Two At-Large Seats, One Elite Athlete Up for Election
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Dec. 9, 2020)—Voting is now open for the 2021-23 USA Ultimate Board of Directors election. All current and eligible USA Ultimate members are encouraged to learn more about the candidates and vote.
There are three board seats up for election this year – At-Large (2) and Elite Athlete (1).
All current USA Ultimate members in good standing are eligible to vote in the At-Large election.
Only elite athletes, as defined by Section 5.6(b) of USA Ultimate’s bylaws, are eligible to vote in the elite-athlete election.
Voting is easy!
1. Log into your member account.
2. Click on the “Voting” icon.
3. Choose the election in which you wish to vote (only elite athletes will be presented with that option).
4. Follow the voting instructions.
Polls close Wednesday, December 23.
Meet the Candidates
As part of their campaigns, and to help voting members effectively compare candidates, each person running for the board of directors was asked to submit information regarding their candidacy using the questions outlined below.
Read below to meet and learn more about the candidates.
At-Large Candidates
Elite-Athlete Candidates
At-Large Candidate Responses
DeAnna Ball
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
In my professional life, I am an educator. While I have taught in a community college classroom, the majority of my career has been as a developer of educational curriculum, specifically in the high school science space. I think there is no greater thing that we can do than to teach kids to ask questions, seek answers and to be problem-solvers. And I believe that education permeates into everything we do – and that includes advancing the sport of ultimate.
In my ultimate life, I have been in and around the sport for almost 30 years. I have played the sport (~20 years), I have volunteered for the sport (regional coordinator, national women’s director, Board of Directors 2014-2019) and I have coached (Ohio State Fever, 2016 U-20 Women’s National Team assistant, 2018 U-24 Women’s National Team assistant, 2018 U-20 Women’s National Team coach, 2020 U-20 Women’s National Team coach). My experiences in these most recent coaching spaces is where I feel the most relevance with where our sport is and how we can move ultimate forward.
In the year since I’ve stepped off the board, we’ve been battling COVID-19, weathering the storm of a presidential election and shining light on centuries of social (in)justice in the U.S. Stepping away from the board has provided me an opportunity to see things going on in our country (and the world) and make connections to how USA Ultimate can/should move forward. USA Ultimate has a lot of work to do in the realm of EDI. I do believe that my previous experience on the board is of great value, but that value is amplified when combined with a refreshed lens about what is truly important as the organization moves forward.
Provide a brief description about what you would uniquely bring to USA Ultimate to support and accomplish the goals outlined in USA Ultimate’s current strategic plan.
I believe we have an opportunity as an emerging sport in the world of NGBs to DO IT BETTER. We can continue to do the sports things that NGBs do, but we can do it in ways that do not follow the same patterns that mainstream sports have followed. Admittedly that is hard to do within the confines of good governance and keeping an organization afloat in the midst of a pandemic. But the time is now. The time is now to evaluate where we want to push – sometimes to extreme – to be an example of putting EDI in front of everything that we do. Our strategic plan does set that stage, and it is on us – the staff, the board and the larger community – to navigate a path that isn’t about checkboxes and keeping on target with “how things are done.” We need to take this opportunity that a pandemic pause has given us to redefine where we are putting efforts to not just stay afloat, but to fully prioritize diversity and inclusion with our energy and our voices.
While we need to continue highlighting current USA Ultimate members that represent the LGBTQ and BIPOC populations, it is not enough to rely on those members to do the lifting. The organization needs to make a strong effort to learn, to educate its members in all areas of EDI, and to take a stand that allows us to be a leader in EDI among sports organizations. I have been watching what the PUL and the WUL (and the AUDL) have been doing (or not doing). I have seen leaders in our ultimate community step away from ultimate and step firmly into the social justice arena. I have witnessed what the WNBA has been able to accomplish during a pandemic to make themselves heard while the media has attributed the action to their male counterparts. There is a lot to learn, but there is work being done that we can all learn from.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
It is an important time to ensure that the vision for our organization and our sport involves continued EDI growth (UNDERSTATEMENT), input of its members, education on good governance and support of the athletes and members. I spent two terms on the board listening to many voices and learning about the relationship of our organization with its members. The first thing I confirmed is that our community is a passionate one, especially as it relates to social justice and equity. It is a necessary piece in an organization whose membership is largely white male athletes.
I pay attention. I recognize that our organization has a long-term task of learning and educating in front of us. I see the efforts that are afoot in the community that go well beyond what happens on an ultimate field. I share in that passion.
I don’t have all of the answers to the complexities of growing a sport with EDI as its main pillar – but I am passionate about working to find the answers. I want to learn, and then to educate. We are in a position to be a leader among sports in how we address EDI first, combined with continued growth and visibility. It is a journey that will require taking a challenging path, and then evaluating every step of the way that we are meeting that challenge appropriately. Help me do the work that positions ultimate as a sports leader in EDI, making it a sport that we can all be proud of.
Back to candidates
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Matt Bishop
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
I have enjoyed playing the sport of ultimate for over two decades, and as I became established in my adult life and career, I put in the work to help the ultimate community with topics they struggled with. Over the past 15 years, I have been managing small businesses where I have developed significant experience on what it takes to run an organization — personnel management, financial planning, contracting, legal structures and so on. In Jacksonville, Fla., where I have lived for most of my life, there was a burgeoning ultimate organization that needed more diverse leadership, better financial management and an overall strategy for the years ahead.
Getting involved almost 10 years ago as a player there, I saw the above challenges for Jacksonville Ultimate League. Three years ago, I applied what I learned in the small business world as the newly-elected president of the league — establishing an active board, bylaws, sensible accounting, gender and socioeconomic diversity programs, and more for a group that wanted to go beyond a single leader and explore new opportunities. I also participated as an owner and sponsor of an AUDL franchise for several years and really got to see the needs and challenges of taking ultimate into new areas, both geographically and culturally, as well as a larger fanbase. Furthermore, I have worked with several non-profit organizations and served as a board member. I am a pragmatic people leader with strong business management fundamentals that drive my decision-making.
Provide a brief description about what you would uniquely bring to USA Ultimate to support and accomplish the goals outlined in USA Ultimate’s current strategic plan.
USA Ultimate is a professional and well-established organization that I will be happy to work within compared to the often-difficult bootstrapping activities of my past. What this means for me is that I hope I can make an impact in deepening the organization’s involvement in various activities, such as community engagement or new markets. I feel that my people management and engagement skills, seen most often with client consulting projects I often handled, will be available in service to USA Ultimate and its staff. New or existing endeavors or projects can be handed off to me to see through with regular feedback and transparency as I make progress. I believe I can apply my program development skills by reaching out and engaging impactful individuals around the country who can further promote our beloved sport.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
I believe that I am known as someone who isn’t afraid to push for collaboration and challenge the status quo. I consider myself a humble servant leader who shows results through actions. When I am seen, I am known as a fun player who takes my contributions seriously. I will apply my experience for the benefit of our players.
My commitment to the members is that I will do my best to represent their interests, most importantly by understanding what they need at the local level. We are a large and diverse community, and that requires different approaches at times to help affiliates, college teams, tournaments and more. I will listen, learn from our membership and attempt to apply improvements and overall change to USA Ultimate.
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Isaiah “Izzy” Bryant
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
I began playing ultimate in 2004. Since then, I have organized and participated at almost every level. On the local level, I have organized youth leagues and clinics, and served as tournament director and league commissioner. I have volunteered with local community organizations and schools, and worked with our local USAU affiliate, DiscNY. On the national level, I have played at the club national and worlds tournaments, and served as a Mixed Club Rep in 2018-2019. I have also played, captained and coached teams in the AUDL and PUL. I believe these experiences have given me well-rounded perspective to advancing the sport of ultimate.
Currently, my professional work is Director of Sales, Marketing & Promotions at a media network. Over the past 12 years, I have designed marketing proposals, created media campaigns and presented to potential brands. In the community, we often talk about the financial barriers for playing our sport at the highest competition levels and on a local level. Utilizing my contacts and experience, I would work with USA Ultimate on innovative ways to build partnerships and opportunities that can help provide a financial benefit.
Provide a brief description about what you would uniquely bring to USA Ultimate to support and accomplish the goals outlined in USA Ultimate’s current strategic plan.
As part of the Board of Directors, I will add my experience and expertise to the growth of USA Ultimate. My desire to want a more diverse ultimate community is backed up by my commitment working with local organizations, such as Harlem Boys & Girls Club, New York City Parks and the numerous community fairs and clinics. As a person of color, I believe it is essential that I make myself visible in those communities. An area that I feel very passionately about that aligns with USA Ultimate’s strategic plan is developing a plan to build off these one-time clinics into something more sustainable (read: how to we keep in contact with these attendees).
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
I am interested in helping to shape the direction of USA Ultimate. The sport of ultimate has given me so many lifelong friendships, moments of growth and numerous opportunities to express my passions. I feel a sense of responsibility to help shape the future of our sport and work with organizations I support.
I have a profound appreciation for those who have put in their time and energy to the sport of ultimate. I believe USA Ultimate has taken meaningful steps towards achieving their strategic goals, and the next steps as we return to play will be important. I am running for the Board of Directors to add my unique experience and voice to those decisions. Thank you for your consideration.
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Paul Sandoval
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
I am a professional project manager with over 11 years of experience in data management, retail expansions and staffing industries. I have worked at both enterprise and startup level companies. This experience has provided me an understanding of how to leverage small teams, build processes that can scale, develop clear lines of communication and un-stick stalled programs.
Outside of my professional career, I have been a USAU member for 17 years, captained mixed teams for six years and have been the Pacific Northwest’s Open Sectionals Coordinator and Tournament Director since 2018. I can balance ultimate culture and professional acumen.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
As a USAU Board member I will bring an analytical mindset to accomplishing the goals outlined in USAU’s strategic plan. My natural ability to identify, investigate and diagnose patterns results in valuable insights that are logical and well thought out. I will leverage critical thinking and objectivity to promote growth and inclusion.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
Ultimate holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I learned what teamwork means, it’s where I learned what community means and it’s where I learned about spirit. It has had a significant influence on the person I am today. This is an opportunity for me to share the skills I’ve developed outside of ultimate, help facilitate its future and give back to something that makes such a positive impact on our lives.
USAU faces challenges in 2021 unique to its legacy; the economy is in flux and the future of the sport is in peril. Now more than ever we need to unite in our objectives to maintain both the infrastructure of the sport and the Spirit of the Game. I love a good challenge, great or small, and I believe with the right people and energy we can achieve any goal. Vote for me, and I’ll use my powers of strategic planning and long-term focus to empower USAU’s execution of each step of our plans with determination and precision.
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Henry Thorne
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
The phrasing of this question is exactly why I am running for this Board seat. The question omits the crucial and second half of the mission statement in much the same way that USAU’s focus has shifted away from a player-centric approach to the sport and the aspects of the sport that make it unique and beloved.
The rest of the statement is “by enhancing and promoting community, character and competition.” This is ultimate’s secret sauce. The Spirit of the Game and how adherence to that simple ethos has shaped character and community is something we need to ensure remains central to how we grow the sport, not a nice-to-have that is increasingly being pushed to the fringes.
I love the USAU mission statement, and in fact, helped create it in 2008. Our intent was very clear: USAU will work with you, communities and players, to advance the sport by supporting growth and involvement within your ultimate community; USAU will foster leadership and character development by creating competition that empowers and transforms through amplification of SOTG.
I still believe in this, 100%. The “three C’s” take “advancing the sport” far beyond external means, like participation in the Olympic program. While I wholly support that kind of lofty goal, to me, it will always be second to growth at the personal and community level. The current CEO, in my opinion, views the Olympic program as the most valuable growth driver. I believe the Board must work to reclaim balance.
Professionally I’m a serial entrepreneur, having founded a couple of significant companies, Aethon and 4moms. These skill sets enable me to create something out of nothing and help make it intensely wonderful. I know how to look at competing needs and find ways to strengthen and integrate them all.
Provide a brief description about what you would uniquely bring to USA Ultimate to support and accomplish the goals outlined in USA Ultimate’s current strategic plan.
The USAU bylaws lay out very clearly that the board’s job is to oversee the CEO, create policy and provide strategic direction which the CEO and his staff then execute. The board is specifically not meant to meddle in the execution of the strategic plans. Even throwing out an idea, of which I have many, can be interpreted by the staff as having some authority and requiring attention to keep the CEO in good standing with their board. Thus, I would be very careful to respect the professional skills of the staff in their ability to execute on the strategies and tactics in the Strategic Plan and I would not meddle in it.
In terms of my ability to execute the current USAU Strategic Plan, I led the Strategic Planning committee that created it, and I take pride in being the kind of inclusive and facilitative leader who knows how to co-create a multifaceted roadmap like the one we have, and then get it done.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
The power structure at USAU is currently upside down. As defined in the bylaws, you the ultimate community and its athletes are meant to be at the top of the hierarchy. The board is meant to represent your interests and create policy accordingly which the CEO then executes. The CEO and his team are meant to draft the strategic plan, the board then has final say on it, and then the CEO and his team execute it.
With governance so out of whack, the community did not get “Gender Equity” as the number one goal of the 2018 Strategic Plan even though it was crystal clear from all of the data gathered in community meetings across the country, and then publicly shared, that this was your top priority. It was placed instead, at the top of a newly created non-actionable category called “Guiding Principles” as shown here on the USAU website. Additionally, a policy relating to the AUDL that was widely discussed in those large public meetings and had near unanimous support from you was, as many of you may have noticed, never realized. This is the opposite of how USAU is meant to operate. The community and its athletes, just like on the field, should be empowered to have control over the direction of the sport off the field. Currently they are not.
The ship needs to be righted and it’s a very difficult job. This coming year presents a unique opportunity because the six-year contract of the CEO expires at the end of it (see USAU press release from 1-28-2016). While there may be a viable path where USAU and Dr. Crawford continue their partnership, this is a time when the board can make some very serious demands on how the structure of the organization will need to change to correct the hierarchy to conform more accurately to the structure outlined in the bylaws where the players own the sport.
My 20 years of experience on the USAU board and 43 years in the ultimate community will enable me to help get this job done. I’ve run the hiring process for the last three CEO’s and negotiated their contracts multiple times; I understand what is needed from leadership right now. This is a moment in time for the Board in which wisdom and experience, not just passion and knowledge, will be paramount. It is also a terrible moment in time to add a white male to the board. My solution to that is to offer to resign once the above-described job is done, which should take a year. The board then has the power to appoint a replacement.
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Ernest Toney
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
Professional experience (ultimate/sport):
- Twenty (20) years of experience in ultimate, which includes roles as a player (league, college, club, masters), volunteer and organizer.
- Five years as USA Ultimate’s Manager – Competition & Athlete Programs (2014-2018) for the club and masters divisions, during an era that was highly focused on mainstream visibility for the sport, gender equity, the Triple Crown Tour, creation of the Beach Championships, and restructuring and expansion of the Masters Series and Championships.
- U.S. National Team Manager for the 2016 World Ultimate and Guts Championships, a delegation of ~150 representatives (athletes, coaches, medical team, and support staff) that swept golds and went undefeated. Did lots of behind-the-scenes stuff to facilitate and support our successes, including restructuring the qualification processes (e.g. tryout-based), coach selection, organizing tryout camps and managing player/team eligibility, logistics and communications in London.
- Sales consultant for a Major League Baseball franchise (2010); used inside sales, marketing and business development to increase revenue through full, partial, group and sponsored ticket sales.
- Degrees in kinesiology (B.S.) and sport management (M.S.)
Expertise/Skill Sets:
- I understand how USA Ultimate works operationally, after spending half a decade as one of the few full-time staff. This perspective will be valuable as a board member, who will understand the challenges that paid staff and volunteers (including National Directors, Regional and Sectional Coordinators) have to manage with limited time and resources, while working to achieve strategic goals.
- I have strong relationships with club and masters players (at all levels), national volunteers and organizers, USAU staff and board members.
- Business acumen includes global marketing (digital, event, strategic) and business development (partnerships, collaborations, new revenue streams) in niche communities and emerging markets.
- Strong relationships with national nonprofits, policymakers, corporate social responsibility directors and business executives who can potentially support USAU’s DEI goals.
Provide a brief description about what you would uniquely bring to USA Ultimate to support and accomplish the goals outlined in USA Ultimate’s current strategic plan.
You’ve all heard the quote, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Well, my two-year hiatus from working at USAU gave me time to reflect and realize how much I miss working to support its mission and the ultimate community…but on a volunteer basis this time. 😉
My experience as the former manager for the club and masters divisions uniquely position me to support USAU at the board level. My experience as a black man who grew up in low-income housing, in a high-poverty community with major barriers for minorities to access education, economic growth and recreation (sport), brings perspective that is also unique. And the work I’m currently doing (below) has the potential to expand ultimate’s presence and attract new audiences, supporters and strategic partners. These perspectives align well with elements of goals 1-4 of the current strategic plan.
For the past two years, I have been doing marketing and business development in the emerging legal cannabis industry. I started with the industry’s media and events leader, and helped expand their global readership and physical event presence in three continents. That work included organizing programs and events to make their products and offerings more accessible to global audiences and visible minorities in the United States. In 2019, I was on a small marketing team that developed campaigns to drive 33,000 delegates from 80 countries to the industry’s largest and most visible event. I contributed to that success, getting buy-in from nearly 40 diverse nonprofits to participate by having dedicated spaces for them to promote their platforms (that strategy was mutually beneficial and resulted in $935k in new revenue and several new external partners through 2020).
Earlier this year, I started a business that tackles social equity by working to make the industry more accessible for visible minorities. I’m working with BIPOC (Black & Indigenous People of Color) community leaders, HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) networks and social equity changemakers, and I see opportunities to connect new communities and demographics across the U.S. to the sport of ultimate.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
I have a holistic understand of how USAU works to achieve its goals and I have experience making difficult decisions (that aren’t always popular or liked) to advance the sport. I have played major roles in developing policies that supported growth and accessibility for club and masters participants. I have worked with national volunteers in every section and region of the country, managed hundreds of events, led competition working groups and (prior to the COVID pandemic) participated as a player or organizer every year since 2000.
I look forward to continuing to representing USAU Ultimate and ask that you consider voting for me as your next representative to the Board of Directors.
Elite Athlete Candidate Responses
Robyn Fennig
Describe your professional experience, expertise and/or skill set(s) and how they relate to and add value to supporting USA Ultimate’s mission of advancing the sport of ultimate in the United States.
In my non-ultimate life, I am a disaster response, recovery and mitigation professional for the State of Wisconsin. Under normal circumstances, I manage several federal grant programs at the state level that work with communities, tribes and some non-profit organizations to implement projects and complete planning processes in order to identify risk to natural hazards, take steps to reduce long-term impacts of those hazards, improve resilience and lessen the time it takes to respond and recover from natural disasters. Anything from community tornado safe rooms to protect residents in manufactured housing, to protecting drinking water infrastructure from being undermined along the Great Lakes, to helping residents navigate individual recovery programs.
I also serve as a 24/7 on-call duty officer in our operations section of our State Emergency Operations Center that can help deploy state assets when local governments need assistance — air assets to help with search and rescue, hazardous materials teams to help clean up spills, swift water rescue teams when residents are stranded in fast-moving floodwaters. I have coordinated Wisconsin’s interstate mutual aid program (flood recovery and response, sending assets to help with firefighting out west, sending public works to help with snow removal in DC). I have a lot of interest and experience in the FEMA Public Assistance Program and Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs, and in helping communities think strategically about the intersection of capital improvement planning and resilience.
These experiences help translate to Board Service by:
- Risk-informed decision making. These skills help me see risk in just about every decision we make, understand how to mitigate risk, ask hard questions and navigate difficult conversations. Having this skillset was pretty helpful for me in my role as president through COVID.
- Strategic thinking. I spend a great deal of time with communities and tribal organizations in their strategic discussions. What are the problems they are facing? How can we creatively access federal funding in a way that supports your community’s goals and visions? Have you engaged all aspects of your community in the public input process? Was the process accessible and equitable? Is it possible to meet matching requirements in a flexible way that doesn’t just incorporate “cash match” options?
- Cost-Benefit Analysis. All hazard mitigation projects across all FEMA grant projects require we show that benefits outweigh costs. I’m my agency’s go-to expert for the difficult projects. I try to incorporate non-traditional benefits, whenever possible, and actively advocate for changes to policy.
- Financial management and reporting. I manage millions of dollars in grant funding across multiple programs. This means I understand contracting and procurement policies, can interpret federal/state/local regulations and can help communities meet reporting requirements from application development to grant implementation and closeout.
Provide a brief description about what you would uniquely bring to USA Ultimate to support and accomplish the goals outlined in USA Ultimate’s current strategic plan.
I have been a volunteer and organizer at every level of the sport (except masters) and major program area (outreach and competition). I have competed and/or coached in every single competitive division that USAU offers. This means I have an intimate knowledge and experience of nearly every USAU program area, staff and volunteer structure, which is immensely helpful when it comes to strategic conversations the Board has during our meetings. Additionally, I am a professionally-trained planner (I have a MS in Urban and Regional Planning, with an emphasis on land use planning/law and environmental planning), which means I truly value the process of planning, not just the plan at the end. In my job, I work with a variety of stakeholders, community sizes/make-ups and organizations. These two things are helpful when it comes to strategic planning for an organization like USAU.
I have a lot of interest in Goal 1 of our strategic plan, and see that we have a long way to go at increasing access to and participation in the sport. In our next strategic plan, I’d like to see more engagement with local disc organizations, especially ones that are not currently affiliated with USA Ultimate (I happen to be active in one of those), and see how we can support more local efforts, as opposed to expecting them to come from the top-down. Specifically, what are some of the benefits that USA Ultimate can offer to these organizations beyond event sanctioning and insurance? Those are things we need to explore in greater depths to increase access locally to playing opportunities.
Describe how your experiences as an elite athlete would make you an effective and appealing board member.
I’m an elite athlete who still competes at the local and recreational level, not just at the highest levels of our sport. I can speak to the perspective of what it’s like to play in or run a summer league, understand the challenges of getting people to local indoor pickup and know what it means to compete internationally while representing the U.S. At my core, I’m still someone who attends pick-up and local leagues, but also who happens to compete internationally.
Provide a brief statement outlining why you feel you are a strong candidate to serve on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors and/or why eligible USA Ultimate members should vote for you.
I can’t speak to whether I’m the best person to be at the table, but I can speak about how much I have grown from my experience as a Board member in the past term. I hope that I can continue to be challenged and evolve as a person and representative of our membership on this Board. Part of that is being able to say that I may not be the most knowledgeable, admit when I may have a knowledge gap or have made a mistake, and highlight when I do have an experience or piece of knowledge that is helpful or relevant to a conversation. I am committed to doing my best and will continue to do that if selected to continue to serve our membership to the best of my ability.
