For the second consecutive year, a Butler County 4-H member joined the Pennsylvania State 4-H Council.

This year, Madeline McEachin, 19, the daughter of Paul and Karla McEachin of West Sunbury and a 2016 Butler High School graduate, was voted into the state council’s pinnacle, the presidency.

Jean Kummer of the county Penn State Extension said Sara Lang, who served the council as its historian, was the first Butler County member to attain a council position, making McEachin only the second to do so.

Kummer said McEachin of West Sunbury won out over 14 other 4-H members from across the state during the State Achievement Days program last month at Penn State University to earn one of seven spots on the state council. Shortly after taking the position, she was elected council president.

The council leads 90,000 members statewide.

Kummer said the position is a great opportunity for McEachin.

“Maddie and her team will promote 4-H at many different state agricultural events,” Kummer said.

McEachin said the campaign process culminated in a five-minute presentation, but she felt comfortable delivering her speech called, “A Walking Talking 4-H Pledge.”

The speech reiterated the head, heart, hands and health symbolism and introduced ideas about bringing 4-H experiences and ideas to other organizations.

“(4-H has) offered me so many opportunities to do mock interviews that I feel comfortable talking in front of people,” McEachin said.

She said the campaign was rigorous, but she felt prepared from years of practice.

She said she gained leadership experience throughout her time in 4-H, especially during the past year as the president for the Butler County 4-H Youth Council, which serves 300 members. She said she expects to use these same skills at the state level.

“I’m a straight-to-the-point, get-it-done type of person,” she said.

In addition to the council, she was a member of the West Sunbury Wranglers and the Caprine Connection, which represent Butler’s horse and goat branches of the 4-H organization. She began her work with animals by raising market goats, but transitioned to dairy goats shortly after, specializing in the Nigerian Dwarfs. She eventually added horses to her list too.

McEachin said she joined 4-H, when she was 9 and acclimated to leadership roles quickly. She attended leadership conferences six years ago and has attended them annually since.

“I got involved with the state leadership program when I was really young,” she said.

McEachin said she is excited to get started.

“I’m eager to do a lot, help a lot and get a lot done,” she said.

McEachin said her experience has given her a good idea of her responsibilities.

“It’s my job to lead at council meetings as well as when we’re out and about,” she said. “But, I’m as much a worker too.”

McEachin said her goals at the state level will mimic what she had as county leader.

McEachin said she would also like to implement a statewide fundraising effort, spanning all 4-H groups. She hopes to build off the organization’s countywide change drive.

She said she also wants to provide an environment where 4-H groups can work and collaborate with other development organizations. She said she saw the benefits through the local 4-H’s work with the Connecting to Tomorrow group.

“I saw a lot of benefit in that,” McEachin said.

Last week, McEachin attended her first event as president at the Ag Progress Days at Penn State.

McEachin said she will do whatever she can to accomplish as much as she can during her one-year term because she feels like she owes the organization. She said the organization has enhanced her opportunities to succeed by testing her and pushing her through hard work.

“It has given me so many opportunities to become the best version of myself,” she said. “I feel so strongly about the program that I want to put in what I got out of it.”

McEachin also has gained honors in other organizations.

This year she was named queen of the Big Butler Fair, and in 2015 she was the North Washington Rodeo queen.