Meet Team 81!

Emma Rose

Media Coordinator

Tennessee DECA’s State Officers are elected by student members to provide leadership for this academic year. Our State Officers are empowered to provide effective leadership through goal setting, consensus building and project implementation, while exhibiting ethics, integrity and high standards. 

Congratulations to the newly-elected 2024-2025 Tennessee DECA State Officer Team! The team is excited to represent Tennessee DECA members as they begin work on their goals and objectives for the year ahead. 

State President
Sairah Chacko

Sairah Chacko is a 3rd year DECA member and found her passion for DECA her sophomore year of high school. While she did compete as a freshman, she wasn’t satisfied with her performance. She came back the next year and practiced once a week for six months to prepare. Sairah’s hard work paid off when she advanced to the International Career Development Conference that year, and again this year. In her spare time, Sairah loves to cook, play volleyball, and listen to music. She is a South Indian woman who embraces her culture, and strives to represent her Malayali people. Sairah has been elected to serve as the 2024-2025 Tennessee DECA State President, and is ecstatic to grow this organization, connect with members, and spread the impact DECA had on her, to students all across the nation. 
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Vice President of Leadership
Paxton Holder

Paxton Holder is a sophomore DECA member from Rockvale High School who first became interested in DECA after learning about it at Freshman Orientation in 8th grade. While serving as his chapter’s Vice President of Marketing, he knew he could show his DECA Difference to all of Tennessee. Paxton is determined to implement a DECA chapter in every high school across the state, and strives to connect members of DECA through fun and engaging projects. Paxton is a 6-year tennis player, a retired 6-year karate student (with a Black Belt!), and a 2-year DECA member. In his free time, he enjoys looking at houses on Zillow, visiting different countries, and playing pickleball. His favorite movie is Crazy Rich Asians, and his favorite DECA memories are the ones shared with his chapter and being at the State Career Development Conference. Paxton is grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Vice President of Leadership for Tennessee DECA! 

Vice President of Marketing
Albany Rubio

Albany Rubio is a three year DECA member and a senior at Blackman High School. She was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, to a family full of entrepreneurs. She originally heard about DECA at the 8th-grade you-science career fair. She knew she had to join as soon as she saw all the opportunities DECA had to offer. Since she was online during her freshman year, she had to wait until her sophomore year. During her first year in DECA, Albany got a small glimpse into the DECA world and became committed to learning more. In her time serving as Blackman High School’s chapter Vice President and President, she has been able to experience what DECA has to offer and encourage others to do the same. She wants to give back to the organization that has impacted her life significantly. As the Tennessee DECA Vice President of Marketing, she is committed to showcasing the DECA experience. During her free time, she enjoys cuddling with her dog, Teo, and watching movies with her friends. 

Vice President of Hospitality
Mason St. Jean

Mason St. Jean is a three DECA member from Beech High School in Hendersonville. He joined DECA his freshman year, and quickly grew to love the organization. He has been to the State Career Development Conference the last three years and to the International Career Development Conference the last two. He served as his DECA chapter’s New Member Director and helped Beech reach a school record with two-hundred and fifty-one members. Mason is a captain on his varsity football team and loves Beech football. He hopes to work in the sports business, specifically in the NFL. He enjoys spending his free time with his family and friends and loves any opportunity to network and meet new people. Mason is a Filipino American and loves to represent his culture through his actions. His favorite movie is Rio and his favorite artists are 21 Savage, Jack Johnson, and Frank Ocean. Mason has been elected as the 2024-2025 Tennessee DECA Vice President of Hospitality, and is ecstatic to represent this chartered association the best he can. He aims to emphasize hospitality and to connect DECA members across the state of Tennessee. Mason is extremely excited to serve Tennessee DECA and its awesome members!

Vice President of Career Development
Deepak Bala

Deepak Bala is a 3rd year DECA member, avid Houston Texans fan, and Tennessee DECA’s 2024-2025 Vice President of Career Development! Since joining Nolensville High School’s DECA chapter as a freshman, he has enjoyed competing in Individual Series events all 3 years and served as the chapter’s Vice President of Competition. He is ready to put his competition knowledge and interpersonal skills to the test as Vice President of Career Development, hoping to promote event success and presentational awareness through inclusive, individualized chapter opportunities. Deepak is also involved with the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout, and loves to engage with his local community through troop fundraisers and service projects. When he’s not in school, you’d likely find him out running an 8 mile “easy run”, cooking up dishes from all sorts of different cuisines, or working on yet another 30-song Spotify playlist featuring the likes of Rex Orange County, TV Girl, and Frank Ocean. Deepak is thrilled to serve Tennessee DECA as this year’s Vice President of Career Development!

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