Congratulations to the newly-elected 2020-2021 Collegiate DECA Executive Officer Team! The team is eager to represent all Collegiate DECA members and will quickly begin work on their goals and objectives for the year ahead.
PRESIDENT
Gage Donovan
Gage Donovan has been a member of DECA since his sophomore year in high school. He has always reached to maximize his DECA experience. When searching for his post-secondary institution, a university with Collegiate DECA was a must. His Collegiate DECA experience includes serving as his chapter’s Vice President and as a Minnesota State Officer-at-Large. He is a student at Minnesota State University-Moorhead with an expected graduation date of December 2021. He is majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and a minor in Global Supply Chain Management. He is hoping to bring together all of DECA for an amazing year by connecting the high school, collegiate, alumni and professional divisions like never before.
VICE PRESIDENT
Zetella Walker Gooch
Zetella is a two-year DECA member. She began her journey as a graduate student while pursuing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Mississippi State University-Meridian. She has served as Treasurer for Mississippi State University-Meridian and President for Mississippi Collegiate DECA. She currently serves as Co-chairman of the Board for Mississippi Collegiate DECA. She knew the time to join DECA was right for her since missing her chance in high school and undergraduate studies. Taking advantage of everything that DECA has to offer, she traveled to educational conferences, enhanced her personal growth and has repeatedly won honors and awards at the regional and state levels. She placed in the top ten overall at ICDC in Orlando, FL. She attributes her success to her mentor, Dr. Stacey McNeil, and her family. Zetella has a successful business and is excited to expand with the new opportunities and increased network that DECA has to offer. She is devoted to inspiring, developing and mentoring new and current students that she meets along the way.
VICE PRESIDENT
Shawn D. Matthijetz
Shawn D. Matthijetz will be entering his eighth year as an active DECA member next year. He is a senior obtaining two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Legal Studies and a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business. With these degrees, Shawn will be attending Law School with the hopes of joining the political stage soon after. Shawn grew up in a small town in central Texas and contributes his small hometown as the reason he has become so personable. In DECA, he has held multiple roles including Chapter Operations Manager and Chapter President, and in Collegiate DECA he founded his thee chapter at Concordia University-Texas where he served two years as the Chapter’s President, a position that he says changed his entire leadership style. After those two years, he was elected as the Texas Collegiate DECA State President and has also served his university’s student body in multiple student government positions.
VICE PRESIDENT
Caleb Nochumson
Caleb Nochumson is entering his third year as an active DECA member. In those three years, he has spearheaded a rejuvenation of Arizona Collegiate DECA. It began at the University of Arizona where he increased membership by over 500%. Soon after, Caleb earned a position as State Vice President of Arizona Collegiate DECA. With aspirations to receive a bachelor’s degree in Management of Information Systems, Caleb has already entered the workforce. As a SCRUM Master at GEICO, Caleb oversees a team of 20 developers and six company-wide technical projects. In his spare time, Caleb values his time with friends, bowling and a good game of Rocket League. His mission is to provide DECA with the resources and preparation needed to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs.
VICE PRESIDENT
Hannah Smolicz
Hannah Smolicz is a freshman studying Business Administration at the University of Connecticut. She started her DECA journey as a sophomore member of Berlin High School DECA where she became a two-time state champion and served as Chapter Vice President in her junior and senior years. Hannah loved how DECA projects revealed new passions and wanted to help more students discover their interests. Therefore, Hannah became the Connecticut Corresponding Secretary her senior year and loved the new leadership challenge. She decided to begin a DECA chapter at the University of Connecticut during her freshman year of college. This endeavor has taught Hannah that an individual must persevere to become successful and utilize their success to help others. During her free time, Hannah enjoys running, cooking for friends and reading her favorite novels and magazines.
