Boy Scouts of America

Meet Your Officers

The National Venturing Officers’ Association (NVOA) consists of the National Venturing President, the five National Venturing Vice Presidents, and their respective advisors.

Effective June 1, 2024 - May 31, 2025

National VOA President

Andrea Marron

Advisor: Julie Dalton

Staff Advisor: Tim Anderson (Email)

Andrea is a proud member of the South Florida Council. She has served at the Crew, Council, Territory, and National levels of Venturing, most recently as National Venturing Vice President of Eastern Territory Support.

An Eagle Scout from Troop 941 and a Vigil honor member of the O-Shot-Caw Lodge, Andrea has recently worked with the 2023 National Jamboree DEI team and the 2023 Women of Character Conference.

Andrea is looking forward to strengthening the role of VOAs, increasing the outreach of the Venturing program, and a growth in membership. At the center of Andrea’s vision for the year is mentorship that fosters a sense of passion that will drive positive and long-lasting change.

Andrea looks forward to leading the adventure with you!

Contact Andrea

National VOA Vice President of Administration

Cody Weigle

Advisor: Kris Zahbrobsky

Cody first joined Venturing in 2021 through camp staff before joining crew 750 in Dan Beard Council. He has since founded a Sea Scout Ship, Venturing Crew, and soon to be Council VOA. During his Venturing journey, he has served Venturing at the Crew, Council, and most recently the Territory level as the Territory 9 VOA President.

Cody is an Eagle Scout from Troop 838 and a recipient of the National Medal for Outdoor Achievement. He also serves as a current Vice-Chief for Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge and is a devoted NYLT staff member. Cody enjoys taking advantage of the various trainings offered through Scouting and has completed numerous prestigious courses such as SBR National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience and The Order of the Arrow’s National Leadership Seminar.

Outside of Scouting, Cody is a mechanical engineering student at the University of Cincinnati and an employee of a National Scout Shop. In his free time he enjoys 3D printing, canoeing, and going to Waffle House with his friends.

National VOA Vice President of Program

Jacob Schmidt

Advisor: Elizabeth Finley

Jacob Schmidt is from Burnsville, Minnesota in Northern Star Council and is thrilled to continue serving as the 2024-25 NVOA Vice President of Program. Currently, Jacob serves as the 2023-24 NVOA Vice President of Communications. He has also previously served as the Territory 4 VOA President and as a Council VOA Vice President.

Outside of Venturing, Jacob is currently a sophomore at Michigan Technological University studying environmental engineering. Outside of classes, he works as a student researcher studying wastewater surveillance and tick borne pathogens. He is also highly involved in the Huskies Pep Band and serves as an Arm Waver (conductor) of the band.

People are at the forefront of Jacob’s motivation for leadership and mentoring. His goals for the upcoming term are grounded in increasing Venturing membership and visibility through accessible programming and support of programs at all levels.

Jacob can’t wait to continue to Lead the Adventure with you!

National VOA Vice President of Communication

Matthew Irsfeld

Advisor: Elizabeth Kwock

Matthew is a member of Crew 444 in the Greater Colorado Council where he has served at the Crew, Council, and Territory levels, most recently as the CST 2 President.

He is also an Eagle Scout and Vigil honor member of Tahosa lodge where he served as Lodge Chief along with Section Vice Chief. Matthew has earned his Triple Crown of high adventure and prior to his service with Venturing was the NST 2 Boatswain and National Boatswain’s Mate of Communications.

Matthew wants to strengthen the Venturing program by creating a more streamlined promotional process for national events and initiatives. He plans on accomplishing this by looking at alternative forms of communication and reaching out to crews to determine what modes of communication are most effective.

National VOA Vice President of Territory Support for the Western Territories

Katie Chatow

Advisor: Julie Dalton

Katie has been very active in scouting since she joined in February, 2019. Most recently she served as the National Service Territory 3 Venturing Officers’ Association President for the 2023-24 term. In the Pacific Skyline Council, she is a member of the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts, former SPL, founding member of Troop 201 and two-term President of Crew 37. Katie also served as President of the joint Pacific Skyline and Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Councils’ VOA after previously serving as the VP of Programs for two terms.

Katie has been elected Vigil in the Ohlone Lodge where she served three years as Chapter Chief for the Puyson Chapter as well as Conclave Vice Chief of Activities, Recreation, and Competitions for the 2023 Conclave. She has also worked as a Scoutcraft Instructor for two summers at Camp Royaneh in GGAC and last summer as an Instructor at Camp Oljato in Pacific Skyline Council.

Outside of Scouting, Katie attends Loyola Marymount University and is studying Entrepreneurship in the School of Business Administration. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, philosophical debates and pickleball.

Katie is excited to create better tools for Territory and Council VOA’s to make sure they have the resources they need to be successful. She wants to make sure that every voice is heard to best understand and create a program to address the challenges of all Venturers.

National VOA Vice President of Territory Support for the Eastern Territories

Aidan Wells

Advisor: Julie Dalton

Aidan is blessed to be a member of Crew 111 in Colonial Virginia Council, Virginia. Already an Eagle Scout from Troop 111 and a Vigil Honor Member of Wahunsenakah Lodge in the OA, he became a Summit Award recipient in 2023 after 12 years of Scouting. He has served Venturing on the Crew, Council, and Territory levels, the latter two of which he has been recognized with Venturing Leadership Awards. He has written and taught many trainings and has been to Scouting events across the country.

He is currently a Sophomore Student at Christopher Newport University, studying History, Political Science, and Leadership. When not having fun serving during Scout activities or serving his local community, you can probably find him spending time with family and friends, playing his guitar, or with his nose buried in a book somewhere.

Aidan has a clear vision of what he believes Venturing will look like in the future. He believes that to be a truly effective leader, you must first be passionate about the things you lead. He hopes to play a role in growing Venturing’s presence within the Scouting Community, the Nation, and the World, providing each Scout with the tools they need to make a difference.