The student body president’s chief of staff has a variety of duties ranging from meeting with the leaders of the department within the executive branch of government to being the chief adviser and counsel to the student body president and vice president.

The chief of staff is selected by the incoming administration and is not elected by the student body. Soon after winning the spring 2016 election, Student Body President Paul Nolan and Vice President Brayndon Stafford hand-picked Colin Beamer to be their right-hand man.

The Technician sat down with the chief of staff to discuss the official duties, daily schedule and the personal drive of one of Student Government’s most powerful players.

What exactly is your job description? What are your formal and informal duties?

My job description has two ways of looking at it; the first is, according to statutes, I am responsible for helping the administration organize the process for selecting the leaders of our departments, which we did in the spring after the election.

The second major duty according to statutes is to be the internal manager of the executive branch, which I have interpreted from a logistical and advising perspective. From that perspective, I have been the go-to person when the directors have questions about, but not limited to, reserving spaces for events, contact people, administrative tasks and how to accomplish those.

Additionally, to that role, from a student advisory position, I meet with the directors of our departments on a biweekly basis, one-on-one, to go over anything and everything they might need to be successful in their positions. Given we have seven very active departments, I typically have a meeting every other day or so with someone in (the executive branch).

How closely do you work with the Nolan administration?

This question addresses another facet of my role, being the chief student adviser to the student body president and student body vice president. I work every day with Paul and Brayndon, focusing on our initiatives, and adapting our leadership to the ever-changing conditions that present themselves to us as we venture through this academic year. 

How closely do you work with the other branches of Student Government?

Due to the nature of my role, I do not typically work directly with Senate, the Conduct Board or the Board of Elections, however because my desk is in the Student Governance Suite, and most of our initiatives involve cross-Student Government participation, I find myself seeing and interacting with other members of SG from other branches constantly.

What are your goals as chief of staff for this school year?

I have a number of floating goals in this role, but my primary goal is to better define this position for future chiefs of staff. Traditionally, there has been overlap between the executive assistant, chief of staff and student body vice president, so this administration set out to define all three roles more clearly, something we continue to work on.

Second, my goal is to ensure every director feels empowered to be successful, and always feels the administration supports them. Because each department is so different, I find myself learning all the time how to be a source of that support. It is a great challenge, something from which I grow continuously.

Have you accomplished any of these goals? Which ones?

The first goal starts with leading according to one’s strengths. I have an internal mindset, where I have to balance the detail-oriented with broad goals perspective. Knowing that about myself, I presented that as one of many reasons I wanted this position when I came on board with Paul and Brayndon last year. Shaping and better defining this position also requires good documentation, as to leave a sustainable record for the next person to fill the role, so they might better understand some of its facets.

The second goal is a constant maintenance. Meeting with the directors in the executive branch allows them to have a conversation wrapped around centralizing their thought process, so they can talk out what they are thinking, and my role is to make sure they have what they need to accomplish those goals.

Thus, being in regular communication, serving as a positive, uplifting presence and facilitating realistic, impactful initiatives is part of the process for accomplishing that goal.

What does a daily schedule look like for you?

My daily schedule is one thing, and one thing only: all over the place. I do not remember a week that I have had the “same” schedule every day. Meetings change, initiatives get accomplished and the team gears up for another great project. My schedule reflects that constant change, so one of my biggest challenges is keeping up with that.

What drove you to become chief of staff?

Having been a member of Student Government for now my fourth year, and a part of the traditions department for three years, I have seen a number of administrations come and go, and was always intrigued by the position, serving internally and working to accomplish the many goals of an administration. When Paul and Brayndon decided to run for office, I was right alongside them and knew I wanted to be a part of the team.

I served as their campaign manager, and as a result discovered my passion for managing operations and logistics. Quickly we began discussions of what the team would look like, and my position became evident as chief of staff.

Upon their election to office, and even before being formally appointed, I began working with them to get a strong team of amazing student-leaders together to take over our many departments. Today, our team is thriving, constantly learning and adapting to this challenging environment to represent the interests of the students to the best of our ability.