In the Fall of 2024, Jeff Simmons, chair of business, proposed the idea of starting a Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapter at Oklahoma Christian University under the direction of business professor, Wes McKinzie.
Founded in 1946, DECA is a national organization designed to encourage students to explore marketing and business disciplines. This organization provides opportunities for students to develop leadership and teamwork skills, compete, and make connections.
McKinzie readily accepted the role of serving as the advisor for Oklahoma Christian’s DECA chapter, one of over 50 newly established or reactivated collegiate DECA chapters to start up this past year.
“We spent most of the fall semester getting up to speed about DECA, recruiting students to join, and then selecting officers,” McKinzie said.
Senior Annie Davis shared how she got involved with Oklahoma Christian’s DECA chapter.
“I first heard about DECA through an email sent out by Wes McKinzie,” Davis said. “Three things immediately caught my attention. DECA was open to all majors. I am majoring in Graphic Design with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I then noticed that there was an opportunity to compete and be challenged. I love challenges, and competitions have always been something that attracts me. Lastly, at the very end of the email, it said that the first 10 members to sign up only had to pay $10. There was no loss in trying, so I immediately signed up. That $10 went a long way and might have been the best $10 I’ve ever spent. That $10 took me to state competition for no cost, which led to nationals in San Francisco, California, again no cost. An amazing experience I will never forget.”
After initial preparations in the fall, Oklahoma Christian’s DECA chapter prepared themselves for competitions. The DECA team successfully claimed titles in preliminary contests, which qualified them to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference in San Francisco in April 2025.
“Most of our focus this spring was gearing up for contest,” McKinzie said. “It was really exciting to have all five of our competitors (Jay Cordonnier, Annie Davis, Avie Krebs, Joshua Drouin, and Stone Small) win state championships at the Oklahoma Collegiate DECA contest in January and qualify for this month’s International Career Development Conference in San Francisco. And what a way to end the year with two top-10 finishes at the international contest! We were the only Oklahoma school to do that. It was a thrill to see Annie and Avie win third place overall and to see Joshua and Stone earn a ninth-place finish.”
Davis offered a glimpse into her competitive experience in San Francisco.
“My partner, Avie Krebs, and I were given the prompt to create a comprehensive marketing strategy for a cybersecurity company,” Davis said. “The research and design process was a lot of fun; I learned a lot, which made what we presented mean something to us. I have found that it is a lot easier to pitch an idea when you believe in it and are passionate about it. Avie and I were able to find an area in the cybersecurity industry that was lacking and pitch a marketing solution that we knew would help solve it.”
When they were not competing, the team enjoyed meeting and making connections with San Franciscans and exploring the beautiful city.
Senior Joshua Drouin shared one of his favorite memories from the trip to San Francisco.
“Overall it is hard to pick just one memory that is my favorite because the conference and trip was a lot of fun,” Drouin said. “But if I had to choose one memory, it would be the night before all of the competitions started, DECA invited everyone to the San Francisco Giants game that Sunday. I grew up a Giants fan since I used to live not far from the bay area until I was 10 and have stayed a fan since even after I moved to Oklahoma. Going to the game brought out the little kid in me, and everyone around could see the excitement in my face when we got to the ballpark.”
Oklahoma Christian’s DECA chapter has had a very successful debut year, and this is just the beginning.
“Next year, we hope to have even more students join our DECA chapter and even more students compete at the state and international contests. We plan to host more guest speakers and do more service projects. We’ll also do more events for high school students like the Food Truck Challenge business simulation we hosted on campus last month,” McKinzie said.
McKinzie invites all who are interested to become a part of Oklahoma Christian’s DECA chapter and take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
“The students who went to San Francisco had an experience they’ll never forget. It’s been a great way to meet new people and make new friends, too. You can build your skills, network, and resume through DECA. Especially since it’s been big at the high school level for a long time, participating in DECA will stand out on a resume to a lot of hiring managers and executives. And DECA is open to all majors. I’d love for anyone who’s interested to reach out to me or talk to their friends who are in DECA.”
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