President (running with Victoria Higgins)
I want to use this position to really listen to students and work with them while getting the word out that SSA is a resource for everyone. Making sure students’ voices are heard and understood is the most important goal to me. In order to come up with practical solutions, everyone’s opinions should count and be respected. Hearing input from diverse groups of students brings more ideas and stronger teamwork. Helping to create a space where students feel comfortable speaking up, sharing their thoughts, and knowing their voices truly matter when it comes to making positive changes at our university.
President (running with Ava Nelson)
My past leadership roles have prepared me to help promote change within the SSA. I am deeply believing in a student-first philosophy. My primary goal is to bridge the gap between the Senate and the student body, transforming SSA into a highly visible, approachable, and proactive resource. hope that by increasing transparency and engagement, I will ensure that SSA becomes the first place students turn when seeking advocacy, support, or representation.
Vice President (running with Liam Bouwman)
I am running alongside my fellow candidate Liam Bouwman as we both believe in forward progress and giving a voice for students in any way we can within the scope of our abilities. Student voices are why SSA exists, and we must always push for their rights whenever we can. I believe Liam and I have the mentality and drive to be the voices for students, no matter what. I have experience running club events, public speaking, leadership roles, and taking on challenges no matter the outcome.
Vice President (running with Graciela Espinoza)
I want to use this position to advocate for student voices and address the challenges they face on campus every day. During my time on the Stout Student Association, I served as a Senator at Large, Vice-Chair of the Sustainability Council, and Director of Communications. I am eager to draw on my experience and step up to engage with all Stout students, providing valuable services to help shape and strengthen the Student Body.
Director of Financial Affairs
My name is Blake Beier, and I am the current director of FAC representing the Stout Student Association. I have plenty of experience with the position, as I was thrust into acting director during the heat of the budget season, and have been efficiently leading contingency hearings since. Gaining much experience from former directors Van Hemert and Whitney as well as advisor Jennifer Lee. Being director is a position I love with all my heart. And it brings me joy to see my committee do great work to help get clubs the funding that they need to host amazing events.
Director of Academic Affairs
I served as Director of Academic Affairs for the 2025-2026 academic year, and that experience has been incredibly meaningful to me. Through this role I have grown both personally and professionally while supporting students and collaborating with faculty members. I am running again because I genuinely care about improving the academic experience for every student. If I am reelected, I will continue my previous work and even better while developing better student support services and ensuring that students receive proper recognition of their opinions.
Director of Sustainability
My name is Kagan Valencia and I am delighted to declare my candidacy for Director of Sustainability Council! As a Fashion Design & Development major, sustainability is important to me in guaranteeing our future is both healthy and beautiful. Being the current Vice Chair of Sustainability, I’ve gotten firsthand experience of the responsibilities the Sustainability Director must balance. If elected, this will be my second year in SSA and it will be my mission to bring beauty back to campus starting with advocating for native flower species, along with ensuring feasible and sustainable efforts for student projects and events.
Director of Student Technology
Hello, I'm Nate Jeutter, and I am running for the position of Director of Student Technology for the next school year. I am finishing up my second year as a B.S. in Cybersecurity, and I hope to bring my knowledge and enthusiasm about networking and technology to improve UW Stout. I look forward to collaborating heavily and constantly with related clubs, such as the AWS, AI, Coding, and Cyber@Stout clubs. One major project that I want to achieve next year is to have a form accessible to all students to fill out with various issues and suggestions for Stout, varying from minor inconveniences to large projects, to be sent to appropriate departments/groups for evaluation. I've seen a major disconnect and lack of action during my time at Stout, and I hope that I can help alleviate this and push Stout to be its best!
Director of Collaborative Impact
If re-elected one of my main goals of course would be to continue to bring out voices that have been shut out before. I want to hear concerns, problems, and complaints and find ways to actively solve them. I am ready to be an advocate for those groups and seek out ways to acknowledge their traditions, cultures, and events. Serving in this position throughout the academic year has already prepared me for continued success, I would love to have the opportunity to continue to grow a stronger connection between diverse groups and the university.
Director of Collaborative Impact
Dedicated to expanding campus representation, I am running for Director of Collaboration Impact. As a person of mixed race, I understand the challenge of feeling without a community. My goal is to elevate our multicultural clubs and ensure milestones, like Women’s History Month and heritage celebrations, are recognized campus-wide. By fostering direct collaboration between these organizations and the SSA, I will create a more visible, supportive network for all students. I am committed to ensuring that every identity is celebrated and that no student feels lost in our community.
Director of Organizational Affairs
My name is Nicholas Taylor-Schaus, and I've served as the Director of Organizational Affairs for the past year. The primary job of the Director of Org Affairs is to oversee the new organization approval process, and it’s a role that demands an experienced leader who deeply understands that process. I've done some cool things in my time in office, including getting a record-breaking 18 new student organizations approved and overseeing the upcoming updates to the Student Organization Code of Conduct. I look forward to continuing my work in the Organizational Affairs Committee in this coming year!
Senator At Large
As a person of mixed race, I have navigated the challenges of finding a sense of belonging on campus. I am running for Senator at Large to ensure every student feels represented and heard by SSA. My goal is to serve as a bridge between the student body and administration. Advocating for increased visibility of multicultural clubs and campus-wide celebrations, like Women’s History Month. I am committed to transparency, inclusivity, and active collaboration with the SSA to improve the student experience.
Senator At Large
Hello, I'm Nate Jeutter, and I am running for the position of Senator at Large for the next school year. I am finishing up my second year as a B.S. in Cybersecurity, and I hope to bring my knowledge and enthusiasm about networking and technology to improve UW Stout. I look forward to collaborating heavily and constantly with related clubs, such as the AWS, AI, Coding, and Cyber@Stout clubs. One major project that I want to achieve next year is to have a form accessible to all students to fill out with various issues and suggestions for Stout, varying from minor inconveniences to large projects, to be sent to appropriate departments/groups for evaluation. I've seen a major disconnect and lack of action during my time at Stout, and I hope that I can help alleviate this and push Stout to be its best!
Senator At Large
My name is Kagan Valencia and I am delighted to declare my candidacy for Senator at Large! As a Fashion Design & Development major, sustainability is important to me in guaranteeing our future is both healthy and beautiful. Being the current Vice Chair of Sustainability, I’ve gotten firsthand experience of the responsibilities the Sustainability Director must balance. If elected, this will be my second year in SSA and it will be my mission to bring beauty back to campus starting with advocating for native flower species, along with ensuring feasible and sustainable efforts for student projects and events.
Senator At Large
My role as International Relations Senator during the Spring 2026 semester provided me with important opportunities to support international students and develop inclusive programs for the entire university. I experienced the difficulties of adapting to a foreign country because I am an international student. My mission during my term was to enhance student representation and promote cultural activities on campus. I am running again to continue this work, strengthen connections, and ensure international students feel heard, supported, and valued.
Senator of College of Arts & Human Sciences (CAHS)
Programs are constantly changing, often without the insight of students pursuing those degrees. If elected Senator of C.A.H.S I would be the voice in those meetings fighting for what the student body wants in their major. I plan to meet as many C.A.H.S students during my term. I plan on coming to advisement day meetings and be readily available for interviews in the SSA Office. The senator of C.A.H.S represents many programs, but I will focus on the degrees without representation in the Schools of Art and Design or School of Education, to ensure all voices are heard in SSA.
Senator of College of Arts & Human Sciences (CAHS)
I am currently a first year majoring in Applied Social Science concentrating in History and Politics with a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish. I joined the Stout Student Association Senate this spring as a senator at large; I would like to take up the roll as Senator of College of Arts & Human Sciences to advocate for all other APSS students like myself, as-well as all students who fall under this college (Art, Design, Communication, and Education majors). Under this position, I will do whatever possible to listen to and help students with any/all questions or issues.
Senator of School of Education
As an education major, I feel that it is important for there to be a student voice on senate to advocate for and represent the best interests of students in the School Of Education. If elected to this position, I would seek to represent student voices by speaking directly with a diverse array of education students to understand each of their perspectives on certain issues regarding the School Of Education. It is important to me that rather than speaking directly for my peers, I amplify their voices and hear their experiences firsthand.
Senator of the School of Management
I am running for the position of Senator of Management because I want to improve student experiences and support campus operations. Through my Management major studies I developed a strong passion for leadership and organization and system development which helps students. I developed my communication and problem-solving abilities through my campus activities and my work experience in the university dining system. My goal is to bring student voices into management decision-making processes while building collaborative efforts and fighting for important campus-wide improvements that help students.
Senator of Student Life
Many students are living on their own for the first time ever. The transition to dorm life is already difficult but can be made harder. RAs are meant to help students with any issues that may arise during their stay in the dorms, but not all RAs are dependable. If elected, I will improve the RAs. This might mean a change to how we recruit RAs, or enforcement of a check-in system with RAs to ensure they uphold their responsibilities. Whatever the task, I swear to improve the quality of RAs for the best interest of students in the dorms.
