By Alexander Franco, March 17, 2026
Associated Students Inc. President Amiyah Ellsworth issued a formal written notice recommending the removal of Officer of Public Relations Jade Centeno at the Board of Directors Meeting March 12 alleging Centeno did not follow three of the six responsibilities outlined in Article 6, section 1 of ASI’s County CodeBylaws.
The three responsibilities that she was not fulfilling include serving a minimum of four office hours per week, carrying out all duties as a member of both ASI and university-wide committees and carrying out duties according to the ASI student government policy.
The discussion was limited to Article 6, Section 4A of the ASI Bylaws, which state “The ASI Board of Directors may remove any member of the ASI Cabinet for due cause with a majority vote and the ASI President’s written recommendation. Without the ASI President’s written recommendation, removal is by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the ASI Board of Directors.”
To ensure fairness and equal opportunities between both parties, Attorney General Cristian Marroquin laid out rules for the discussion. Ellsworth and Centeno were each given 10 minutes to present. Then, any witness statements regarding either Ellsworth or Centeno were given the opportunity to speak before opening the floor to the rest of the board for 15 minutes to ask clarifying questions, directed at either party.
“Tonight, March 12, 2026, is a discussion item only; no vote will occur this evening,” Marroquin said. “… It is important to clarify that the question before the board is not whether members agree with the president’s recommendation. The question is whether the evidence presented is sufficient and relevant to support the allegations.”
Ellsworth contended Centeno was not performing up to standards claiming inconsistency with production of content. Ellsworth also alleged that multiple drafts of posts were infrequent and delayed, and that Centeno had conflicts with scheduling, not allowing her to attend cabinet meetings.
One example Ellsworth cited was about a situation where she said Centeno incorrectly mislabeled and misrepresented members in the cabinet in a draft for a social media post.“I intentionally designed the officer of PR role to advance our action plan and strengthen the connection between student government and the broader campus community, and I appointed Jade to carry out that vision.” Ellsworth said. “However, when an appointed leader is unable to meet the expectations of the required position, it is my responsibility as president to address it.”
In her response, Centeno asked the board to carefully review the evidence she provided and said she believed this was a miscommunication.
“I am here to demonstrate that these allegations have misrepresented my character and unfairly dismissed the work that I’ve conducted in this organization,” Centeno said.
Centeno argued against the lack of office hours, stating the claim was inaccurate, and she completed her office hours apart from one week.
Despite receiving the notice of recommendation of removal from Ellsworth, Centeno is still active in her role, creating content, as she hopes to continue her role in the cabinet.
Machain and Senator Pro Tempore Madison Navarro gave witness statements after Ellsworth explained her recommendation for removal.
Machain’s statement, in support for the removal of Centeno, mentioned that basic responsibilities were not fulfilled, and basic communication expectations were not met.
In one instance, Machain created a comprehensive content calendar and mood board for Centeno to follow, regarding ASI’s messaging, branding and posting expectations. Due to a lack of communication, and the production Centeno produced, Machain would redo post on her own instead of giving extensive feedback as was deemed more efficient, according to Machain.
Navarro’s statement mentioned a time last Fall semester where there was a lack of communication from Centeno, after a she had conducted a peer interview at the campus Starbucks, in where she were to return after such interview to film an episode of their podcast, Bronco Banter, but did not show up.
During the open discussion with the rest of the cabinet, which lasted around 40 minutes, College of Engineering Senator Patric Bello asked if Centeno was aware of the tasks required of a PR officer and a member on board. When finding out she got the role, Centeno said she thought role was being “under construction,” but Ellsworth stated she wanted to build the role with Centeno, and it was not under construction.
As a follow-up, Bello asked Centeno if she had read the ASI Bylaws. Centeno responded she had only read the Bylaws regarding the PR role.
The potential removal of Centeno will return as an action item at the next board of directors meeting March 19.
Feature image courtesy of Bren Belmonte
