Paul Aarsvold

Paul Aarsvold was elected NAAE Region III Vice President at the 2023 National Association of Agricultural Educators Convention in Phoenix and is currently serving the final year of his three-year term. In this role, he represents agricultural educators from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, while also serving as one of the NAAE representatives to the National FFA Board of Directors.

Paul is in his 32nd year of teaching agricultural education. He earned both his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education and his M.S. in Agricultural Education and Communication from the University of Minnesota. He began his teaching career at Atwater–Cosmos–Grove City in central Minnesota, where he taught for four years before returning to his home region in southeastern Minnesota. Paul has spent the past 28 years at Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School, including the first three years, when he taught alongside his wife, Val.

Throughout his career, Paul has been deeply involved in leadership and service within Minnesota’s agricultural education community. His roles have included Region Director, Membership Secretary, and completion of the President Trilogy for the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators. He has served on the Minnesota AFNR (Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources) Blueprint Committee, worked as a National Quality Program Standards (NQPS) trainer, participated on the Minnesota Perkins V Taskforce and Local Regional Perkins Leadership Team, and served on the NAAE Professional Growth Committee. In 2020, Plainview-Elgin-Millville was recognized as the Minnesota Outstanding Middle/Secondary Agricultural Education Program.

Paul and his wife, Val, reside outside of Plainview, Minnesota. They have five children—PJ (Melanie), Nick (Rebecca), Lafe (Maddy), Julia (Noah), and Jessica—and are proud grandparents to six grandchildren. Outside of agricultural education and family time, Paul enjoys serving as a public address announcer for Section 1 and State Wrestling Tournaments with the Minnesota State High School League.