President
Michael DeJager (mdejager@bpa.org)

Michael DeJager is a freshman at Johnson Wales University in Denver, Colorado.  Last year, he served as the National Historian of the Secondary Division.  He has been involved in BPA for the past 6 years, serving as an officer on both the local and state levels. Michael is an Ambassador Torch Award Recipient as well as a BPA Merit Scholar.

In high school, Michael served as Vice President of his Senior Class, Captain of the Color Guard, Secretary of Student Council, and graduated as Valedictorian.  He was also involved in Band, Jazz Band, Science Club, Yearbook Staff, Speech and Drama, and the National Honor Society.

Michael is double-majoring in International Business and Fashion Merchandising and Retail Marketing, and someday aspires to be a prominent business leader in the Fashion Industry.

Vice President
Kevin Benjamin (kbenjamin@bpa.org)

Kevin Benjamin is a college freshman from Taunton Massachusetts.  He attends Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI for Business.  This is Kevin's fourth year as a member of BPA.  He has served as a local, state and now national officer throughout his membership. He has competed successfully in various competitions and has helped his local chapter with fundraising and membership.

As a high school senior, Kevin was the Editor-in-Chief of his school’s newspaper and starting first baseman for the Varsity Baseball Team.  Every year Kevin has been a member of BPA, he has made it to NLC on competitions.

Outside of BPA, Kevin enjoys spending time with his friends and family, playing guitar and various outdoor sports.  When he graduates college, Kevin’s plans are to stay involved in BPA and open his own music store.

Secretary
Danny Spors (dspors@bpa.org)

Danny Spors is a freshman at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities where he will be majoring in Marketing.  He grew up in the small town of Bellingham, Minnesota and attended Ortonville High School where he graduated as Valedictorian.

Since joining BPA as a freshman in high school, Danny has held seven BPA officer positions.  Over the past five years he has also been involved in competitive events, the special recognition awards program, torch awards, and many other areas of BPA.  His accomplishments include two-time recipient of the National Ambassador of the Year Award, National Merit Scholar Award, and first place in Presentation Management Individual at the 2008 National Leadership Conference.

Outside of BPA Danny loves to run, swim, design graphics, listen to music, and spend time with his friends and family.  Danny is really excited to be part of the 2008-2009 National BPA Officer Team and hopes to make it a great year!

Treasurer
Emily Felton (efelton@bpa.org)

Emily Felton has joined the 2008-2009 Business Professionals of America National Officer Team after nearly four years of membership in BPA.  During this time, Emily has been actively involved in BPA, qualifying for nationals each year, receiving her Ambassador Torch Award, and serving on officer teams at the local and state level.

On top of BPA, this high school senior is also serving as President of Student Council, Students Against Destructive Decisions, and International Club, while also participating in Band, Speech, Drama, and National Honor Society.

Emily plans on using her BPA inspired leadership skills to pursue a post-secondary education in Pre-Law and Political Science at either New York University or Columbia University in New York City.

Historian
Adam Roth (aroth@bpa.org)

Adam Roth has spent nearly six years in Business Professionals of America, having joined in the first year of the organization's Middle Level Pilot Program in 2003.

His time in BPA has prepared him for work with major organizations such as the Walt Disney Company, Busch Entertainment Company and more. Adam's hobbies include theme parks, rollercoasters, economic market analytics and show-systems development.

Adam plans on applying his business skills to a career in Hospitality Management with a specialized track in Theme Park Hospitality and Business Management.

Parliamentarian
Crispine Tembe (ctembe@bpa.org)

Crispine Tembe attended Dubuque Senior High School in Dubuque, Iowa. While attending Dubuque Senior he served as the local Chapter President and Iowa’s Eastern Region Vice President.

Crispine participated in National Honor Society, Key Club, Model United Nations, Soccer, and Mock Trial. He has received recognition through Business Professionals of America at State competition where he earned his Statesman Award. He also qualified for the 2008 National Leadership Conference where he earned the Ambassador Torch Award.

In the future, Crispine would like to be a hospital administrator or CEO of his own company. He looks forward to contributing to Business Professionals of America's success as we “Blaze New Trails."

President
Dustin Devers (ddevers@bpa.org)

Dustin Devers currently attends Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He is a senior majoring in Career and Technical Education with an emphasis in Business and Information Technology. He has been a member of Business Professionals of America for eight years. Dustin has held many leadership roles in the organization including the 2007-2008 National Post-Secondary Vice President, Oklahoma’s State President 2006-2007, the local Presidency at Oklahoma State University 2006-present, and the local President of the Meridian Technology Center I.T. Department Chapter.

Previous to attending Oklahoma State University he gained much of his technology education and training from Meridian Technology Center in the field of Information Technology. Dustin has made the most of membership in Business Professionals of America and taken the skills he has learned to start his own business, which co-owns with his brother, Geekabytes®, LLC. He is a licensed realtor in Oklahoma specializing in Resident and Rural Properties.

In his spare time, Dustin enjoys playing the piano, going to the theatre, and spending time with his family. His future career goals are to own a real estate franchisee, becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, working with the Oklahoma CareerTech system, and running for a state and national political office.

Secretary/Treasurer
Destiny Larson (dlarson@bpa.org)

Destiny Larson is a sophomore at Tiffin University in Tiffin, OH.  This is her sixth year in BPA, and she has served as an officer at the local, regional, and state levels, as well has participated in the Workplace Skills Assessment Program at all levels.

On campus, Destiny is also involved in football and basketball cheerleading, Gamma Chi Alpha sorority, H2O Campus Ministries, and Habitat for Humanity.  In her free time, Destiny enjoys teaching at cheerleading camps, reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

In 2011, Destiny plans to graduate from Tiffin University with a Bachelor’s Degree in both Journalism and Public Relations, with hopes of becoming a sportswriter or public relations representative for a professional sports team or business.

Parliamentarian
Paul Haarstick (phaarstick@bpa.org)

Concordia College is where Paul Haarstick calls home this year. While there he will be pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Business with an emphasis on Management Information Systems.

While being a student, he is also the owner of his own company, PaulNet Communications. His company develops websites and sells managed services to small and medium-sized businesses. He is also an Eagle Scout and still loves to join his troop for camping and outings when it fits in his busy schedule. Having an immense interest in computers, he has competed in mostly IT events while in BPA. He's placed nationally: 1st in Computer Network Technology, 2nd in Web Application Team, 2nd in Fundamentals of XHTML, and 3rd in Microsoft Network Administration. While at college,

Paul has also enjoyed being a part of campus ministry and the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition team. When he “grows up,”he'd love to be either the CIO for a non-profit, the CEO for his own company, or a Lutheran minister. Paul loves to listen to music, cook, run, and be a part of BPA.