DECA Prepares Emerging Leaders

Central Region DECA,

I cannot be-

lieve this is the last

Central Region DECA

Newsletter I will pub-

lish. This year has

been an absolutely

unbelievable experi-

ence. I would like to

thank several people

and groups for making

this such an incredible

experience.

Central Region

DECA, you deserve my

biggest “thank you.” I

am grateful that you

trusted me as your

leader. I have devel-

oped many lasting

friendships with mem-

bers, advisors, alumni,

and staff. Your sup-

port has meant more

than you will ever

know. Thank you so

much for everything.

Team 66, I

could not have asked

for a better group of

people to serve with. I

know we will be life-

long friends, and I

cannot wait to see

where life takes each

of us.

Mrs. Henn, you

have been an out-

standing advisor. You

have played a large

role in making this a

life-changing experi-

ence for me. You will

always have a special

place in my heart.

Missouri DECA,

I could not be part of a

better state associa-

tion. Your support for

me over the past sev-

eral years has been

appreciated more

than you will ever

know. I look forward

to staying involved

and helping prepare

more leaders in our

state association.

Missouri DECA

District 4, your sup-

port has been unbe-

lievable throughout

my entire DECA ca-

reer. The bonds I

have formed with your

advisors and mem-

bers will always be

valued.

Clinton DECA,

you are awesome!

Because of the oppor-

tunities you gave me, I

am where I am today.

Some of the fondest

memories of my time

in DECA happened at

chapter meetings or in

the marketing room. I

am excited to stay in-

volved with your chap-

ter and be an enthusi-

astic alumni member.

As I close, I

want to say that DECA

will always be a part of

my life. I will continue

to give back to the or-

ganization that has

helped mold me into

the person I am today.

DECA Wishes,

Micah Melling

Central Region VP

DECA, Inc.

2011-2012

Volume 1 , Issue 8

A FINAL WORD FROM YOUR CRVP

Apri l , 2012

Special Points

of Interest:

• Learn about the excit-

ing conferences Micah attended in March (Page 2).

• Become acquainted

with Carter Christen-sen, the State Presi-dent of South Dakota DECA (Page 3).

• Get the latest infor-

mation about the “DECA Dash with the Diamonds” 5K at ICDC (Page 4).

• Receive a preview of

Salt Lake City, which will host 15,000 stu-dents for the biggest DECA event of the year (Page 5).

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Micah’s Conference Recap

2

DECA and Politics 3

State Officer Spotlight 3

5K at ICDC 4

Salt Lake City 5

The Movement 6

Letter from the National President

6

CENTRAL REGION DECA

Page 2

M ICA H M ELLING ’S MA RCH CO NFER ENCE R ECA P

Volume 1 , Issue 8

March was an incredibly busy and exciting month for me. In a two-and-a-half week span, I attended four

conferences. The following is a recap of my involvement at each conference.

ACTE National Policy Seminar, March 4-7. The first event in March was the Association for Career and

Technical Education’s National Policy Seminar. This was one of the most exciting conferences I have

attended all year! At the beginning of the seminar, I attended workshops about the reauthorizations

of major pieces of education legislation, the federal government’s budget, and the future of the na-

tion’s educational system. Additionally, I met with Representative Vicky Hartzler, Representative

Blaine Luetkemeyer, staff from Representative Frank Guinta’s office, and staff from Senator Roy

Blunt’s office. Overall, this was one of the most successful conferences I have attended as a National

Officer.

Indiana DECA State Conference, March 11-12. My next conference was Indiana DECA’s State Confer-

ence. I was thrilled to join over 1,600 of Indiana’s brightest students for this conference. I was given

the opportunity to speak at the opening session and conduct two workshops. This was an amazing

conference that I was proud to attend!

Wisconsin DECA State Conference, March 13-15. The third conference was the Wisconsin DECA State

Conference. I attended Wisconsin DECA’s Fall Leadership Conference is November, so it was great to

re-connect with many of this state’s incredible students. At this event, I spoke at the opening session

and focused on visiting with as many members as possible. I’m extremely thankful that Wisconsin

DECA allowed me to be a part of their year.

Missouri DECA State Conference, March 18-20. My final conference was the Missouri DECA State

Conference. As a proud member of Missouri DECA, it felt great to be back in my home state for a con-

ference. I spoke at the opening session, assisted with the Leadership Development Academy, and

connected with as many members as I could. Over the past five years, Missouri DECA has never

ceased to amaze me, and this conference only strengthened that mindset.

Above: Micah Melling with

Senator Roy Blunt’s Edu-

cation Director. She is

holding a packet about

DECA’s Congressional Ad-

visory Board!

Right: A group from Mis-

souri ACTE with Repre-

sentative Vicky Hartzler,

who is a member of

DECA’s Congressional

Advisory Board.

Left: Members of Missouri

ACTE with Representative

Blaine Luetkemeyer, a member

of the CTE Caucus and DECA’s

Congressional Advisory Board.

(Check out the personal mes-

sage from Rep. Luetkemeyer!)

Centra l Region DECA

As you may

know, Central Region

Vice President Micah

Melling has been fo-

cused on reaching out

to legislators over the

past several months.

Micah has de-

veloped several politi-

cal outreach re-

sources that can be

accessed on DECA’s

SlideShare account

(www.slideshare.net/

decainc). The Na-

tional Officer Team

strongly encourages

you to read these re-

sources and learn

about how the govern-

ment impacts DECA.

Micah will be

adding two more po-

litical outreach re-

sources by the middle

of the month. The in-

formation in these re-

sources will stem from

his experiences at

ACTE’s National Policy

Seminar.

If you have

questions about

reaching out to legisla-

tors, please email Mi-

cah at decavpmi-

cah@gmail.com. He

looks forward to hear-

ing from you!

distinct honor of being

a two-year President

for South Dakota

DECA, and he’s only a

junior!

To this point,

Carter’s DECA journey

has been highlighted

by his first trip to

ICDC.

“ICDC in Louis-

ville back in 2010

really helped to

change my life, and it

inspired me to be-

come even more in-

volved in DECA at my

chapter and in my

state,” says Carter.

“ICDC in Louisville

really helped to hook

me on DECA as whole

and inspired me to run

Carter Chris-

tensen can be de-

scribed as “Mr. In-

volved.” He is the

State President of

South Dakota DECA, a

drum major for his

high school’s band, a

member of the stu-

dent council, a school

store manager...you

get the picture.

Carter has the

for State Office the fol-

lowing year!”

And Carter is

anxiously awaiting to

arrive in Salt Lake City

for ICDC in less than a

month.

“I’m so excited

for Salt Lake City to

see, meet, and talk with

everyone I’ve con-

nected with over the

past year, if not years,

and expand my network

by meeting new mem-

bers,” says Carter.

Certainly, South

Dakota DECA has a

strong leader who will

be back next year to

continue impacting the

lives of DECA members.

Page 3

A FINAL UPDATE O N M ICA H ’S PO LITICA L WO R K

T H E S T A T E O F F I C E R S P O T L I G H T I S O N C A R T E R C H R I S T E N S E N

“Seize every day

and minute you

have in DECA.

In each and every

year you are in

DECA, grasp all

of the

opportunities

given to you.”

— Carter

Christensen,

State President of

SD DECA

Reasons for Political Outreach

The United States Congress and many state

legislatures appropriate funding for Career

and Technical Education (CTE), which is the

basis for organizations like DECA.

Federal funding for CTE was reduced by

11% ($140 million) in 2011. This stream of

funding could be subject to more reductions

in the future.

Many legislators do not have a working

knowledge about the importance of Market-

ing Education and DECA. Educating legis-

lators about these academic opportunities is

vital to our future.

Page 4 Volume 1 , Issue 8

As a former athlete, I still have a fire for competition.

If you also enjoy the excitement of competing, then

join my team for the DECA Dash with the Diamonds

5K at ICDC. Together, we will persevere through the

altitude in Salt Lake City and cross the finish line.

We'll show our competitiveness in a "professionally

responsible" way, always having fun and striving to

be our best. To show your "professional side," wear

something blue during the race. Blue signifies hon-

esty and sincerity, and it is one of DECA's official

colors. So, join my team, have fun competing, and

wear something blue!

— Micah Melling, Central Region Vice President

Details on the 5K Proceeds will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Associa-

tion and the DECA scholarship fund.

The 5K will take place on Saturday, April 28th and will

begin at 7:30 am.

The race will start at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

For information on registration, visit www.deca.org /

events/5k.

Centra l Region DECA Page 5

What do the Collegiate DECA National Officers have to say about Salt Lake City?

“Snow-capped mountains look like ice

cream sundaes.” — Ron Schoolcraft

"Salt Lake City is a culture within itself. If one is intrigued by

the thought of skiing, shopping, historical enlightenment, or

simply great cuisine, then the week in Salt Lake City will

make for an enjoyable International Career Development

Conference." — Dakota Dale

Being a local of fabulous, snowy Utah, I couldn't

be more thrilled to have the DECA and Collegiate

DECA International Conferences in my

hometown. Students, be ready for the best

conference of your life! — Em Dziatlik

"I never expected Salt Lake City to have such a

young, urban vibe, but it really does! The

downtown area is fun, vibrant, and jam-packed full

of things to do. You're going to have an absolute

blast at this year's ICDC!" — Paige Eldridge

Excitement

A City of

Salt Lake City

M E M O R I E S O F T E A M 6 6

when I first visited in

August of 2011. The

beautiful mountains,

busy downtown life,

and the Energy Solu-

tions Arena are all

breathtaking. You will

not only get to enjoy

the wonderful scenery

of the SLC, but you will

get to experience it

with thousands of

DECA members!

One of the

most exciting parts of

ICDC is meeting new

people from all around

the world. Make sure

to bring plenty of pins

to trade with other as-

sociations or a cam-

era to capture the

memories of the con-

ference.

Central Region DECA,

If you, like

thousands of competi-

tors across the globe,

are going to DECA’s

International Career

Development Confer-

ence this year, then

prepare to be blown

away!

I was amazed

by Salt Lake City, Utah

Be prepared

for some tough com-

petition at your event,

but more importantly,

be prepared to net-

work with thousands

of members and pro-

fessionals!

I hope to see

you in beautiful Salt

Lake City in less then

a month.

Best Wishes,

Claire Coker

National President

DECA, Inc.

2011-2012

A LETTER FRO M YO UR PR ESIDENT

A Final Update on The Movement

The Movement, a fundraising effort for MDA, has

come to a close for the 2011-2012 school year.

National Officer Team 66 and Jay Koontz would

like to thank the 22 state association that adopted

The Movement. Your support of this innovative

endeavor is greatly appreciated.

The National Officers encourage you to start plan-

ning MDA fundraisers for next year. To help with your efforts, The Movement

has launched a website. You can access the website at www.ourmvmt.com.

Please take a look at this website to get the latest news about The Movement.

Central Region Vice President Micah Melling will be releasing a document that

recaps the progress of The Movement. This document will be made public by the

middle of April, and it will be published on DECA’s SlideShare account

(www.slideshare.net/decainc).