Melissa Souva has been active in Michigan’s agricultural industry her entire life. After earning an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University, Souva became an agriscience and science teacher and FFA advisor at Bronson High School. During her 13-year career with the school, Souva played a key role in helping expand the agriscience program, adding a land lab, a greenhouse, and an animal science facility.

In 1995, Souva and her husband, Earl, started Great Lakes Sire Service, a company that collects, processes, stores, and distributes livestock and whitetail deer semen domestically and internationally. Souva has been recognized many times for her accomplishments. She was named the Michigan Farm Bureau Educator of the Year in 1998 and the Michigan Outstanding Agriscience Teacher of the Year in 2002, won the LeGrand Smith Outstanding Teacher Award in 2004, the Business of the Year Award from the Michigan Cattlemen’s Association in 2006, the Michigan FFA Service Award in 2007, and received the 25 Year Award from the National Association of Animal Breeders.

A former St. Joseph County 4-H’er, Souva was a member of the state 4-H and FFA champion livestock judging and meat evaluation teams, was an international 4-H exchange student and won two 4-H state awards. She has been a 4-H volunteer in Branch County for 29 years. She is a Bronson Pioneers 4-H Club leader, volunteers for the Tractor Supply Paper Clover Days in Branch County, and supports the 4-H “Make the Match” endowment campaigns in Branch and St. Joseph counties. Souva also coaches 4-H and FFA livestock and meat evaluation teams in the two counties, serves on the interview committee for the Beef 4-H State Award, and is a member of the state 4-H livestock and veterinary science program planning committee.