OU Undergraduate Student Congress appointed committee chair positions, executive director and cabinet positions and the chief of staff position at its Tuesday’s meeting.
The meeting was held over Zoom due to poor road conditions following a widespread winter storm that caused OU to move classes online.
Committee Chair Appointment
The news: Congress appointed seven committee chairs:
• Baylor Savage will serve as campus outreach, safety and concerns committee chair
• Coleman Morgan will serve as congressional administration committee chair
• Hope Rhoads will serve as external affairs committee chair
• Lorelai Radzanowski will serve as human diversity committee chair
• Owen Cunnigham will serve as sustainability committee chair
• Hayden Vedra will serve as university policy committee chair
• Jacob Schonfield will serve as ways and means committee chair
Vedra said he is ready to work on new projects with the university policy committee.
“I’ve really loved the community we have built, and I am really looking forward to getting to continue that,” Vedra said.
Schonfield, who has served as committee chair for over a year, said he’s looking forward to serving again this semester.
“I can’t wait to dive into things,” Schonfield said.
What they’re saying: Undergraduate Student Congress Chair Caleb Robinson, who authored the bill, said that four of the seven appointees have served as committee chairs in the past.
Robinson said the two new chairs, Vedra and Morgan, were interviewed last semester.
“We thought that they were both great fits for their position,” Robinson said.
Newly appointed campus outreach, safety and concerns committee chair Savage was not interviewed for the role, but Robinson said he is one of the most involved members of the Student Government Association.
“You all know Baylor,” Robinson said. “He’s incredibly well-connected within the organization, within campus and within Norman broadly.”
Secretary Michael Wintory, who co-authored the bill, said decisions were based on a graded point system.
“We grade the application based on passion, cause and vision,” Wintory said. “We have the same nine interview questions we ask everyone.”
The vote: Congress passed the bill with a vote of 29-4-0, with Morgan, Radzanowski, Vedra and Vice Chair Aaron Gilson Bond abstaining.
Chief of Staff Appointment
The news: Congress appointed Henry Christiansen as the chief of staff of the newly-innaugurated Martin-Nicholson administration.
Christiansen served as the campus outreach, safety and concerns committee chair in fall 2025.
What they’re saying: SGA President Mercer Martin, who authored the bill, said four people were interviewed for this position using a grading scale. Christiansen was chosen after receiving the highest number of points.
“We really believe in his vision, his ability to execute this role very effectively, and to serve SGA at its highest level,” Martin said.
The vote: Congress passed the bill with a vote of 35-0-0.
Executive Cabinet Appointment
The news: Congress appointed 12 members to the executive cabinet for the Martin-Nicholson administration.
• Ava Burnett will serve as external affairs director
• Xander Donald will serve as internal affairs director
• Abby Gross will serve as technology director
• Jada Cannon will serve as student betterment director
• Reese Walsh will serve as speaker series secretary
• Kaela Theuri will serve as liberty and representation secretary
• Garrret Brooks will serve as liaison to registered student organizations
• Alaina Jawed Press will serve as liaison to the interbranch of the undergraduate student congress
• Stephan Robinson-Pendley will serve as secretary of the press
• Hannah Hamby will serve as social media coordinator
• Jemay Leow will serve as student services secretary
• Nicolas Suarez-Antelo will serve as liaison to international students
What they’re saying: Martin, who authored the bill, said she was impressed by the quality and quantity of applicants.
“We have a lot of different new positions, and I’m excited to see how they take these new positions and flourish in them,” Martin said. “I believe in all of them wholeheartedly.”
Martin said 18 members applied for these positions, and approximately 16 were interviewed in person.
“For the interview process, we had a checklist that ranked things like passion, general SGA knowledge, communication (and) things like that,” Martin said.
Martin said the executive cabinet, the structure of which is new to SGA, has two accountability structures built in.
“We felt like this size and format was best to move efficiently,” Martin said.
The vote: Congress passed the bill with a vote of 34-0-0.
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton, Natalie Armour and Audrey McClour.
