The Executive Board’s Senior Advisors are policy and advocacy specialists who provide guidance to Student Government initiatives and events. Senior Advisors work alongside the Student Body President to ensure that the Executive Board Offices and Cabinet Departments have adequate support in the implementation of the Everett Administration’s policy goals.

The group’s priorities include:

1. To create, or at least lay a foundation for, On Campus Affinity Group Spaces for marginalized students. Senior Advisors hope to have spaces in the union with designated student and professional staff to serve as a basepoint for all students, clubs, and organizations to cultivate community.
2. Lobby university administration for the development of an Asian American Studies program. Senior Advisors will work alongside the Department of Academic Affairs and Professional Development to gauge student interest in the creation of an Asian American Studies program. Furthermore, Senior Advisors will assist in the development of a broad coalition of student organizations to collaborate on lobbying efforts.
3. Re-establish Mental Health Coalition as an independent agency outside of student government with self-sufficient structure. Senior Advisors will work closely with our Cabinet to provide a space of collaboration across all student organizations in mental health based resources, programs, and events through this coalition.

Meetings for the Senior Advisors to the Student Body President are held during different times every week; if you want to join, please reach out to the Senior Advisors via email below.

Barbara Joy “BJ” Tillman (she/her) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || btillman@unc.edu Barbara Joy “BJ” Tillman is a senior from Columbus, GA majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Conflict Management. She currently serves as the Lead Senior Advisor for the 2024-2025 Taylor Administration overseeing and advising a wide range of policy initiatives affecting UNC’s undergraduate student body. Formerly, she served as Co-Director of Civic Engagement and Outreach Services for two consecutive terms in UNC’s executive branch, under the 2022-2023 Vann Administration and the 2023-2024 Everett Administration, where she led and spearheaded initiatives for public service, student and community engagement, and alumni outreach for the student body. She is the founder of the nonprofit, Your Voice, Your Vote serving thousands of young voters across the Southeast and North Carolina. She also has served as an Honors Carolina Student Association (HCSA) Board Member, currently serves as the First Vice President for the Kappa Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is a North Carolina Fellow.

Max Sigmon (he/him) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || amsigmon@unc.edu Max is an honors student from Lincolnton, North Carolina double majoring in Public Policy and English and minoring in Education. Previously, Max served as Co-Director of Campus Life and Student Experiences in the Everett Administration. Max is interested in education policy and the development of innovative practices to benefit educational systems and student outcomes. Max teaches cycle classes through UNC Campus Recreation and tutors elementary school students with HYPE (Helping Youth by Providing Enrichment).

Willow Taylor Chiang Yang (she/they) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || wtcy@unc.edu Willow Taylor Chiang Yang is from San Francisco, California, and is a senior double-majoring in Philosophy and a self-made (IDST) major, “American Political Economy and Society”. In addition to being a Senior Advisor, Willow is an Agora Fellow, an Economics ULA, ASPSA tutor, and a Morehead-Cain Scholar. She also served on the Provost Advisory Committee and on the hiring committee for the Dean and Director of the new SCiLL last year. She researches the impact of higher education on political preferences with Luc Bovens in the Philosophy Department, and is doing an Honors thesis this upcoming year on the individual telos or purpose of work and employment. She also plays on the UNC Women’s Club Volleyball team.

Logan Kaelin (he/him) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || lkaelin@unc.edu Logan Kaelin is from Raleigh, North Carolina and is a senior studying Political Science and Public Policy. Logan has been involved in a variety of advocacy and policy-centered roles at UNC, including as a member of the Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor, a DEI Fellow, and an Executive Board Member of the Campus Y. Logan spent the past summer interning in the U.S. House of Representatives in the Office of Representative Sharice Davids. Logan has a strong passion for and history of advocating for marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQ+ and Arab students., and looks forward to continuing that work as a Senior Advisor.

Harini Somanchi (she/her) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || hsomanchi@email.unc.edu Harini Somanchi is from Northern Virginia and is a senior majoring in Health Policy and Management with minors in Chemistry and Spanish. Harini has served the UNC Executive Branch for the past two years as both the Director of Institutional Research and Assessment and as the Co-Director for Student Wellness and Safety. Harini also sits on the Campus Health Advisory Board and Student Safety and Security Committee, and serves as an advocate at the Chapel Hill Community Empowerment Fund.

Julian Taylor (he/him) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || jtaylor1@unc.edu Julian Taylor is a senior from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, majoring in Public Policy and minoring in City Planning. Julian is a member of the Affirmative Action Coalition executive board and is the co-founder of TransparUNCy. He is a staff writer for The Onyen, a satire publication at UNC, and board member of Triangle Blog Blog.

Joann Obioma (she/her) Senior Advisor to the Student Body President || jobioma@unc.edu Joann Obioma is from Douglasville, Georgia, and is a senior double-majoring in Psychology and Public Policy with a minor in Social and Economic Justice. In addition to being a Senior Advisor, Joann is an Eve Carson Scholar and a Harvey Beech Scholar. She previously served as President of the Black Student Movement at UNC, where she led the largest cultural organization at the university, aimed at building a strong community and advocating for equity and inclusivity on campus. Through the Student Life and Leadership SPARK Program, she has mentored over 60 historically marginalized students. Additionally, she has been a member of UNC’s Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, served on the Board of Directors for the Carolina Union, and co-founded a Black Pre-Law Association. Joann is currently the Parliamentarian for the Theta Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.