Cullen Watanuki

Cullen Watanuki is the DECA Central Region Vice President for 2025-2026. He has a strong passion for leadership and service. As Central Region Vice President, Cullen aims to strengthen connections between all the Central Region associations, ensuring that every member's voice is heard. In Cullen’s previous association officer role, he created Leadership Councils to mentor members across Illinois, oversaw Illinois’ membership surpass 5,000 members, and created the first-ever Rising Leader team where members can work simultaneously with the association officers, achieving the goals of Illinois DECA. Outside of DECA, Cullen is a committed Varsity athlete and captain of his swim team, an active member on his school district advisory board, a coach for his childhood swim team, and a peer tutor.