Could YOU be one of our next State Officers?

Each January, the student leaders of New Jersey meet at our annual Winter Convention to elect their NJASC State Officers for the coming calendar year. The process of running for State Officer begins a little earlier - here's a quick rundown:

  • Attend LTC in July - not required, but highly recommended
  • Make sure your school is a current NJASC member!
  • Attend the Running for State Office meeting in October with your Advisor (see below)
  • Get your completed application in by the mid-November deadline
  • Attend the Executive Interview Meeting in December
  • Give your speech at the Winter Convention in January...and await the results!

Running for 2026 State Office Informational Letter posted in August 2025

Now here's more detail on what you need to know about running for State Office in New Jersey...

North and South

To minimize travel and ensure a fair chance for all students to have an opportunity to serve, the NJASC Executive Board alternates geographically between NORTH JERSEY in odd years (like 2025) and SOUTH JERSEY in even years (like 2026). The current Executive Board is from the NORTH, with the next Executive Board to be elected in January 2026 from the SOUTH.

NORTH is defined as these 11 counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren

SOUTH is defined as these 10 counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem

Responsibilities of State Officers

  • The President presides at all meetings and serves as chairperson of the Executive Board.
  • The Vice President presides in the President’s absence or leave of office and handles elections, public relations and the NJASC Social Media accounts.
  • The Secretary records the minutes of all Executive Meetings, handles all correspondence and works with his or her fellow State Officers to put together an annual scrapbook
  • The Treasurer reports current balances to the Executive Board and coordinates the Top Ten Projects Award program.
  • The Executive Member in charge of State Charity chairs the annual State Charity program, including coordination of the selection process for the next NJASC State Charity.
  • The Executive Member in charge of Publications is the editor of the NJASC Review and other publications, including the LTC Ledger.
  • The Executive Member in charge of Special Projects coordinates the Standards of Excellence Program and works with the Secretary on the annual scrapbook.
  • The Middle Level Representative arranges for the annual New Jersey Student Council week and coordinates the Honor School Program.
  • The State Board of Education Representative, as a non-voting member of the State Board of Education, is the official voice of the students of New Jersey at their monthly meetings and reports to the NJASC Executive Board concerning the activities of the State Board of Education.

Additional Expectations of State Officers

  • You and your Advisor must be able to attend monthly Executive Board Meetings, which will rotate between the schools of each Executive Member.
  • If it is held, you will be encouraged to attend the annual Northeastern Leadership Conference, which rotates between five states (DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA) and is usually over a weekend in the Spring. Advisors are invited to join our state delegation to this conference, but are not required to attend.
  • You must be able to attend BOTH sessions of the annual Leadership Training Conference (LTC) in July. There are also mandatory training sessions on one Saturday in March and the third Saturday in June to prepare for LTC.

Still interested? Read on...

Here's what you need to do...

  • You must be from a NJASC member school, and must attend the Running For State Office session at the Fall Conference in October with your Student Council Advisor.
  • Each member school may only run ONE candidate for State Office.
  • You must be a high school sophomore or junior. Candidates for Middle Level Executive Member must be able to remain in Middle/Junior High School for the duration of the term.
  • It is HIGHLY ADVISED that you attend our Leadership Training Conference (LTC) before running for State Office. The NJASC Constitution requires completion of LTC in order to be slated to run for President or Vice President.
  • Application forms will be handed out at this meeting, and are due back to the NJASC Northern Office with all necessary materials by the deadline indicated. Late applications will NOT be considered!

There will be an interview meeting in December, with all members of the outgoing NJASC Executive Board.

  • They will interview each candidate, starting with Middle Level applicants since there is only one office available and then continuing with each High School applicant.
  • From these interviews, they will slate the high school applicants for the offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Executive Member, or State Board of Education Representative.
  • Election Rules will be distributed to and reviewed with all candidates and their advisors.

All candidates will give their speeches at the Winter Convention, and the election will immediately follow.

  • Candidates must check in with the outgoing Vice President before campaigning.
  • Speeches will be given, and each school will have one vote.
  • All candidates are required to stay until the end of the Convention, when the results will be announced and the new Board will be sworn in.