Student Organization Spotlight: Mock Convention Mock Convention is gathering steam as the organization prepares for its Spring Kickoff event on March 21.

By Kelsey Goodwin
March 3, 2023

Last month marked one year until the next Washington and Lee University Mock Convention, a mock presidential nominating convention held every four years by the students of W&L. Its goal is to predict whom the party out of power will nominate to run for president of the United States. The convention’s student-lead executive team is poised for its Spring Kickoff event on Tuesday, March 21, when it will host a moderated discussion between Vice President Mike Pence and Bret Baier, chief political anchor of Fox News.

Meet the executive leadership of this year’s convention and learn more about what’s on the horizon for Mock Con:

General Chair Ramsay Trask ’24 is a junior from Wilmington, North Carolina, and is majoring in global politics. Trask and her department oversee the organization’s leadership and are responsible for upholding and furthering the organization’s mission.

Brandon Konlian ’24, Mock Convention’s financial chair, is a junior from Salisbury, Maryland. He is majoring in accounting. Konlian is responsible for building the organization’s strategic financial plan, managing the organization’s budget, and ensuring the financial success of future conventions. The financial chair is also responsible for overseeing all fundraising, merchandising, grants and corporate partnerships.

Foster Harris ’24 is a junior from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is majoring in American politics with a minor in philosophy. As the political chair, Harris oversees all components of the Mock Con’s political exercise. As head of the Convention’s largest department, he distributes and manages more than 1,500 student delegates.

Anna Connolly ’25 is a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. She is double majoring in accounting and Spanish and serves as the Convention’s director of communications. The communications department is responsible for developing the brand identity for Mock Convention, as well as overseeing its online presence, media relations, marketing strategies and merchandise. They also coordinate all internal and external communication for the organization.

Carly Snyder ’24 is a junior from Longview, Texas. She is majoring in journalism with a minor in education policy. As the director of operations, Snyder manages all of the Convention’s operational, logistical and contractual obligations.

Peyton Pack ’24 is a junior from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and is majoring in accounting. He serves as the Convention’s general secretary. Pack facilitates internal communication among members of the organization and is responsible for the organization’s record-keeping.

“Mock Convention 2024 is aiming to be the best convention yet by staying true to our academic mission and at the same time prioritizing the student experience,” Connolly said. “We are deep diving into the nomination and aiming to bring in a range of speakers that represent the breadth of the Republican party with the goal of stimulating political discourse among the student body.”

Mock Con student applications were released last week and will close the week of March 27. These applications include 56 State Chair positions, along with openings for photographers and videographers. State chairs lead the political department, becoming experts on their state to meet their predictive role and managing their delegation to build their state’s float for the convention weekend’s parade through downtown Lexington. State chairs also work with their regional chair to build a resource network of experts and with campaign staff to analyze polling trends in their state.

Find updates on events, application deadlines and more about Mock Con here.