Executive Branch

Membership


The Executive Branch consists of four elected officers—the the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations and Treasurer—and the staff members they appoint (with Senate approval) to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities. The students appointed by the President to the positions of Chief of Staff and Director of various departments are known collectively as the Cabinet.

Key Responsibilities
Develop and Articulate SGA’s Vision and Priorities

The President takes the lead in establishing SGA’s vision and priorities for the year, working closely with the other elected officers of the Executive Branch and the leaders of the other branches. The President also takes the lead in identifying ways to improve SGA’s effectiveness as an organization, inspiring and organizing other officers to consider and implement upgrades to SGA’s policies, practices and training program. The elected officers of the Executive Branch play a central role in communicating SGA’s vision and priorities to campus leaders and the student body. The President especially is a visible spokesperson for the organization, giving a speech at Convocation, participating in the annual University Retreat and representing SGA in many other settings.

Run Programs and Provide Services: Staff members in the Executive Branch are specialists: charged with developing and implementing specific initiatives or managing information and communications about particular topics. For example, an assistant to the Treasurer might be tasked with maintaining a log of student organization funding requests and Finance Board allocations. The Director of Academic Affairs is responsible for programs and advocacy relating to students’ experiences inside the classroom, and staff members working for the Director can expect to be tasked with specific projects, or pieces of specific projects, in this area. The value of this setup is that it is relatively easy to coordinate and ensures maximum accountability: You always know exactly who is responsible for following through. It is especially useful in connection with ongoing programs and services, where the bulk of the creative planning work has already happened and the focus now is on implementation (unlike the Senate’s emphasis on the developmental stages of programs and services).

·       Represent the Student Body:  The President is the principal voice of the student body to audiences such as the campus administration, the media and state officials. The President also appoints student representatives to certain decision-making committees at UMBC and, with approval from the Senate, also chooses the student body’s representatives to the University System of Maryland Student Council and the Maryland Higher Education Commission Student Advisory Council.

·       Manage SGA’s Internal Operations and Support the Senate and Finance Board:  The elected leaders of the Executive Branch take the lead in ensuring that SGA members know their responsibilities, have the guidance and support they need, and communicate effectively as they learn about developments on campus and implement their initiatives. They identify and troubleshoot problems as they arise. The President takes the lead in planning and preparing for the fall and spring SGA Retreats. All members of the Executive Branch serve as resources (sources of information and helping hands) to the Senate and Finance Board as they fulfill their own responsibilities.