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Colin Raby

Building · Previously

Work

I build AI for the industries that feed and power the country, and I've worked on it from the lab, the Capitol and the field.

Positions held · 8 · select one to open its file

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Positions held

  1. 2024–FarmMind logoFounder & Chief Executive OfficerFarmMind
    Colin Raby and two FarmMind teammates walking through a soybean field carrying insect sweep nets

    Founder & CEO · 2024–present

    FarmMind

    FarmMind is an AI agronomy platform that turns weather, soil, regulatory and crop-science data into research-backed, cited recommendations for farmers and crop advisors.

    It started as a class project in LSU's first course on large language models in the fall of 2023. Today FarmMind supports farmers across more than a million acres, organizes every field's history in one place, works offline in the field, and keeps a simple promise: a farmer's data is the farmer's.

    In January 2026 it won the American Farm Bureau Federation's Ag Innovation Challenge, the national competition for agricultural startups. It was built without traditional venture capital; its first five users became its first investors.

    Visit farmmind.org FarmMind blog ↗
    acres supported
    1M+
    acres supported
    founded at LSU
    2023
    founded at LSU
    competition wins
    4
    competition wins

    FarmMind, on the record

    1. CR-2025-018 · Apr. 2025Places third in the graduate high-growth division of the Arkansas Governor's CupMilestone
    2. CR-2025-008 · June 19, 2025“FarmSmarter.AI Wins Top Prize in Nexus Technology Cup College Track Finals”Press
    3. Colin Raby and two FarmMind teammates walking through a soybean field with sweep nets over their shoulders
      CR-2025-009 · 2025Goes full time as CEO of FarmMindMilestone
    4. CR-2025-010 · Aug. 5, 2025“Farm Bureau Announces Top 10 in Ag Innovation Challenge”PressRelease
    5. CR-2025-011 · Sept. 10, 2025“Ag Innovation Challenge Finalists Compete for $100K”PressRelease
    6. Colin Raby, in a white FarmMind shirt and jeans, pitching on stage at the Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, with sponsor banners behind him
      CR-2026-001 · Jan. 12, 2026“FarmMind Wins $100K in Ag Innovation Challenge”PressRelease
    7. CR-2026-002 · Jan. 14, 2026“LSU Roots Power Winning Farm Tech Startup”PressPodcast
    8. The Washington Examiner op-ed page: headline “America’s food supply security depends on AI integration into agriculture,” by Colin Raby, published March 23, 2026
      CR-2026-004 · Mar. 23, 2026“America's food supply security depends on AI integration into agriculture”PressOp-ed
    9. Colin Raby and two FarmMind cofounders walking through a soybean field carrying insect sweep nets
      CR-2026-008 · Aug. 13, 2026“A college class on AI became the foundation for this million-acre Louisiana agtech platform”Press
  2. 2024–25U.S. House of Representatives logoAI SpecialistU.S. House of Representatives
    Colin Raby walking across the East Front plaza of the U.S. Capitol in a navy suit and red tie
    Colin Raby with arms outstretched in front of the U.S. Capitol dome

    U.S. HouseU.S. House of Representatives · 2024–2025

    AI Specialist

    One of the first AI specialists to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, with a dual mandate to put AI to work inside Congress and to advise on the policy that governs it.

    Raby came to Washington through the Fund for American Studies' Public Policy & Economics program and joined the office of Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, supporting the House Select Committee on the CCP alongside the congressman's work on science, technology and commerce.

    The role had two halves: evaluating and improving congressional systems and workflows with AI, to make them more effective, efficient and transparent; and advising on policy for AI and other emerging technologies under discussion across multiple committees. He presented his work at the Congressional Hackathon, and spoke about AI in Congress, and later the $500 billion Stargate investment, on Local News Live's Future in Focus.

    Build

    AI tools that make congressional systems more effective, efficient and transparent.

    Advise

    On policy for AI and emerging technology across multiple House committees.

    • Support for the House Select Committee on the CCP
    • Presented at the Congressional Hackathon in the U.S. Capitol
    • Came to Washington through TFAS's Public Policy & Economics program
    • On AI in Congress and the Stargate investment for Local News Live's Future in Focus
    Office
    Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi
    Committee
    Select Committee on the CCP
    Location
    Washington, D.C.
    Dates
    2024 – 2025

    Posts from the time

    • colin_rabyJune 17, 2024
      Colin Raby with arms outstretched in front of the U.S. Capitol

      Announcing the role

      I am excited to announce my new position as one of the first Congressional Artificial Intelligence Specialists — with a dual mandate: to use AI to make congressional systems more effective, efficient and transparent, and to advise on policies related to AI and other emerging technologies.

      View on Instagram
    • lsuAug. 30, 2024
      LSU's Class of 2024 graphic: Colin Raby walking in front of the U.S. Capitol under his name

      LSU: one of the first congressional AI specialists

      LSU alum Colin Raby spent the last few months as one of the first congressional AI specialists. In this role, he pioneered using AI-powered tools to improve workflow and provided a technical perspective for policymakers on the Hill.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyOct. 27, 2024CR-2024-017
      Colin Raby standing in a White House doorway beneath the Seal of the President of the United States, flanked by flags

      Visits the White House

      Checked an invitation to visit the world's most iconic "white house" off the bucket list. We'd probably still be calling the President's residence "the Executive Mansion" if Teddy Roosevelt hadn't dubbed it "the White House" in letters sent in 1901. This building embodies how Article II of our Constitution has been executed throughout the history of our still-young nation. It isn't just the home of the President; it's the command center where the buck stops on foreign policy, where the laws of our country are enforced — not made — and where national leaders are appointed to steer critical functions of government. It protects and enables the person charged with wielding substantial power, under constitutional constraints meant to prevent kingly tyranny. The White House is a building of decisions, where the past, present and future collide. Every citizen should be proud to be part of this ongoing experiment in self-governance as the next chapter of the American story is written — not only by the occupant of this brightly painted house, but by all of us, every single day.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyOct. 29, 2024
      Colin Raby in a split-screen Local News Live interview under the banner “Artificial Intelligence in Congress”

      On Future in Focus: AI in Congress

      We explored the potential AI tools have to transform the way Congress operates, and why it's essential to have independent, tech-literate voices in the room with policymakers — on data privacy, artificial intelligence and the broader implications of emerging technologies.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyJan. 25, 2025
      Colin Raby in the Local News Live studio discussing the $500 billion AI investment

      What Stargate is and why it matters

      Curious about Stargate — a project bigger than the Apollo Program and the Manhattan Project combined? Our conversation on D.C.'s Local News Live on what it is and why it matters to you.

      View on Instagram

    On the record

    1. Colin Raby in a navy suit on a marble staircase on Capitol Hill, a large American flag behind him
      CR-2024-002 · June 2024Joins the U.S. House as one of its first AI specialistsRelease
    2. Colin Raby at the podium in the Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium beneath his title slide, “From Hours to Minutes: Press Clips Generator”
      CR-2024-009 · Sept. 19, 2024Presents “From Hours to Minutes: Press Clips Generator” at the Congressional HackathonRelease
    3. LSU graphic: Colin Raby in a navy suit and red tie walking in front of the U.S. Capitol, under the words “Colin Raby” and “Class of 2024”
      CR-2024-008 · Aug. 26, 2024“AI Meets Public Policy: LSU Graduate Plays Groundbreaking Role in D.C.”Press
    4. Colin Raby with arms outstretched in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
      CR-2024-016 · Dec. 16, 2024“Meet Some of the Dedicated and High-Achieving People of LSU Featured in 2024”Press
    5. CR-2024-011 · Oct. 26, 2024“FUTURE IN FOCUS: Congressional AI specialist Colin Raby”PressVideo
    6. Colin Raby speaking into a microphone on the panel, an AI circuit graphic on the screen behind him
      CR-2024-007 · July 17, 2024“AI Unveiled: Exploring Its Impact on You”PressVideo
    7. CR-2025-002 · Jan. 25, 2025“FUTURE IN FOCUS: Trump's $500 billion investment in AI”PressVideo

    Elsewhere

  3. 2024Louisiana State University logoTeaching Assistant, Applied LLM SystemsLouisiana State University
    Position file · No. 03Louisiana State University · 2024

    Teaching Assistant, Applied LLM Systems, Louisiana State University

    Part of the inaugural cohort that launched LSU's first course on building LLM applications in fall 2023, then invited back the next semester to teach it.

    In the course's first year, Raby's team built FarmSmart AI, the herbicide-planning assistant that became FarmMind, and presented it at LSU's first AI Showcase to leaders from IBM, Shell, Our Lady of the Lake and the LSU AgCenter.

    In spring 2024 he returned as teaching assistant for HNRS 3035, the Ogden Honors College course on developing LLM systems. Its second cohort built tools with industry partners BASF, The Advocate and Our Lady of the Lake; Raby guided the BASF team's “Virtual Expert,” an AI system that puts a company's policies and institutional knowledge one question away.

    The work

    • Helped launch the course as a member of its inaugural cohort, fall 2023
    • Built FarmSmart AI and presented at LSU's first AI Showcase
    • Teaching assistant for the second cohort, spring 2024
    • Guided the BASF team's AI “Virtual Expert”
    • Taught agents, fine-tuning and retrieval-augmented generation

    Posts from the time

    • Colin RabyOct. 3, 2023CR-2023-004

      Advancing in AI: inside LSU's first large language model course

      Early in the fall 2023 semester, Raby wrote about LSU's new Honors course on large language models, one of the first university courses in the country built around applied LLM systems. The class project he started that semester became FarmSmart, and later FarmMind.

      View on LinkedIn
    • Colin RabyDec. 13, 2023

      Presenting at LSU's first AI Showcase

      To be selected as part of this forward-thinking inaugural cohort on building artificially intelligent LLM applications was a premier educational opportunity. As I mentioned on WAFB, AI won't replace jobs, but people using AI will.

      View on LinkedIn
    • Colin RabyFeb. 19, 2024

      Back as a teaching assistant

      Excited to kick off this semester as a Teaching Assistant for HNRS 3035 on developing LLM systems. Project teams are partnering with BASF, The Advocate and Our Lady of the Lake; I'm the TA guide for the BASF team building a “Virtual Expert.”

      View on LinkedIn
    • Colin RabyMar. 26, 2024

      Working with the BASF team

      Working through the material a second time, seeing the leaps and bounds the technology has moved in only a few months, and helping this group plan their path to completion while avoiding the pitfalls of these systems.

      View on LinkedIn

    On the record

    1. Colin Raby with teammates Cody Flurry, Grant Muslow and Jackson Joyce and sponsor Prof. Stephenson in front of their FarmSmart AI presentation at LSU's first AI Showcase
      CR-2023-014 · Aug. 2023Helps launch LSU's first course on building LLM applicationsRelease
    2. CR-2024-004 · Jan. 2024Teaching assistant for LSU's applied LLM systems courseMilestone
    3. Colin Raby presenting in front of a slide reading “FarmSmart AI, Herbicide Management (Group 2)” with the names Cody Flurry, Jackson Joyce, Grant Muslow and Colin Raby
      CR-2023-005 · Oct. 2023FarmSmart is founded in an LSU classroomMilestone

    Elsewhere

  4. 2023Enercon logoEngineering InternEnercon
    Position file · No. 04Enercon · 2023

    Engineering Intern, Enercon

    Safety-critical engineering: digital instrumentation and control upgrades for nuclear power plants.

    At Enercon, Raby worked on digital I&C upgrades and control-system replacement projects, designing control logic and running the testing that safety-critical systems demand.

    The work

    • Digital instrumentation & control (I&C) upgrades
    • Control-system replacement projects
    • Control logic design
    • Verification and testing

    On the record

    1. CR-2023-001 · 2023Nuclear controls engineering at EnerconMilestone
  5. 2022NASA Marshall Space Flight Center logoSystems Engineering & Project Management InternNASA Marshall Space Flight Center
    Position file · No. 05NASA Marshall Space Flight Center · 2022

    Systems Engineering & Project Management Intern, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

    A summer in space operations at NASA Marshall, supporting the ground systems behind the International Space Station, from the control room to NASA Headquarters' intern roundtable on agency strategy.

    Raby served as a systems engineering and project management intern in Marshall's Payload and Mission Operations Division (HP27), which runs the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC), the ground hub for science aboard the ISS. He supported the ISS program there and the creation of the Artemis III command and control room.

    He was the only undergraduate intern from Marshall selected for the NASA Headquarters Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) Intern Roundtable, where interns from centers across the country took up issues in NASA's long-term strategy: an early meeting of engineering and policy that runs through his later work.

    The work

    • Creation of the Artemis III command and control room
    • ISS command-system training materials for future civil servants
    • Technology research and integration for the HOSC
    • On-the-job training in the control room with a Payload Operations Director
    • NASA HQ OTPS Intern Roundtable: only Marshall undergraduate selected

    Posts from the time

    • colin_rabyJune 14, 2022CR-2022-011
      Colin Raby with arms outstretched beneath a row of historic rockets in Huntsville, Alabama

      Starts a summer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

      "We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." — John F. Kennedy While I may not be going to the Moon (yet), this summer I have the distinct honor to work with the agency that got us there the first time and is working hard to take us there again — while sustaining current space operations and building the next great leap for mankind, to Mars. It is an honor and a privilege to be working as a NASA Systems Engineering and Project Management Intern (HP27) at the Marshall Space Flight Center this summer, where I will be working with systems that operate missions including the ISS, SLS and other NASA small satellites. I am excited for this role, "not because it is easy," but because of the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the work of brilliant civil servants and contractors who are instrumental in pushing the boundaries of human ability — to be among those NASA has selected, as the manager of the Payload and Mission Operations Division put it, to "invest in to shape the next generation of leaders, especially in space operations and scientific innovation." Significant advancement rarely comes without exceptional work, and I look forward to the challenging environment NASA will provide. Ad astra per aspera.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyJuly 1, 2022CR-2022-012
      Colin Raby speaking into a microphone on a panel with fellow NASA interns in front of the NASA logo

      Halfway through the NASA internship, from ISS town halls to control rooms

      From ISS town halls to control rooms to offices, it has been great to meet and work with so many excellent people through the first half of my internship at NASA Marshall. It has been fascinating to learn about and begin creating materials that synthesize some of the ISS command and communications systems, to help develop an operational plan to optimize facility capabilities, and much more. I have long been fascinated with space operations and the technology that enabled the exploration of humanity's final frontier. That interest was solidified years ago during a public open house at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio, which showcased the spinoff inventions — from Velcro to materials to the components in our phones and computers — that began with NASA. It was one of the first times I realized the impact of NASA's quest to push the limits of human exploration. Once an interest, now an opportunity. As we approach the Fourth of July, we should celebrate the trailblazing spirit NASA has come to embody, and that our country's investment in it has paid back far beyond what anyone imagined at its creation 64 years ago. Ad astra, per aspera — through adversity, to the stars.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabySept. 17, 2022CR-2022-013
      Colin Raby standing beneath historic rockets in Huntsville, in a stylized photo

      Looking back on a summer at NASA Marshall

      At the top of every hill, I get a better view of the mountain ahead. During this summer's internship as a NASA Systems Engineering and Project Management intern at Marshall Space Flight Center (HP27), I was able to work on interesting projects and get to know great people — fellow interns and civil servants. A huge thanks to the entire HP team for a stellar example of effective leadership in a technical environment. I was honored to be the only undergraduate intern from Marshall selected to serve on the NASA Headquarters Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) Intern Roundtable, with interns from NASA centers around the country, considering issues pertinent to the agency's long-term strategy. My projects focused on renovating a configurable control room with the capabilities future NASA missions will need; learning command systems to create training materials for future civil servants, while looking for areas of improvement; and researching technologies to integrate with the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC), supporting its projects, process development and technology integration. Seeing how many people it takes on the ground to support our missions in space gives you a fresh perspective on what operational excellence requires. I also had the chance to train on the job in the control room with a Payload Operations Director, learning from the cadre how to solve real-time off-nominal issues aboard the ISS after studying them in Space Ops Academy.

      View on Instagram

    On the record

    1. Colin Raby with arms outstretched beneath a row of historic rockets in Huntsville, Alabama
      CR-2022-001 · 2022Systems engineering at NASA's Marshall Space Flight CenterRelease
  6. 2021Office of the Governor of Louisiana logoGovernor's FellowOffice of the Governor of Louisiana
    Position file · No. 06Office of the Governor of Louisiana · 2021

    Governor's Fellow, Office of the Governor of Louisiana

    Selected for the 2021 Lamar Governor's Fellowship in the Office of Gov. John Bel Edwards: a summer inside state government that ended with a policy proposal presented to the Governor and his cabinet.

    Fellows serve in state agencies for the summer; Raby was placed with Louisiana Economic Development. The fellowship took him behind the scenes of cabinet meetings and strategy sessions, into briefings with leaders from Air Force Global Strike Command, to the legislature and across the state.

    It closed with each fellow's policy proposal. Raby's made the case for solar farming as an engine of rural economic development, presented to Gov. Edwards, his chief of staff and members of his cabinet. It was the start of the policy thread that would later lead to Capitol Hill.

    The work

    • Placement: Louisiana Economic Development
    • Policy proposal on solar farming for rural economic development, presented to the Governor and cabinet
    • Cabinet meetings and strategy sessions
    • Cybersecurity briefings with Air Force Global Strike Command
    • A class with First Lady Donna Edwards at the Governor's Mansion

    Posts from the time

    • colin_rabyJune 12, 2021CR-2021-004
      Colin Raby in a suit and red tie in front of the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana

      Begins as a Lamar Governor's Fellow at Louisiana Economic Development

      "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." That line from former President Bill Clinton came up from one of the speakers at our orientation for this year's Lamar Governor's Fellows Program, and my confidence in it has grown each day. It is a distinct honor to have been chosen as one of this year's Lamar Governor's Fellows, serving with Louisiana Economic Development. Already, the chance to go behind the scenes, see public policy in action and learn the history and current affairs of Louisiana government has been both enjoyable and deeply insightful — sitting in on critical meetings, learning about cybersecurity in briefings with leaders from Air Force Global Strike Command, lunch with state legislators who work to build a stronger Louisiana, a class from First Lady Donna Edwards at the Governor's Mansion, a tour of the Old State Capitol, learning from the experts at LED and beginning to develop policy. This summer I am excited to keep learning from those throughout the Governor's office, the team at LED and our other Fellows — and to serve our community by pursuing solutions that advance the great state of Louisiana.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyAug. 7, 2021CR-2021-005
      Colin Raby and Gov. John Bel Edwards at the podium in front of a slide of a solar farm

      Presents a solar-farming policy proposal to Gov. Edwards and his cabinet

      It is always a good week when you can quote The Art of War in a presentation to the Governor. It was a distinct honor to present a policy proposal to, and answer questions from, our Governor, his Chief of Staff and members of his cabinet last week. My closing statement summarized the goal of the proposal: "Opportunities multiply as they are seized, and embracing solar farming is an opportunity with multiplicative positive implications for rural economic development. It is imperative Louisiana actively pursue this opportunity."

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyAug. 8, 2021CR-2021-006
      The 2021 Lamar Governor's Fellows with Gov. John Bel Edwards and First Lady Donna Edwards in front of stained-glass windows

      Completes the 2021 Louisiana Governor's Fellows program

      This week concluded the 2021 Louisiana Governor's Fellows program. It was a distinct opportunity and honor to have been one of this year's Fellows, serving with Louisiana Economic Development. The program ranged from working with the accomplished team at LED, to going behind the scenes at cabinet meetings and strategy sessions, to traveling across the state to learn the history and current affairs of Louisiana, to developing a policy proposal and presenting it to the Governor and his cabinet, to witnessing historic action in the legislature — and to forming great relationships with our impressive fellow Fellows. It has been an exceptional experience to be part of the work done every day for the betterment of Louisiana. Thank you to the Office of the Governor, Chief of Staff Mark Cooper, Zac Lemoine, Chancely D. and the team at LED for an incredible opportunity that became an outstanding experience.

      View on Instagram

    On the record

    1. Colin Raby in a suit and red tie in front of the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana
      CR-2021-001 · June 7, 2021Louisiana Governor's FellowRelease
    2. CR-2021-007 · June 7, 2021“14 college students selected for 2021 Lamar Governor's Fellowship Program in La Government”Press
    3. CR-2021-008 · July 9, 2021“Welcome back to #FellowFriday! Today, we're meeting LSU students Colin Raby & Kaitryana Leinbach”PressRelease

    Elsewhere

  7. 2020–24Louisiana State University logoResidential AssistantLouisiana State University
    Position file · No. 07Louisiana State University · 2020–24

    Residential Assistant, Louisiana State University

    Four years responsible for the first home many students had away from home, including a freshman year spent apart during COVID-19.

    Raby served as a Residential Assistant across four LSU communities while studying mechanical engineering and serving in Student Government. In 2020, his Homecoming Court application centered on keeping first-year students connected while they had to stay apart.

    Communities

    • Louise Garig Hall
    • Camellia Hall
    • East Campus Apartments
    • Nicholson Gateway

    On the record

    1. Colin Raby in a navy suit and purple tie wearing an LSU Homecoming sash
      CR-2020-002 · Oct. 2020Elected to Homecoming Court (Part 1)Release
    2. The 12 members of LSU's 2024 Tiger Twelve standing in a row on wooden steps in a campus atrium; Colin Raby, in a blue double-breasted suit, is at far left
      CR-2024-013 · Apr. 29, 2024Named to LSU's Tiger Twelve, Class of 2024Release
  8. 2019–24Cadets of the Ole War Skule, LSU logoAssistant to the DirectorCadets of the Ole War Skule, LSU
    Position file · No. 08Cadets of the Ole War Skule, LSU · 2019–24

    Assistant to the Director, Cadets of the Ole War Skule, LSU

    Five years helping LSU's military alumni honor the university's veterans and reopen Memorial Tower as LSU's military museum.

    The Cadets of the Ole War Skule, organized in 1955 by former LSU cadets, keep the university's military heritage, the “long purple line,” alive. Raby worked with the organization for five years, helping plan and run LSU Salutes, the annual week honoring veterans and inducting the Hall of Honor, with speakers including Rep. Steve Scalise, Sen. John Kennedy and LSU President William F. Tate IV.

    Over three of those years he worked on the renovation and grand opening of the LSU Memorial Tower Military Museum. The tower, dedicated in 1926 to the Louisianans who died in the First World War, was restored top to bottom and rededicated in April 2022.

    The work

    • Planned and ran LSU Salutes five years running
    • Hall of Honor induction ceremonies
    • Renovation and grand opening of the Memorial Tower Military Museum (2022)

    Posts from the time

    • colin_rabyNov. 15, 2021CR-2021-003
      Colin Raby in a leather flight jacket with Mike the Tiger and an Air Force ROTC cadet on the field at Tiger Stadium

      Honoring veterans at LSU Salutes with the Cadets of the Ole War Skule

      We all owe an incalculable debt to those who built and sustained much of the world we get to live in. The contribution of our veterans, who dedicated a portion of their lives to the protection of our nation, is worthy of particular honor. This is why this past Salute's Weekend the LSU Cadets of the Ole War Skule honored this year's Hall of Honor inductees and all veterans who have walked along the long purple line of LSU's rich military history. I am glad to have been a part of the planning and operation of the LSU Salutes events, and to see the impact they had on our accomplished honorees. One theme ran through the addresses of our distinguished speakers, from Rep. Steve Scalise to Sen. John Kennedy to LSU President William F. Tate IV: while America and LSU are not perfect, they are certainly good, worth defending, worth protecting — and it is our imperative to keep improving our communities through service, in whatever form it may individually take. Thank you to our veterans, and God bless America. From the end of the long purple line, looking forward to the open field ahead.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyApr. 11, 2022CR-2022-010
      Colin Raby looking out over the Memorial Tower rededication ceremony at LSU, an American flag flying above the crowd

      Opening the LSU Military Museum in Memorial Tower

      It has been an honor and a privilege to work with the Cadets of the Ole War Skule over the past three years as we completed the renovation and grand opening of the LSU Memorial Tower Military Museum. The extensive preparation culminated in a phenomenal opening ceremony that highlighted both the past and present impact of LSU's military heritage. At the tower's original dedication in 1926, American Legion Commander John J. McQuigg spoke of "peace through preparedness." That remark is the charge of our university and the responsibility of all its students: to prepare to make a positive impact wherever life after LSU leads, to refute needless violence and division, and to prepare an improved path for all who follow. The story of the military told by Memorial Tower is the story of LSU — the story of the Long Purple Line. It is here not only to inform us of our past, but to remind us of our responsibility to the work happening in the present.

      View on Instagram
    • colin_rabyDec. 1, 2023CR-2023-013
      Colin Raby saluting beside Mike the Tiger in a flight suit in Tiger Stadium

      A fifth and final LSU Salutes

      For half a decade, through time's swift flight, Every year, with reverence, when we'd convene, I helped uphold this noble rite, To celebrate the brave, the strong, the unseen. Each moment spent planning, organizing and executing events through the Cadets of the Ole War Skule has been a tribute to the valor and sacrifice of our veterans. This year marks the finale of five years helping run the annual LSU Salutes events. Our distinguished speakers, from General Downer to LSU President William F. Tate IV, echoed a resonating truth: that America and LSU, even in their imperfections, embody a continuous journey of improvement toward our highest ideals. As we honored this year's Hall of Honor inductees, I was reminded of the long purple line of LSU's military history — a lineage steeped in courage and resilience. These events are more than commemoration; they are a reaffirmation of our commitment to honor and uplift through service, in whichever way we are each called. Thank you to our veterans for your bravery and sacrifice, and thank you to the COWS and the LSU Corps of Cadets. May we continue to serve others in your honor.

      View on Instagram

Engagements

Ways to work together

Colin Raby, founder and CEO of FarmMind, winner of the 2026 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, was one of the first AI specialists in the U.S. House.