CAA President-Elect Kris Willett Selects New 2002-03 Cabinet

Willett, who vowed to recruit a diverse Cabinet in her election platform, said her CAA Cabinet selections were made Thursday after a selective interview process.

Of the 26 applicants, 14 received seats on the Cabinet, and the remainder were offered committee positions.

"We had a very qualified group of candidates, and it was really hard to pick," Willett said. "But I was pleased with the final group, and we encouraged those who did not get a spot to be on committees."

Willett named sophomore Sherrell McMillan as vice president, junior Sarah Davis as secretary, junior Chase Chopin as treasurer and junior David Forsythe as chairman of Carolina Fever, the fan organization within CAA.

Willett said the new Cabinet members are "true Carolina fans" who will work to meet her platform goals.

"The people selected were those with the best team philosophy," she said.

Now that Cabinet positions have been assigned, Willett's team plans to get a head start on fall athletics event planning. "We are in the process of dividing responsibilities among the executive Cabinet, deciding how to go about meeting our goals," Willett said.

Willett said many of her campaign promises are already taking shape, including negotiations to put a large video screen in Kenan Stadium.

"Right now I'm meeting with officials, administrators, getting the OK and setting dates," she said. "And we are already inviting people to be on the Homecoming advisory committee."

New Special Projects Director Michael Tompkins said the Cabinet will incorporate new ideas into veteran programs. "We're looking to improve on old ideas, like the Hooker 5K, while also building on new ones, like 'Answer the Bell with Bunting.'"

CAA also is taking steps to improve its relationship other athletic groups. "Right now, CAA and (the Intramural Recreation Department) don't have a lot of interaction, and we want to work on building that relationship," Willett said.

Overall, Willett said she is confident that CAA is on the right track. "A lot of ideas are going into action this school year," she said. "You can't really see the effects of our work yet, but you will."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.