Our Team

Our Secondary State Officers

Secondary President

Karen Liu, Iowa City West

This year's President elect Karen Liu is a senior at Iowa City West High. This is her fourth year in BPA. She is also on Iowa City West’s Executive Board. Her favorite BPA events are Interview Skills and Small Business Management Team. She enjoys being a part of BPA because it allows her to build relationships with different people that all have a passion for business. Outside of BPA she works at a local restaurant as a hostess and has been a competitive swimmer for 10 years. She’s recently started volunteering at the VA Hospital and is a Registered American Red Cross Volunteer. Karen became a state officer because she wanted to be able to lead a club that offers students many opportunities.

Secondary Vice President

Kelsey Taylor, Prairie High School

Elected Vice President, Kelsey Taylor, is a senior at Prairie High School. This will be her third year as a BPA member. She has attended Nationals for the past two years, competing in the Video Production and Financial Advisor Team events. Outside of BPA, Kelsey enjoys connecting with other chapters during BPA, especially at the Fall and Spring Leadership Conferences! Kelsey likes to go hiking with her dogs, plays volleyball and soccer, and works at the library. Kelsey is excited to take on a new role as a state officer and build relationships with all the members!

Secondary Vice President of Marketing

Layan Ahmed, Iowa City West

Layan Ahmed is this year’s Iowa BPA Vice President of Marketing. She is a junior at Iowa City West High and this will be her third year in BPA. Layan’s favorite events include Small Business Management Team and Presentation Management Individual. Layan loves BPA because it has helped her meet new people from all over the country, and has helped her develop the skills she needs for success. In her free time, Layan enjoys playing volleyball, playing the piano and viola, and volunteering. She’s excited to connect with Iowa BPA members this year!

Secondary Secretary/Treasurer

Taylor Bartholomew, Washington

This year’s secretary is Taylor Bartholomew. Taylor is a senior at Washington High School. She is a four year member of Washington’s BPA chapter, where she serves as the Secretary. This past year she attended the National Conference in Anaheim, California. Her favorite part of BPA is the amount of people she has met and the amount of skills BPA has taught her. She has grown up playing sports and raising cattle on her small family farm. Taylor loves hanging out with friends and family in her free time. She is excited to work with all of the Iowa BPA members this year.

Secondary Reporter

Corryn Rousch, Prairie High School.

This year’s Reporter is Corryn Rausch. She is a junior at Prairie High School. She is a second year member of Prairie’s BPA chapter, where she serves as an advisor for the chapter officers. Her favorite part of BPA is the experience that BPA provides to its members, and how much she has learned about the business community. Corryn’s favorite events include Small Business Management Team and Prepared Speech Individual. Corryn loves reading, volunteering, and playing sports in her free time. She is excited to connect with members and meet more people this year.

Secondary Parliamentarian

Damian Vergara, Columbus Community

This year's Parliamentarian is Damian Vergara. Damian is a senior at Columbus Community high school. He is a third year member of Columbus BPA, where he serves as president. He has attended Nationals the past two years in Anaheim and Dallas for Parliamentary Procedure and as an alternate of Human Resources. His favorite part about BPA is networking with other members and getting to know them on a personal level. Damian likes to run cross country, track/field, and spend quality time with his family. He is excited to engage with BPA members and meet new people.

Our Post-secondary State Officers

Post-secondary President

Carly Palmer, Northeast Iowa Community College, Calmar

This year's Post Secondary President is Carly Palmer. Carly is currently in her second year at Northeast Iowa Community College earning her Business Administration degree and Accounting Clerk certification. Caily has been in BPA for two years where she has served as both her chapter and State president both years. A few things that Carly likes to do outside of BPA are crocheting, riding motorcycles, kayaking, finding new coffee shops, spending time on the farm, and doing anything outdoors. Her favorite part of BPA is engaging with members and learning more about each individual. The thing she is most excited about for this year is helping post-secondary members grow their knowledge and excitement for BPA and bettering our program for post secondary members.

Post-secondary Vice President

Allyssa Norman, Hawkeye Community College

This year's Post Secondary Vice President is Allyssa Norman. Allyssa is currently in her second year at Hawkeye Community College earning her Human Resource Management degree. She has been a member of BPA for six years and actively serves as her local chapter president. Last year at State, she was awarded for placing in the top five in nine events but ultimately decided to compete at Nationals for Interview Skills and Ethics & Professionalism. Her favorite part about BPA is recruiting new members, planning leadership activities, and being able to network with her fellow students. Outside of BPA Allyssa loves getting tattoos, going thrifting, making quits, bowling, softball, and baking tasty treats. This year she is most excited about being able to share her BPA knowledge and experience to better Iowa BPA and build deep and meaningful connections with her fellow Post Secondary BPA members.