Judi Whitson
Woman of the Year in Agriculture
Judi Whitson was born in Brooksville, Florida, to Ada Rae Barnett Driggers and William J. Driggers Sr. Her father was in the U.S. Navy, so her family moved to different naval bases around the country. During the summer months, she would visit her uncle’s cattle ranch and citrus groves in Inverness. It was there that her passion for agriculture grew.
In 1991, as a working mother of two, Whitson was hired by the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau as administrative assistant. She worked for the board of directors taking minutes, working on financial statements and managing general office tasks. As she grew professionally, Whitson was presented with a new challenge: the post of executive director.
Whitson made ag education one of her priorities and promoted the Ag in the Classroom program to cultivate an appreciation of the agriculture industry among school students. She began visiting local classrooms and forming relationships with local agriculturists, legislators and community leaders. In 1995, with the help of her peers, Whitson formulated the AgVentures program, an interactive agricultural experience geared toward Hillsborough County school students. In 2002, with assistance from educators in Exceptional Student Education (ESE), Whitson developed and co-wrote the curriculum for the Ag-Abilities program, designed to teach ESE students the many facets of agriculture and prepare them for possible careers in the industry.
Today, Whitson continues to work tirelessly for Florida agriculture. Whether it’s educating youth about where their food comes from or promoting the industry to decision makers, Whitson has become one of Florida agriculture’s top ambassadors. She never loses her enthusiasm to help agriculturists become better spokespeople for the industry she loves.
Whitson serves on the boards of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame, AgVenture of Hillsborough County and Plant City Chamber of Commerce, and formerly served on the 4-H Overall Advisory Committee and at the Ag-Institute of Florida. Despite a very busy schedule, she finds time to lend her voice to the Toast of Tampa Show Chorus, a local nonprofit group ranked third in the world in Sweet Adeline barbershop chorus competition. But with all her accomplishments, her greatest joy is her family. Her son, Brian, is a park manager with the Florida Park Service and her daughter, Shelli, is a social worker with Pinellas County Schools.
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