Mackenzie Knox, Executive Officer of the Marching Virginians
While X’s and O’s commonly refer to hugs and kisses, to Mackenzie Knox the letters mean so much more. Mackenzie Knox is the 2018-2019 Executive Officer for the Marching Virginians, or the XO. The position of executive officer encompasses a wide variety of official roles including appointing officers and coordinating officers responsibilities, presiding over officer meetings, serving as a liaison between the director and the band, and serving as the official representative of the Marching Virginians.
To me, the executive officer is a catch-all role. The way I have come to interpret the role is it is the glue that helps bring together all the great aspects of the band (the leadership, the directors, the band members) and makes them cohesive.
It is difficult to define exact jobs that the XO is responsible for as it changes on a day to day basis depending on where we are in the season and what we have going on. That generally comes in the form of checking in with Dr. Polly and Chad as well as student leadership to confirm they have the support they need.
-Mackenzie Knox, Executive Officer
Mackenzie serves as just one of 70 student leaders that work to make the Marching Virginians the best they can be. After assuming her role as Executive Officer, Mackenzie Knox learned that making an organization of this size runs smoothly takes more behind-the-scenes work than one could imagine.
I am continually amazed and impressed by the work and dedication of the MV’s not only towards this organization as a whole, but towards their fellow members as well. We would be lost without our student leadership team.
While being the Executive Officer of such a large organization is undoubtedly a lot of work, it is also extremely rewarding. Like all MV’s, Mackenzie loves the band. She cites personal growth, great friends, and fond memories as just a few of the things that the band has given her, and she is honored to be able to give back to the band and create a similar experience for future MV’s. Mackenzie does amazing work for this band, but she knows she cannot do it alone. She is very thankful to everyone that plays a role in her success and the success of the Marching Virginians as a whole.
The MV’s are my happy place. Coming to band every day and serving you all has really made me the happiest person I have been in a long time, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to those that have helped me to serve the MV’s as XO, to those that believed in me and believed in what I could bring to this organization. Thank you to Dr. Polly and Chad for allowing me to help you all make this organization successful. Finally, thank you to the officer team and the rest of the leadership team. Your work is not overlooked, and I am so proud to have the privilege of serving along side all of you this season and the last 4 four years.
Executive Officer Mackenzie Knox addressing the MV’s during Band Camp; Source: Alana Hassett