The Student Government Association unanimously approved a sweeping change to the organization’s executive structure and appointed a new executive vice president Tuesday at the first joint session meeting of the semester.

Executive President Will Palauskas’ first major act was to introduce a proposal to establish an executive cabinet that would dramatically expand and organize SGA’s top tier of leadership.

The proposal, approved by a unanimous vote, would indefinitely add five new positions to the organization including Chief of Staff, Communications Director, Elections and Outreach Director, Social and Events Director, and Education and History Director.

Each new position will be filled in the coming weeks by appointment and approval from joint session and will not be restricted to SGA members.

“Really, the goal of the executive cabinet is just bettering that internal structure overall of SGA,” Palauskas said. “I think everybody [in SGA] can work a little bit easier when the load is not so heavy.”

Former Communications Studies and Disorders Senator Melissa Bordelon will serve as executive vice president this semester after being appointed to the position by Palauskas and approved by SGA’s legislative body in a unanimous vote.

SGA’s constitution dictates that if the executive vice presidency becomes vacant during the second semester of an academic year, it is the executive president’s responsibility to fill the vacancy with an appointment that at least two-thirds of joint session must approve.

Palauskas organized a last-minute write-in campaign in December that allowed him to claim the presidency after former Executive President Raz Moayed departed to attend Emerson’s Los Angeles campus.

“[Bordelon] has some really good experience in SGA as the transfer commissioner and CSD senator,” Palauskas said. “I think she’s really battled-tested and she knows what she’s doing and she’s so driven, so she’ll make a great VP.”

Bordelon, who has been in the organization for two years, told The Beacon that she plans to focus her efforts as executive vice president on SGA’s senate.

“I’m really excited to support all the senators and achieving all the goals they laid out in the academic initiative for last semester,” Bordelon said. “I was the CSD senator and the only student at my table during the academic town hall, and so I’m really trying to concentrate on and support the senators that have constituents that aren’t really showing up and figuring out how to help them.”