2020-2021 State Officer Action TeamEach year voting delegates from each chapter elect officers into different positions. These officers meet once a month to talk about ways to improve DECA. They devote their time and energy to ensure that DECA will continue to run smoothly and enhance the DECA experience every year. If you are interested in running for office please visit the officer candidate page here. New Jersey DECA currently has 7 members of the State Officer Action Team. They are: President: Alec Boyajian Northern Region Vice President: Matt Delaney Central Region Vice President: Prem Jani Southern Region Vice President: Alex Turley Vice President of Media: Julia Girgenti Vice President of Public Relations: Emily Truszkowski Recording Secretary: Tara Vaughan PRESIDENT Alec Boyajian Pascack Hills High School email: alec.boyajian@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Alec Boyajian is thrilled to serve as your 2020-2021 New Jersey DECA State President. Alec is a senior at Pascack Hills High School, and he is beginning his fourth year in DECA. He has attended SCDC all three years, and qualified for ICDC in 2019 and 2020, but unfortunately only attended Orlando. He has competed in Retail Merchandising, Automotive Services, and the Community Awareness Project. At Pascack Hills, Alec served as Chapter President for the 2019-2020 school year during which PHHS broke numerous school records, and he is serving as the first ever State Officer from his school. Besides DECA, Alec is the class president for the senior grade at PHHS, and a leader on the Pascack Hills Equity Team. Alec also serves as Peer Leader where he guides freshmen as they enter high school. He plays basketball for his church and coaches basketball for the community. His 5th grade basketball players are arguably better than he is. Outside of school, Alec manages HYEGiene, a service project aimed at providing dental care to Armenian children, and he has served on a congressional campaign for his town’s mayor. He also makes incredible blizzards at Dairy Queen. Some of Alec’s interests include politics, investing, Star Wars, and sneakers. His most notable accomplishment is that he has watched every episode of Family Guy at least three times. Not many hold this record. Overall, Alec is beyond excited to serve as your State President, and he hopes to make the 60th year of New Jersey DECA the best one yet. He aspires to start new chapters, help revive old ones, and meet as many members as possible. Alec’s contact information is provided below where you can reach out with any questions or concerns! NORTHERN REGION VICE PRESIDENT Matt Delaney Ramapo High School email: matt.delaney@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Matt Delaney is extremely excited and honored to serve as your New Jersey DECA 2020-2021 Northern Region Vice President. He is a senior at Ramapo High School and has been a member of DECA for the last three years. This past year he served as the Chairman of Fundraising for his chapter and also qualified for ICDC in the Entrepreneurship category. Outside of DECA, Matt is heavily involved in both his academics and extracurriculars. He is a member of the National Honor Society, and he is a Senior Ambassador at his school. Additionally, he is proud to be the founder of Students for Seniors, a charity that works to brighten the lives of senior citizens. He has been a lacrosse player since third grade, and in the past few years he has served as an aid for CCD classes at his church and an intern for a startup. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as fishing. Overall, Matt is incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities and knowledge DECA has given him, and he is thrilled to work with the other members of Team 60 to make sure every member has infinite opportunities and success this upcoming year. Feel free to contact him with any questions or concerns! CENTRAL REGION VICE-PRESIDENT Prem Jani Monroe Township High School email: prem.jani@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Prem Jani is honored and thrilled to serve as your 2020-2021 Central Region Vice President! He is a junior at Monroe Township High School and has been a member of DECA since his freshman year. Prem has competed and advanced to the state conference in Marketing Communications Series and the Entrepreneurship – Independent Business Plan. Prem has also served as his chapter’s Charity Chair, helping with fundraising, community outreach, and charities along with his stunning chapter, team, and advisors. Prem is looking forward to providing the best possible experience to as many DECA members as possible and connecting them to make this year the best one yet! Outside of DECA, Prem is heavily involved in school, both academically and in extracurricular activities. Prem has been part of the Varsity Tennis team since freshman year and has participated in the States Tournament. He has also volunteered at various events in his high school, from Haunted High School to the Green Fair and so much more. In addition, he has volunteered at Liberty Science Center, empowering young kids in the fields of STEM and beyond. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with friends and family, watch tv shows and movies, and listen to music. All in all, Prem cannot wait to get started this year with Team 60 and is excited to see what this year brings for New Jersey DECA. I can’t wait to meet new members and work with them to make this year unforgettable. He is extremely thankful for everyone who has helped him get to this position, and he feels grateful to serve as your CRVP for this upcoming year. Feel free to contact him at any time with questions, concerns, or thoughts! SOUTHERN REGION VICE PRESIDENT Alex Turley Cherry Hill West High School email: alexander.turley@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Alexander (Alex) Turley is thrilled to be serving as your 2020-2021 Southern Region Vice President. Alex attends Cherry Hill High School West, where he will be going into his senior year. Alex most recently competed in the Automotive Services Marketing Series. In addition to his individual event, Alex also competed in the Independent Business Plan Category. Within his chapter, Alex stays involved by serving as the Vice President of Administration and Archives, attending all fundraising events, and helping with DECA preparation whenever needed. Outside of DECA, Alex splits his attention between academics and athletics. Alex is a 4-year varsity swimmer for high school. He also swims competitively for a club team that he has been a part of for 8 years, travelling to many state level meets. Alex is also a member of National Honor Society and Peerleaders, where he hopes to make Cherry Hill West a place for everyone to feel welcomed and comfortable. In Alex’s spare time, he likes to go to the beach, hangout with friends and family, or go to the neighborhood swim club. Alex is so excited to be a member of DECA team 60 and cannot wait to see all the amazing things that will happen this year. He cannot wait to make connections throughout this position with DECA members all over the state. He is extremely thankful for the opportunity to serve on this Team 60. Feel free to reach out to the email listed with any questions or concerns. RECORDING SECRETARY Tara Vaughan Cherry Hill West High School email: tara.vaughn@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Tara Vaughan is extremely grateful to be serving as your 2020-2021 NJ DECA Recording Secretary. Tara is currently a senior at Cherry Hill High School West and has been in DECA for all 4 of her years there. Tara has served as her chapter’s Vice President of Hospitality and competes in the Hotel and Lodging Individual Series Event. She loves to get involved in her DECA chapter and business program, helping run their Roar Store and interacting with all of the members. Tara has already felt the excitement that DECA provides and she cannot wait to instill that joy in new members within her chapter and across New Jersey. Tara is eager to join her chapter for her final year where her passion for DECA can really take off and continue to grow. Outside of DECA, Tara is very involved in the Cherry Hill West community through her academics and extracurricular activities. She is a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. This year, she will serve as a Peer Leader and she loves to participate and plan with Student Government. She has been a manager of the Boy’s Volleyball Team for the past 3 years. Other than extracurriculars at school, Tara enjoys her job at Sweet and Sassy where she runs birthday parties and sometimes makes appearances as a princess. In her free time, Tara enjoys dancing, which she has done since the age of 5, baking, especially cookies, skiing, and traveling. Tara is honored to serve on your State Officer Action Team 60 and is looking forward to all of the great memories which will be made this year, especially meeting all of New Jersey’s incredible members! Please feel free to message her with any questions, concerns, or just to talk! VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDIA Julia Girgenti Cherokee High School email: julia.girgenti@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Julia Girgenti is honored and thrilled to be serving as your 2020-2021 Vice President of Media. Julia is a junior at Cherokee High School and has been a member of DECA for her entire high school career. She competed in Principles of Business as a freshman, and while running her state officer campaign as a sophomore, she competed in Business Services Marketing. She is a two time state qualifier who is looking forward to attending another state conference in Atlantic City this year, as well as ICDC in Anaheim, California. Julia has gotten involved in her school chapter by participating in fundraising opportunities and becoming a chapter officer. She feels that DECA has provided her with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to be a strong, friendly leader throughout the rest of her life. Julia is excited to experience the successful future in business that her time in DECA has prepared her for. In addition to DECA, Julia spends her time in Renaissance club, a volunteer program at her school dedicated to helping the community. When she is not studying and focusing on her schoolwork, Julia enjoys spending time with her friends and listening to music. She is also a huge fan of after school naps. In the summer, you can find Julia at the beach, at a concert with her friends, or sleeping. Julia is ecstatic to be a part of Team 60 and cannot wait to show NJ DECA the infinite possibilities in their future. She looks forward to meeting and connecting with all of the out of this world members. If you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk, please always feel free to reach out. VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Emily Truszkowski Ridgewood High School email: emily.truszkowski@tjo.nxw.mybluehost.me Emily Truszkowski is honored and ecstatic to serve as your 2020-2021 Vice President of Public Relations. Emily is a junior at Ridgewood High School and has been a part of DECA since her freshman year. Last year, she served as a chapter officer and DECA/School store manager for the Ridgewood Chapter. She has competed in the Public Relations Project, Community Awareness Project, Sales Project, Entrepreneurship Series, SBE, Stock Market Game, and Apparel and Accessories; she has qualified for states and ICDC every year. Beyond DECA, Emily is very focused on her academics and extracurriculars. Emily has been competing on the Varsity Golf Team since freshman year; she competes in Public Forum and Informative Speaking on the Speech and Debate Team. She is also heavily involved in STEM organizations and Applied Engineering programs where she works with chemical and environmental engineers from Universities to help her with her invention. Outside of school, Emily works as a Golf/Lacrosse coach, math tutor, and smoothie barista. In her free time, you can find Emily binging Vampire Diaries or playing golf at the Darlington Golf Course. Emily cannot wait to get to know all of the New Jersey chapters and get new members involved with DECA. She is very grateful to be a part of Team 60 and is excited to do great things.