Run For State Office
How it works
During the State Leadership and Skills Conference each year, SkillsUSA Missouri delegates from across the state elect 7 high school and 7 college/postsecondary officers to serve as student leaders for the organization – state officers. These student leaders serve in a variety of roles throughout their year of service. As leaders, they serve as communicators, advocates and facilitators.
The state officer team leads our state conferences, including the SkillsUSA Missouri Fall Leadership Conference and the SkillsUSA Missouri State Leadership and Skills Conference. The state officer team also serves local chapters and teaches members skills from the SkillsUSA Framework to help them become career ready.
Being a state officer is one of the personal growth and student leadership experiences within SkillsUSA. The overall programs focus on three key essential elements of the SkillsUSA Framework: Leadership, Communication and Service Orientation.
The skills learned through the state officer program will not only help these student leaders be successful in serving the organization, but the skills will also help them throughout their lives and future careers.
State Officer Application & Submission Process
The state officer candidate application is available online only, but there are several items you need to prepare before starting the online application, as the application will not save unfinished work. The steps below will assist you in preparing your application.
Once you begin the online application process, you must complete the entire application in one sitting, as it will not save unfinished work. If you stop in the middle, you will have to start over.
The State Officer Candidate Packet is HERE.
Ensure the state officer candidate qualifications are met as outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws of SkillsUSA Missouri Association.
NOTE: Each state officer candidate shall be an active SkillsUSA member and eligible to retain active membership in the organization until the member completes the term of office, if elected. Please double-check with your SkillsUSA state director and confirm dues for chapter, state and national membership were submitted by the state and national deadlines for the year you are running for state office.
State officer candidates take the State Officer Candidate exam. Proctors can request the exam link by emailing Taylor Weaver at Amy.Brizendine@dese.mo.gov. All students must score a minimum of 75%. This test may be taken twice to score 75%.
If qualifications are met, request and gather the following documents as early as possible in your application preparation process. You will upload and attach these documents in PDF format only as part of your online application.
Documents to be labeled (First Initial_Last name_Document Title), i.e., M_Smith_ChapterAdvisorSupportLetter.PDF
Only ONE file is allowed per upload area on the application. Combine multiple documents into a single PDF document. Several apps are available to assist with this – Tiny Scanner, PDF Scanner, or Scannable.
School Verification Letter (Local Career Center Administrator)
Verification letter from a school administrator indicating that:
Candidate is enrolled in a coherent series of courses or career major that prepares them for further education and/or employment and who are earning credit toward a high school diploma/certificate or its equivalent and plans to continue in the training program at least one more year.
Chapter Advisor Support Letter
This letter must be from the advisor of the chapter and confirm the candidate will be a member of during term in office, including a handwritten signature.
Other letters of reference (Emphasize character, leadership abilities, career education and academic accomplishments) to include:
- Local Career Education Instructor Letter (If other than your chapter advisor)
- High School Administrator (If applicable)
Gather the following information to complete the application:
Candidate Designation
Chapter
Division
SkillsUSA Membership
- Have you paid chapter, state and national membership dues for the current year?
Candidate Information
First Name, Last Name
Candidate’s Mailing Address
Date of Birth
Cell Phone #
Email
Special Needs
CTE Program
School Name
School Address
School Phone #
Which of the following activities have you participated in during your SkillsUSA membership?
- Chapter Officer.
- Fall Leadership Conference (FLC).
- Washington Leadership Training Institute (WLTI).
- President’s Volunteer Service Award
Travel Information
Name as it appears on your driver’s license or official government ID
Correspondence Contact Information for:
SkillsUSA Chapter Advisor
In 500 words or less, prepare answers to the following questions. Use a word processing program to establish formatting and run spell check.
- What is your SkillsUSA Framework story?
- Create your story by identifying one Essential Element from the SkillsUSA Framework that you have developed and explain how experiences in SkillsUSA and/or your career and technical education program have aided in your growth.
Utilize Framework story creation tools here.
State Officer Candidate Application Forms
Download, print, complete and obtain signatures for the following documents.
Candidate Headshot
- Head and shoulders shot (from chest up) – PORTRAIT (vertical) orientation only
- Shoot against a plain, one-color wall, preferably white
- Make sure photo is well lit, but try not to have any shadows on the wall, if possible
- Wear SkillsUSA Official Dress Attire (wear only acceptable pins on jacket)
- Do not use filters of any kind
- Smile!
Once you have all the information gathered, you are ready to begin the application process at: State Officer Candidate Application
ORIENTATION MEETING
There will be an orientation meeting held on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Jefferson City, that state officer candidates must attend. During this time, the state officer candidate schedule will be reviewed, the screening process will take place and there will be time held for questions.
State Officer Screening Process—4 parts:
1. Interview (worth up to 110 points)
2. Recite the SkillsUSA Pledge (worth up to 15 points)
3. Recite one of the SkillsUSA Officers’ Opening Ceremony parts (up to 10 points)
4. Script Reading (worth up to 15 points)
Maximum number of points a candidate can earn from this screening process is 150 points.
Following completion of this 4 part screening process a candidate’s scores will be added up out of 150 possible points. Then each candidate will be ranked by score. The top 14 from each division will move on to the delegate session during the State Leadership & Skills Conference. Candidates scoring less than 80% on the interview portion may not advance.
INTERVIEWS
During the orientation meeting on March 18th candidates will participate in interviews conducted by a panel made up of the SkillsUSA Missouri State Director and selected alumni. The interview will focus on your personal commitment to becoming a SkillsUSA state officer and will explore your experience in growth of the Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework.
Candidates will be assessed using a rubric that is focused around the Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework.
VOTING
Voting for state officers will be conducted during the Delegate Session. Each candidate shall give a two (2) minute speech before the voting delegation. Each candidate shall respond to the same problematic oral question before the voting delegation.
Voting shall be by secret ballot provided during the Delegate Session. Each member of the voting delegation will mark a ballot indicating their choice of up to seven (7) state officer team members (secondary and postsecondary will vote separate). Ballots will be viewed by the SkillsUSA Missouri State Director or designee.
Process to determining new officer teams:
The rank from the screening will be added to the rank in votes, this will determine the total ranking of the student. Those who have the best ranking will become state officers. In the event of a tie, the ranking of the interview will break the tie.
In the event that positions remain open on the post-secondary team, the State Director at his/her sole discretion can appoint secondary runner-up candidates to fill the team.
ORIENTATION MEETING
There will be an orientation meeting held on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Jefferson City, that state officer candidates must attend. During this time, the state officer candidate schedule will be reviewed, the screening process will take place and there will be time held for questions.
State Officer Screening Process—4 parts:
- Interview (worth up to 110 points)
- Recite the SkillsUSA Pledge (worth up to 15 points)
- Recite one of the SkillsUSA Officers’ Opening Ceremony parts (up to 10 points)
- Script Reading (worth up to 15 points)
Maximum number of points a candidate can earn from this screening process is 150 points.
Following completion of this 4 part screening process a candidate’s scores will be added up out of 150 possible points. Then each candidate will be ranked by score. The top 14 from each division will move on to the delegate session during the State Leadership & Skills Conference. Candidates scoring less than 80% on the interview portion may not advance.
INTERVIEWS
During the orientation meeting on March 18th candidates will participate in interviews conducted by a panel made up of the SkillsUSA Missouri State Director and selected alumni. The interview will focus on your personal commitment to becoming a SkillsUSA state officer and will explore your experience in growth of the Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework.
Candidates will be assessed using a rubric that is focused around the Essential Elements of the SkillsUSA Framework.
VOTING
Voting for state officers will be conducted during the Delegate Session. Each candidate shall give a two (2) minute speech before the voting delegation. Each candidate shall respond to the same problematic oral question before the voting delegation.
Voting shall be by secret ballot provided during the Delegate Session. Each member of the voting delegation will mark a ballot indicating their choice of up to seven (7) state officer team members (secondary and postsecondary will vote separate). Ballots will be viewed by the SkillsUSA Missouri State Director or designee.
Process to determining new officer teams:
The rank from the screening will be added to the rank in votes, this will determine the total ranking of the student. Those who have the best ranking will become state officers. In the event of a tie, the ranking of the interview will break the tie.
In the event that positions remain open on the post-secondary team, the State Director at his/her sole discretion can appoint secondary runner-up candidates to fill the team.
