, association, and nonprofit clients.
About Vivayic
Vivayic exists to build the capacity of others to do good in the world. For company and organizational leaders who desire a better way to learn, teach and train, we simplify the learning process. With more than 16 years of experience designing and delivering tailored learning experiences, Vivayic is committed to driving deeper alignment and understanding by building better experiences, bringing the strongest team, and applying a holistic approach to learning, teaching, and training.