It’s time to meet the team: National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) voting delegates elected six new members to don the iconic green coat of the National Junior Angus Board of Directors (NJAB) during the 2026 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS).
Their new attire matched the shavings at the iconic fairground in Louisville, Kentucky, when their names were announced during the closing ceremonies on July 17, 2026.
It’s a journey that resonates with many, including newly elected NJAA Board member, Cailee Flood.
“To me, the green coat means servant leadership,” she said. “To hold that title myself is a great honor. I want to make those juniors that are within this organization feel supported, welcomed and valued just as every green coat that I have ever looked up to has made me feel.”
Developing the next generation of industry leaders is a vital component of the NJAA mission.
Each year, six junior members are elected to serve on the board, where they further develop their leadership skills and represent Angus.
The newly elected board members will serve a two-year term, the first year as directors and the second year as officers. The new directors are Audrey Curtin, Blue Mound, Illinois; Cailee Flood, Oakdale, California; Lily Jeffries, Cammer, Kentucky; Gage Long, Vinita, Oklahoma; Maggie Mindemann, Watertown, Wisconsin; and Lauren Phillips, Centerville, Iowa.
During their term, directors will travel the nation to assist at shows and conferences, support junior members during state and national events and help to advance the NJAA mission.
The “new six,” will join second-term members including newly appointed chairman, Lyle Perrier of Eureka, Kansas and vice chairman, Ava Wood of Willow Spring, North Carolina. The officer team also includes foundation director, Alexis Koelling, of Bowling Green, Missouri; secretary, Keely Shultz of Danielsville, Georgia; events director, Bryce Hofing of Coatesville, Indiana; and education director, Adeline Tommell of Fonda, New York.
Meet the New Directors
Audrey Curtin is a fifth-generation producer from Blue Mound, Ill. The 20-year-old attended her eighth NJAA conference this summer, and she’s come a long way since her first Raising the Bar conference in Lubbock, Texas.
“I didn’t really know anybody outside of my state association,” she said, but is quick to note her roommates for the event immediately changed the experience. “I still consider them to be some of my very best friends.”
As she dons the green coat, Curtin is excited to see a new side of what makes these conferences so special.
“They’re my favorite part of the junior Angus association because you meet so many people and get to see so many places and even meet people who aren’t Angus juniors,” she said. “I’m very excited to be on the other side of that and help get to plan those events and help our juniors meet each other.”
Curtin will balance her time serving with her education at Kansas State University (K-State), where she’s pursuing her degree in agricultural business.
Coming into the NJAA four years ago, Oakdale, Calif., local Cailee Flood is coming to the NJAB with a bit of a different perspective.
She said, “A lot of my peers that are on the Board have been involved in this since they were nine years old, since the first year they were able to show. I do think that I could offer a point of view of, ‘Okay, how do we get new kids involved that are maybe older?’”
Being so far from the Midwest used to intimidate Flood when she went to NJAA events. She said every new experience, however, showed her that fitting in with other young Angus breeders wasn’t a hard task.
“That’s what pushed me to want to give back to this organization, because of the opportunities that it’s presented me and the confidence that it’s given me in myself and in my state,” Flood added.
The green coat isn’t the only thing helping this West Coast gal expand her horizons, however. She’s perusing an agricultural economics degree while on track for pre-law with an agricultural communications minor at K-State.
Coming to the line-up as another fifth-generation Angus breeder, Lily Jeffries is proud to say her childhood was spent in the barn. She started showing as quick as she could, and since she was nine, Jeffries said she’s been proud to lead a calf around the ring.
But even with her experience, there were times she needed a helping hand.
“I can just think of so many times that other past junior board members have just helped me out, even if it’s in the ring or if it’s before a contest but just giving me some kind of sense of confidence and purpose,” she explained.
Those memories are where her own desire to run for the NJAB first took root
“I just want to be able to do that for somebody else who maybe is just starting out or doesn’t have all the confidence in the world or is just a little bit intimidated by it because I fully understand the feeling of intimidation in a breed association that’s as large as ours,” Jeffries added.
She also knows there’s more to leadership than just the excitement of a show.
“Whenever I think of the green jacket, I think of someone who is compassionate and driven, determined and a leader,” she said
Jeffries is pursuing an animal science degree with a pre-law major at Oklahoma State University (OSU).
“For the past 11 years, I’ve shown at Angus junior nationals and been chasing cattle,” said Gage Long, a fourth-generation Angus breeder.
The Oklahoma junior has an impressive list of wins in the show ring, particularly since the start of the Phenotype Genotype Show (PGS) at NJAS, but this year, the national show marked a new success.
He explained, “I wanted to run for the junior board ever since I was nine — ever since I saw the green coat. It’s prestigious, the best of the best. I think that’s pretty cool that I was able to be one of those six that will be able to wear that green jacket and help others.”
With his background, it’s no surprise that Long is eager for the chance to attend shows across the country. The NJAB is more, however, than just a chance to see a few new places.
“I want [the juniors] to be able to look at me as a role model for them and then always representing the Angus breed in the best way I can,” Long said.
Long will balance his two years of service with his education. He’s attending West Texas A&M University studying ag business and economics.
Maggie Mindemann was eight days old when she went to her first cattle show. That first Minnesota State Fair sparked a love in her that has only grown stronger over the years.
The Watertown, Wis., resident was raised on a cattle farm, where her family sells freezer beef and show cattle. She and her siblings showed cattle throughout their childhood, but they’re each involved in some aspect of the farm.
Some of her most fond memories come from events like the Raising the Bar conference, which she refers to as a chance to go “college shopping.” With this in mind, Mindemann is eager for the chance to help other juniors in a key point of life: deciding where they want to take themselves after graduating high school.
This junior knows success in and out of the NJAA is all about relationships, so it’s no wonder that is going to be what her two years of service are built on.
“I am forever grateful to everyone and anyone who got me here,” she said. “I’m so grateful for my other five. They’re wonderful people. I love them all so much already, and I’m excited for what is to come.”
Mindemann is currently attending Western Illinois University, where she’s studying ag business with a minor in animal science.
When Lauren Phillips’ dad bought two heifers at the Iowa Beef Expo , she said she fell in love. She was just eight years old at the time.
Today, the now 19-year-old says that first purchase pushed her to dive into the NJAA. Her resume boasts attendance to conferences like Raising the Bar and LEAD, as well as competition in showrings at the national level.
“I always kind of knew [I would run for the NJAB],” she explains. “I went and watched showmanship with my dad when I was a little girl, and I watched a bunch of green coats tail kids around the ring. I don’t remember a lot, but I remember I wanted to be like them.”
She aims to uphold the standard former NJAB directors have set.
“If you’re going to wear a green coat, you have to be a leader for the association,” Phillips explains. “I strive to be a good leader. A leader listens to others and helps others, so I try to do that at all times.”
She is a student at Iowa State University, where she’s studying agricultural communications.
To learn more about the NJAB, visit www.angus.org/NJAA/home/board.
Results of the 2026 NJAS, including shows, contests, awards and scholarships, can be found at www.njas.info. Additional coverage is also available on the NJAA social media channels and in the September issue of the Angus Journal.
