Donovan Wood-Gaines, a director-at-large, was elected to replace Mariah Luzon as director of finance and operations.
Photo by Sabina Mendoza.
Two members of the UVSS Board of Directors resigned earlier this month.
Mariah Luzon, the society’s director of finance and operations, resigned on Oct. 9. Her resignation was accepted by the board in a last-minute meeting convened that night.
The board did not give reasons for Mariah’s resignation in the meeting. Matthew Allen Curtis, director of outreach and university relations, said in a statement after the meeting that Luzon’s resignation was a “personal choice” due to their personal workload and “wanting what is best for the society.”
Director-at-Large (DAL) Donovan Wood-Gaines and Pride Collective representative Jayce Kusardi nominated themselves as replacements, and after the two nominees answered questions posed by their fellow board members, the board elected Wood-Gaines to the position.
Wood-Gaines said in the meeting he had previous experience as a DAL attached to the finance & operations portfolio, and had served on some of the same committees.
At the society’s scheduled meeting on Monday, Oct. 5, DAL Artem Kuklev also resigned, citing “personal reasons.” Society for Students with a Disability (SSD) board representative Acorn Wasserman also resigned from the position last month, on Sept. 14. The position of SSD board representative was filled by Lauren Wyler.
Following Kuklev’s resignation and Wood-Gaines’ appointment as interim finance director, the board now has eight DALs of the requisite 11. The UVSS said in a statement that they will not be holding by-elections to fill the roles due to timing and budgetary constraints, and lack another way to fill the vacancies under existing policy.
Curtis said that the resignations had nothing to do with one another.
The previous board of directors also saw a significant number of resignations, including three lead directors — Jonah Arnold, Griffin Foster, and Eva Thompson, shortly after the beginning of her term. Luzon is the only lead director on the 2026–2027 board to have resigned at this point.
Curtis said in the statement that Wood-Gaines is “quickly settling in” due to his prior experience as a DAL attached to the finance and operations portfolio, and will be ready to present the society’s budget and last year’s audit at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
