While most students have their focus fixed upon wrapping up this year’s workload, next year’s Executive Cabinet (EC) is already looking ahead and preparing for their transition into leadership.
Elections for Executive Cabinet positions took place earlier in the semester, on March 3, however, the 2025-26 Executive Cabinet will officially step into their positions at the start of the Fall 2025 semester.
The stretch between the election of the new Executive Cabinet and the official start of their term consists of essential preparation.
“A lot of team members have been sitting down weekly to coach the person transitioning into their role through what it looks like to do their role and talking through what the day-to-day operations look like with them,” said Zachary Fazio, current Student Body President. “I think that it has been really helpful for them and they’re just debriefing with advisors, figuring out next steps.”
In addition to learning how to navigate the day-to-day responsibilities of each role, the incoming Executive Cabinet is learning the specifics of how to run a branch – a large responsibility of each EC position – how to interact with fellow team members, the professional expectations of the job, and how proposals are written.
For all of the incoming members of the Executive Cabinet, the spring semester is a time to become accustomed to the demanding expectations of their leadership positions.
“They’re learning how to do their own specific responsibilities but then as an Executive Cabinet, we all oversee a whole lot more than that specific branch, so it really becomes a big team effort,” said Fazio.
Fazio is the only member of the current 2024-25 Executive Cabinet who will be joining the next 2025-26 Executive Cabinet. All of the members of the current administration are graduating or moving on to other leadership positions. Therefore, the incoming EC must learn not only the practical aspects of their job, but the interpersonal too.
“We’re really learning how to interact as a team,” said Fazio. “I think that’s the other big thing that we are learning this year, in the transition, other than the day-to-day activities of how to do their specific role, they’re learning how to interact and live together in a team environment. That can be so different from EC to EC, and it really is a make-or-break situation.”
While Fazio won’t be bringing the rest of his current team into the new administration, he hopes to carry forward the trust and collaboration they developed into the new Executive Cabinet.
“I believe in each one of the people in my cabinet. I trust them 100 percent, and they’re like family to me. It was the aspect that really made us a high-functioning team; it’s the fact that we all trusted one another, and we’re there to support one another…I was really impressed with how the cabinet interacted with each other and supported one another. I’d love to see that carried over into the next cabinet.”
In addition to the close team bonds that the current EC has established, a number of notable proposals and changes have been made in the past year. One of those proposals which was passed included adding a student representative to the board of trustees. Additionally, the rewriting of the ASC Guidebook, which is ongoing, was another major change.
With many proposals passed and individual branches having made progress on their goals, Fazio said he looks forward to continuing that momentum as he leads a new Executive Cabinet for his second year.
“I think what I’m most looking forward to at the end of the day is going to be continuing on a lot of what we have built,” said Fazio. “Stepping into helping steward other student concerns on campus and then really bringing the rest of the projects that we set out with this year, whether that be addressing student wages or addressing different campus spaces.”
Students will have the opportunity to hear from their new EC during the student government chapel at the start of the Fall 2025 semester. Each cabinet member will be introduced to the student body, where they will share their goals for the year.
Zachary Fazio will be the Student Body President for the 2025-26 Executive Cabinet, Vice President of Student Governance Association (SGA) will be Ashton Montgomery, Lauren Boye will be the Vice President of Clubs and Congress Operations (CCO), Julianne Knox as Executive Publicist, Valerii Vakulenko as Executive Treasurer, and Lydia Roy will take the role of Vice President of Student Intercultural Programs.
The Vice President of Spiritual Life Board position is currently unfilled, with applications open for those interested. Applicants must be a junior or a senior by August of 2025 and have at least a 3.0 GPA.
Photo courtesy of Margaret Tredway.
