Leadership at its best 2025 – Washington, DC

Attendee Portal

Prepare to Grow

This page will serve as your gateway to preparation, completing your program pre-work, and scheduling your Capitol Hill appointments.  These preliminary steps will ensure you make the most of your agricultural leadership experience and leave an indelible mark on the industry.

Program Prep

Capitol Hill Visit

Meet Your Cohort

Photo Share

Program Prep

To get the most out of your experience, we encourage you to review the following handouts and resource pages prior to the program start. In addition, please complete the form below after scheduling appointments with members of Congress.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Winter in Washington, D.C. can get chilly at night. Pack a warm jacket and gloves as we will be outside during some events. If you’re a freeze baby you might consider wearing thermal underwear.
  • Please make arrangements to and from your local airport. We are unable to make any reimbursements outside of the program. If you plan to bring a vehicle, parking expense is not part of the covered expenses.
  • You will receive a Visa gift card to reimburse your checked luggage fees and transportation to and from the airport. *Please plan to cover additional expenses on your own or with your association.

Please review the materials below prior to program kick-off to prepare for media and leadership development training.

Storytelling Workshop with Aaron Putze: Prepping Your Stor y

Prior to Aaron Putze’s storytelling workshop on Tuesday, it will be helpful to begin thinking about your story in agriculture. You will refine your story during the Storytelling workshop and then share your personal agriculture story share on Capitol Hill.

Utilize the worksheet and visuals to start preparing your story. This will help you to begin fleshing out the components of a strong story to maximize impact.

Media Training Prework: Handout and Practice Questions

Get ready to take your interview skills to the next level with our Tuesday’s Media Training with Johnna Miller.

Please download materials below to prepare for this portion of the program.

Gettysburg On-the-Road Leadership Workshop

LEARN FROM THE PAST… PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE

On Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th, we will participate in Diamond 6’s Gettysburg On-the Road Leadership Workshop.

Click below link to learn more about Diamond6 and  how to prepare for your session, and valuable resources for understanding the Battle of Gettysburg, military hierarchy, and more!

Capitol Hill

Please reference the Find Your Representative website to identify your congressional district and U.S. Representative and the States in the Senate website to identify your U.S. Senator.

After finding your Congressperson, please navigate to their respective website to complete a scheduling request form for Thursday.

After you’ve scheduled your appointment, complete the form below to share your plans with the Leadership At Its Best team.

Meet the 2025 Cohort