Kathryn Paul and Kai Kidd have stepped into the top leadership positions in Associated Students of Fort Lewis College after the resignation of President Asa Worthington and Vice President Audrey Leonetti. Their positions will be up for election in April.
If the president is no longer able or willing to serve, the vice president becomes president, and the speaker of the senate becomes vice president, according to ASFLC constitution.
If both the president and vice president are no longer able or willing to serve, the speaker becomes president, and then a new vice president and speaker have to be chosen, Ruth Alminas, associate professor of political science and faculty advisor for ASLFC, said.
A new speaker of the senate would then be elected from the table among the sitting senators, she said.
The ASFLC constitution can be found on SkyHub, Alminas said.
Paul, the former Speaker of the Senate for ASFLC, was appointed president on Dec. 12, 2025. Being appointed president came as a big shock to her, she said.
"I think that the most confusing part was wrapping my head around the fact I was president now,” Paul said.
One of her goals during her presidency is to advocate for students who need accommodations for classes, Paul said.
For the role of the vice president, Paul needed to find someone she knew really well who would hold her accountable and support her when she’s busy, Paul said.
She decided to pick one of her best friends who she knows is passionate about the role, Paul said.
Kai Kidd, an environmental science student at Fort Lewis College, was appointed vice president on Jan. 21, 2026, Paul said.
"I wasn't on ASFLC last semester, so it's been a little bit of an adjustment getting used to all my duties and stuff," Kidd said.
Addisyn Fasset, a Fort Lewis College student and secretary of the Independent Student Coalition, feels that if ASFLC president resignations were to happen again, it would be good to inform the registered student organizations and have the situation be more known, Fasset said.
More visibility would be a good thing, they said.
During the ASFLC elections that will probably be held in the second week of April, students will elect every single position on the board, except for the non-voting ones like first-year ambassador or student court, Paul said.
No one's spot is guaranteed to return to them next year, she said.
Before the elections begin, Paul and the Elections Committee sent out a school wide email notifying everyone that if they would like to run for a spot on the board, they will need to fill out a form, Paul said.
Kai Kidd and Kathyrn Paul in their office in the student involvement center.
They have certain election guidelines that candidates must follow in order to not be disqualified from the positions, Paul said.
Eligible candidates must be enrolled in at least 12 credits and have successfully completed 12 credits, Paul said.
The candidates will go over more of the election guidelines with the Elections Committee once they have filled out the form, she said.
According to the email, candidates will need to submit the form by March 13.