SkillsUSA Students Elected to Lead National Organization

Media Contacts for SkillsUSA:
Jane Short or Karen Kitzel, 703-777-8810
Email: jshort@skillsusa.org or kkitzel@skillsusa.org

Will Serve SkillsUSA for the 2024-25 School Year

Leesburg, Va., July 22, 2024 — SkillsUSA students have been elected as national officers to serve more than 400,000 members for the 2024-25 school year. The 14 high school and college/postsecondary students will serve as advocates for SkillsUSA and career and technical education (CTE) and will lead two national conferences, facilitate sessions for students and instructors and advocate on behalf of SkillsUSA to elected officials and representatives of business and industry as they represent the national organization at various events.

“Each of these students has an incredible passion for SkillsUSA and for CTE. Through the election process, they demonstrated a deep knowledge of the SkillsUSA Framework and a work ethic that will make them great leaders to serve our members,” said Chelle Travis, executive director of SkillsUSA. “I look forward to working closely with this national officer team throughout the school year.”

Elections were run by the SkillsUSA House of Delegates during the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) held June 24-28 in Atlanta. The student officers were elected through a formal process that concluded June 28 at the closing Awards Session of the NLSC when they were announced.

Newly elected SkillsUSA national officers for the High School division include:

• President — Kallie Allen, a Biotechnology student at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, Mass. SkillsUSA advisor: Rebecca Corda.
• Vice President — Emma Gunn, a Pre-Engineering student at Canadian Valley Technology Center in Chickasha, Okla. SkillsUSA advisor: Jonathon Knapp.
• Secretary — Wyatt Boggs, an Engineering student at Owosso (Mich.) High School. SkillsUSA advisor: Carrie Warning.
• Treasurer — Brock Davis, a Welding Fabrication student at Papillion (Neb.) La-Vista South High. SkillsUSA advisor: Roger Campbell.
• Parliamentarian — Juan Orona, a Welding student at Hobbs (N.M.) High School. SkillsUSA advisor: Juan-Carlos Medina.
• Region 2 Vice President — Avery Smith, a Law Enforcement Services student at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies in Chapin, S.C. SkillsUSA advisor: Joseph Chapman.
• Region 3 Vice President — Violet Lowe, a Culinary Arts student at Penta Career Center in Perrysburg, Ohio. SkillsUSA advisor: Janea Makowski.
• Region 4 Vice President — Jana Kawasmi, a Biomedical Sciences student at Grand Prairie (Texas) Collegiate Institute. SkillsUSA advisor: Rodney Kasper.
• Region 5 Vice President — Kate Hughes, a Construction Technologies student at Payson (Ariz.) High School. SkillsUSA advisor: Chris Harold.

Newly elected SkillsUSA national officers for the College/Postsecondary division include:

• President — Pamela Williams, a Career and Development of Young Children student at Northshore Technical Community College in Bogalusa, La. SkillsUSA advisor: Arlendra Zenon.
• Vice President — Bailey Jensen, a Public Health and Safety student at Boise (Idaho) State University. SkillsUSA advisor: Jack Polifka.
• Secretary — Cooper Kias, a Public Service Occupation student at Reedley (Calif.) College. SkillsUSA advisor: Mark Bray
• Treasurer — Ally Cadue, a Criminal Justice/Police Science student at Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City, Mo. SkillsUSA advisor: Jerry Herman.
• Parliamentarian — Scott Mull, a HVAC/R student at Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Knoxville, Tenn. SkillsUSA advisor: Nellie Blanton.

Joint Executive Committee

• Chair — Brock Davis
• Vice Chair — Scott Mull
• Secretary — Violet Lowe

To run for a national office, SkillsUSA members must follow their school and state candidate process. Once qualified to run for national office, candidates begin the campaign process during the national conference to student delegates representing all 50 states and three territories. The NLSC is the largest and most diverse annual showcase of skill training in the nation with over 17,000 attendees and 115 leadership and skilled trades competitions planned and managed by industry to their standards for entry-level employees in each field.

Meet the new SkillsUSA National Officer team.

About SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students, empowering them to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members. SkillsUSA represents more than 413,000 career and technical education students and teachers in middle schools, high schools and college/postsecondary institutions nationwide. Those members represent 130 in-demand occupational areas, from 3-D animation to welding. A vital solution to the skills gap, SkillsUSA has served nearly 15 million members since its founding in 1965. Learn more at skillsusa.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.