Back row (l-r): Dustin Olson, Marcus Wohl, Jackie White, Creighton Pfau, Josh Erfle, Nick Preston, Jesse O'Connell, Ben Johnson, Mavrik Hedland, Jack Gerber.
Middle row (l-r): Morgan Palmer, Jayme Osier, Trayven Brownlee, Preston Edinger, Marcus Hughes, Josh Stoltman, Jacob Niemann, Ryan Klath, Baley Cole, Rob Johnston.
Front row (l-r): Jayden Miller, Jaci Rindy, Jamison Mozey, Hannah Lundwall, Abby Kohls, Kiana Johnson, Jamison Zaun, Taylor Stegman, Cole Dukart, Brendon Salander.
February 19, 2020
The Mayville State University chapter of Collegiate DECA experienced great success at the annual North Dakota Collegiate DECA State Conference. The conference was held Feb. 9 and 10 at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Fargo. Attendees were students and advisors from nine different chapters across the state.
The first day of the conference kicked off with state and national leadership awards. Two Mayville State chapter officers were recognized with the North Dakota Collegiate DECA Outstanding Service Award. Kiana Johnson, Mayville State’s chapter president, and Abigayle Kohls, Mayville State’s vice president of public relations, were both recipients of this award. The Mayville State chapter as a whole received the Community Service Award. Mayville State University also received the State Membership Increase Award. The chapter membership has increased by 20% over the last year, successfully making it the largest Collegiate DECA chapter in the state. This year’s roster of 36 members is also the highest number of Collegiate DECA members in Mayville State University history.
Competitive events took place on both days of the conference. Twenty-eight members of the Mayville State chapter competed in various events, and 19 members qualified for the International Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in April.
The chapter results are as follows:
- Financial Accounting: 1st Place - Cole Dukart; 2nd Place - Travyen Brownlee
- Entrepreneurship Operations: 1st Place - Josh Erfle; 3rd Place - Mavrik Hedland; 4th Place - Ben Johnson
- Fashion Merchandising: 3rd Place - Taylor Stegman
- Sales Management Meeting: 4th Place - Ryan Klath
- Hotel & Lodging: 4th Place - Hannah Lundwall
- Travel & Tourism: 3rd Place - Jessie O’Connell
- Human Resource Management: 1st Place - Nick Preston; 2nd Place - Kiana Johnson; 3rd Place - Marcus Wohl
- Marketing Management: 2nd Place - Creighton Pfau; 3rd Place - Brendon Salander
- Business Ethics: 2nd Place - Traven Brownlee and Jamison Zaun
- Sport & Entertainment Marketing: 4th Place - Marcus Hughes and Preston Edinger
- International Marketing: 2nd Place - Jesse O’Connell and Creighton Pfau
- Financial Statement Analysis: 2nd Place - Cole Dukart and Nick Preston
- Entrepreneurship - Starting a Business: 1st Place - Abby Kohls, Kiana Johnson, and Creighton Pfau
- Professional Sales: 2nd Place - Nick Preston; 2nd Place - Jamison Mozey
After the state and national awards were presented on Sunday afternoon, the chapters got a chance to listen to the five candidates who were running for North Dakota state officers. Each of these candidates were interviewed during the conference. On Monday, each of the chapters sent three delegates to represent their school in voting for the new officers. After the winners of the competitive events were announced, the newly elected officers were introduced. Mayville State’s Abigayle Kohls was elected to the position of president. Abby is the first-ever Mayville State Collegiate DECA member to hold the position of state president.