Executive Team

The North Dakota Student Association is led by a team composed of six executives. The President, Chief of Staff and three Vice Presidents are elected directly by the General Assembly during the April meeting each year. The Chief Administrator is appointed by the NDSA President and confirmed by the General Assembly.

Jason Fincel
President

Jason Fincel serves as the 2023-2024 President for the North Dakota Student Association. The president is responsible for chairing the General Assembly meetings and the executive functions of the organization. This is Jason’s third year with the NDSA and previously he was the Chief Administrator for the 2022-2023 academic year and the Director of Governmental Affairs for the 2021-2022 academic year. In his current position, Jason hopes to ensure that the NDSA continues to achieve its strategic goals by becoming the foremost platform of policy advocacy for higher education students in North Dakota.

Jason is originally from Grand Marais, Minnesota and is currently a graduate student at North Dakota State University studying Public Policy. After graduation, Jason is planning to work either in city management or in foreign policy. Jason loves writing, reading, listening to music and skiing!

Email: jason.fincel@ndus.edu

Cody Olski
Vice President of Finance and Operations

Cody Olski serves as the 2023-2024 Vice President of Finance and Operations. He is responsible for chairing the Internal Affairs Committee and managing the budget and financial decisions of the organization. This is Cody’s third year with the NDSA. In his position, Cody wants to improve and strengthen the organization while ensuring its stability for future students. With NDSA’s long-standing tradition of improving students’ lives across all 11 institutions, Cody want to ensure that the organization is still capable of doing this for years to come.

Cody is originally from Wisconsin and is currently a senior at the University of North Dakota studying Commercial Aviation. In his free time, Cody enjoys traveling and outdoor activities, as well as repairing old stuff!

Email: cody.olski@ndus.edu

Grace Reep
Vice President of Governmental Affairs

Grace Reep serves as the 2023-2024 Vice President of Governmental Affairs. She is responsible for chairing the Student Legislative Affairs Committee and working with the state’s legislative agenda to represent student interests. This committee works to protect and promote student voices around North Dakota. Grace previously served as the Director of Governmental Affairs before being appointed to the position of Vice President of Governmental Affairs during the 2022-2023 academic year. As the VPGA, Grace hopes to increase legislative accessibility to all students within the NDUS by providing a place to voice concerns and learn how to get involved at the state level. Grace hopes to get more students involved in the State Legislative Affairs Committee and remove any barriers between students and the legislation that affects them.

This is Grace’s third year as an active member of the NDSA. Grace is from Dawson, Minnesota, and is currently a student pursuing a History Education degree at Valley City State University. For the previous two years of her education, Grace was a Liberal Arts student at North Dakota State College of Science. Grace enjoys making jewelry, dyeing her hair, and going on as many walks as possible!

Email: grace.reep@ndus.edu

Amelia Rasmussen
Vice President of Communication

Amelia Rasmussen serves as the 2023-2024 Vice President of Communications for the North Dakota Student Association. She is responsible for chairing the Student Affairs Committee and coordinating the communication strategy for the NDSA. Amelia is newer to NDSA but is very excited to be a fresh set of eyes and offer new perspectives and ideas. She hopes to increase outreach to head delegates and improve NDSA’s social media presence.

Amelia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Science at North Dakota State University and is now working towards earning her graduate degree in Developmental Sciences and Gerontology at NDSU. Amelia plans on obtaining her Ph.D. and continuing her research on elderly healthcare access in rural areas as well as teaching at a university. Amelia is originally from Anoka, Minnesota, AKA the Halloween Capital of the World. In her free time, Amelia enjoys participating in NDSU’s Student Government, spending time with friends, obsessing over Taylor Swift, and playing the guitar!

Email: amelia.rasmussen@ndus.edu

Katherine Kempel
Chief of Staff

Katherine Kempel serves as the 2023-2024 Chief of Staff for the North Dakota Student Association. The Chief of Staff is responsible for communicating with head delegates and managing executive operations. This is Katherine’s fourth year with the NDSA and currently serves as a Senator of the College of Engineering and Mines at UND. This year, she is looking forward to making a lasting impact on the organization and viability of NDSA to preserve it and ensure it continues to thrive for future generations of students. Katherine also is looking forward to meeting and interacting with all the head delegates!

Katherine is originally from Casselton, North Dakota and is currently a senior at the University of North Dakota pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. A fun fact about Katherine is that in 5th grade, she won her school’s spelling bee.

Email: katherine.kempel@ndus.edu

Kiara Radke
Chief Administrator

Kiara Radke serves as the 2023-2024 Chief Administrator for the North Dakota Student Association. The Chief Administrator is responsible for taking the minutes for the General Assembly meetings and making sure the NDSA website and SharePoint are up to date. This is Kiara’s third year with the NDSA previously serving as the Director of Finance for 2022/2023 academic year as well as VCSU’s Head Delegate for 2022/2023 academic year and is still serving in that position. In this position, Kiara wants to ensure that the NDUS’s voices are engaged and being heard. By having information be clear, concise, and accessible, Kiara wants to allow everyone to be informed on the matters within the NDSA.

Kiara is originally from Milnor, North Dakota, and is currently a senior at Valley City State University studying Business Administration with a concentration in Managerial Accounting and Finance. Kiara plans to join the workforce after graduating with a job in the finance field. Kiara enjoys listening to music, reading, playing sudoku, and crocheting.

Email: kiara.radke@ndus.edu