USA Fencing Election 2026: Ballot Finalized With Seven Candidates for Two At-Large Board Seats

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The field is set for the 2026 USA Fencing Board of Directors election.

Following the close of the petition window on March 31, the National Office authenticated one petition and the Election Committee confirmed that the petitioner meets the qualifications outlined in the USA Fencing Bylaws. With one candidate added via petition, seven individuals will compete for two At-Large Director seats.

The full ballot, listed alphabetically by surname:

• Bruno Cheron (North Texas)
• Greg Husisian (Virginia)
• Nona Lim (Northern California)
• Jason Liu (North Texas)†
• Caterina Rovati (Central Florida)
• Abdel Salem OLY–EGY (Colorado)*
• Heather Shankwiler (Georgia)

*Incumbent. †Added by petition.

As a reminder, the Board of Directors appointed Jeremy Sirota as an At-Large Director at its February meeting, with his term beginning Sept. 1, 2026. 

Additionally, Tim Ringel (Metropolitan NYC) and Damien Lehfeldt (Virginia), who were among the Nominating Committee's initial slate of candidates, withdrew their names from consideration.

Each candidate will have the opportunity to prepare a one-page bio sheet and record a one-minute candidate video.

These materials will be posted on the USA Fencing Election 2026 page ahead of voting so that members can make an informed decision.

As part of the election process, all candidates submitted conflict-of-interest disclosures, which were reviewed by the USA Fencing Ethics Committee for accuracy, completeness and relevance. The Committee's report identified candidates with conflicts rated Level 3 (notification of a potential conflict, with a recommendation of no action), Level 5 (recommendation of recusal from specific matters) and Level 6 (conflicts so serious that the individual is deemed unable to carry out their duties, therefore recommended for removal).

The conflict levels are as follows:

• Level 6: Jason Liu
• Level 5: Abdel Salem OLY-EGY
• Level 3: Greg Husisian, Caterina Rovati 
• No Conflicts: Bruno Cheron, Nona Lim, Heather Shankwiler

Members are encouraged to review the full Ethics Committee Conflict of Interest Review, which is also available on the Election 2026 page, before casting their votes.

Voting will take place May 13–31, 2026, and eligible voters will receive a voting link via email. 

All individual members who have attained their 18th birthday, are in good standing as of 60 days preceding the date on which voting opens and remain in good standing on the date balloting opens are eligible to vote. Under the USA Fencing Bylaws, voting is conducted through ranked preferential voting, meaning voters will rank the candidates in order of preference.

The two candidates receiving the greatest preference will be elected to serve four-year terms beginning Sept. 1, 2026.

For more information about the election, visit usafencing.org/election2026.