Coates Selected to Lead Carolina Union Board of Directors

The Carolina Union is proud to announce Jaelyn Coates as the 2015–2016 Chair of the Carolina Union Board of Directors. The Carolina Union Board of Directors and a panel of Carolina Union full-time staff interviewed Coates and selected her for the position on March 29, 2015. In this role, Coates will serve as the representative of the Board and the student face of the Union. The Chair of the Board provides leadership and oversight in all aspects of the Board, including finance, planning, student affairs, advancement, and other key areas.
As Chair, Coates looks forward to working with the other members of the Board: “I feel like it is a position where I can be a part of a group that really wants to make a difference.” Coates will be responsible for serving as the primary representative of the Board to its constituents and stakeholders, presiding over Board meetings, appointing Board committee chairs, and supporting and advising the Carolina Union full-time staff.
Coates, a junior from Williamsburg, VA, has already held many leadership positions on campus that will translate well to her new position as Chair. She served as a marketing intern for the varsity wrestling program for 2013–2014, in addition to serving as a clerk for Student Congress and Student Fee Audit Committee from 2012–2014. She has also been a member of the women’s club soccer team, Black Student Movement, and the Coalition for Human Rights. She is also accomplished on the academic front, double majoring in Political Science and African, African American, and Diaspora Studies.
Newly selected Carolina Union Activities Board (CUAB) President Merrick Osborne will serve as the Board’s Vice Chair. Coates and Osborne plan to continue the Union’s support of Carolina Conversations, a University initiative designed to amplify critical dialogue across campus. Specifically, Coates hopes to create spaces for different marginalized groups to engage in the Union. She fondly refers to the Union as the “living room on campus” and wants all students to feel welcome and comfortable in the building during her tenure and beyond.