KYA Officer Overview
Each KYA is led by a team of Presiding Officers, who are Student Y Members elected by the Assembly or chosen by their program area to serve for a full year leading up to their Assembly. Presiding Officers “preside” over and lead a specific program area at KYA.
Students interested in running for an elected Presiding Officer position should visit the Candidate and Election page to declare and review guidelines in preparation for their campaigns. Candidate positions will only be available for in-person conferences.
Click here to see what Candidates and Presiding Officers commit to each year.
Advisors, please note that your school must attend the conference that your Presiding Officers are required to attend.
Each program area also has Supporting Officers, who have a specific leadership role within their area, and begin serving once selected in the fall prior to their Assembly.
If you have any questions about Presiding and/or Supporting Officers, please email Nicole Hankins at nicole@kyymca.org.
Presiding Officers
In addition to their leadership at KYA, Presiding Officers work throughout the year on a variety of tasks and projects. An overview of the year-round responsibilities of our Presiding Officers is available in the Program Area Resources section of the KYA Resource Page.
KYA and KUNA Presiding Officers attend Spring PO Check-In (HS POs only) and Fall PO Retreat to train and plan with their Presiding Officer teams:
Spring PO Check-In (HS KYA and KUNA POs Only)
Saturday, May 18th, 2024
Virtual | 1:00PM - 3:00PM EST
Fall PO Retreat (HS & MS KYA and KUNA POs)
September 21st - 22nd, 2024
In Person | Camp Horsin' Around - Perryville, KY
In addition to their retreats, Presiding Officers will also attend and lead Supporting Officer Training once all Supporting Officers have been appointed or selected via application.
Supporting Officers
Supporting Officer positions are either application-based or appointed (see the chart at the bottom of this page for which positions require applications or appointments):
- Application-Based – Must apply, then register for SO Training if selected.
- Appointed – Selected by POs (no application). Only need to register for SO Training.
To apply for an application-based Supporting Officer position, click the link below when it opens. If you are accepted as a Supporting Officer, you are REQUIRED to attend the Virtual SO Training. If you cannot attend this training, you may not be able to serve in your SO Role. This application is only open for a set period of time:
Supporting Officer & Chair Training Registration Link (click here!)
KYA SO Application: Closed
2024 SO Application Period:
Opens: August 1, 2024
Closes: August 31, 2024
Decisions Announced: September 6, 2024
Legislative Research Commission (LRC) Staff
Award winning bill sponsors from the previous conference season will be invited to serve as Legislative Research Commission Staff. Five students per conference will be selected to serve under the guidance of the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate to review Commonwealth bills for formatting and other Constitutional measures.
The LRC will work together to determine which bills will receive the LRC Seal of Approval in the bill book. Award winning bill sponsors should look for an email from Y-Staff V in the fall!
Questions? Please reach out to V (Vontella) Thomas at vontella@kyymca.org.
KYA SO Application: Closed
Application Period: TBA 2024
Committee Chairs & Doorkeepers
Committee Chairs are appointed by their delegation. Each delegation can appoint a "First Chair" and "Chair Alternative" on their KYA Registration. First Chairs get priorty when assigning Committees (if they attended training). Chairs will be responsible for Chairing during Night 1 Committees. Committee Chairs must be in 8th grade to serve at Middle School conferences and 12th grade to serve at High School conferences.
Doorkeepers are appointed by their delegation on their conference registration. Each delegation can appoint 1 Doorkeeper at their conference. Doorkeepers assist Committee Chairs and Clerks in managing the logistics of debate. Doorkeepers must attend the in-person meeting for Chairs and Doorkeepers on the first day of their conference. There are not any grade requirements for Doorkeepers. Any questions about Doorkeepers, please email Nick Wrobleski at nick@kyymca.org.
All Chairs MUST attend the Virtual SO & Chair Training OR the Virtual Chair-Only Training. If you cannot attend one of these trainings, you may not Chair.
Register for the Supporting Officer & Chair Training here (link coming soon)
Officer and Chair Training Info
Once you have been selected via application or appointed as a Supporting Officer or Committee Chair, you must register for Supporting Officer/Chair Training by clicking on the link below:
KYA SO/Chair Training Registration
2024 registration link coming soon
All Supporting Officers, along with the Presiding Officers who help lead the training, are required to attend the KYA SO Training session, while all Committee Chairs can choose between attending either training.
KYA SO & Chair Training
October 13th, 2024
Virtual | 12:00 - 3:00 PM EST
KYA Chair ONLY Training
October 27th, 2024
Virtual | 12:00 - 2:00 PM EST
KYA Chair ONLY Training
November 17th, 2024
Virtual | 12:00 - 2:00 PM EST
KYA Officer Roles
| Program Area | Presiding Officers | Supporting Officer | Committee Chairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth House & Senate HS & MS Officers | Speaker of CW House Elected from Candidates President of CW Senate Elected from Candidates | House Clerk & Senate Clerk Appointed by Speaker/President (HS) Selected from Committee Chairs (MS) | Commitee Chairs* (Gr. 12/8) Appointed by Delegations |
| Bluegrass House & Senate HS Officers† | Speaker of BG House Elected from Candidates President of BG Senate Elected from Candidates | House Clerk & Senate Clerk Appointed by Speaker/President | |
| Exec. Cabinet & Lobbyists HS officers MS KYA only has Governor, Lt. Governor, Gov. Chief of Staff, & Lobbyists. | Governor Elected from Candidates Lt. Governor Elected from Candidates Sec. of the Exec. Cabinet Chosen by Program Area Secretary of State Elected from Candidates | Gov. Chief of Staff Appointed by Governor Lt. Gov. Chief of Staff Appointed by Lt. Governor Cabinet Secretaries (5) Apply | Must meet CW Eligibility | |
| Supreme Court HS officers | Chief Justice Chosen by Program Area Attorney General Chosen by Program Area | Justices (6) Apply | Exp. Delegates Clerk of the Supreme Court** Appointed by Chief Justice | |
| Media Corps HS officers | Editor-in-Chief Chosen by Program Area | Assistant Editor(s) Apply | Exp. Delegates |
*Speaker Pro Tempore and Senate President Pro Tempore are selected from Committee Chairs at KYA based upon their performance.
†There are no Presiding Officers for the Middle School KYA Bluegrass House and Senate. Committee Chairs are selected to preside over Bluegrass on Day 2 based on performance.
**Must be an twelfth grader to be appointed. Previous program experience preferred, but not required.