USA Fencing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The USA Fencing Nominating Committee has selected nine members of the USA Fencing community to advance to the 2023 USA Fencing Board of Directors Election.

These candidates — plus any who successfully petition to be on the ballot (more on that in a bit) — will run for the three open at-large spots on USA Fencing’s Board when the election is held in May.

All USA Fencing members who are 18 or older, in good standing and have voting rights* as of Feb. 1, 2023, will be eligible to cast their vote for these at-large directors in the 2023 USA Fencing Election. 

Members will get a chance to meet these candidates and hear their platforms before the election window opens. For now, we’re pleased to share the names of those who applied to and were selected by the Nominating Committee.

• Donald Alperstein (Denver, Colo.)

• Mike Joo (New York, N.Y.)

• Selina Kaing (Cupertino, Calif.)

• Nancy Kirkpatrick (Vandalia, Ohio)

• Ivan Lee OLY (Cambria Heights, N.Y.)

• Damien Lehfeldt (Alexandria, Va.)

• Ann Marsh-Senic OLY (Royal Oak, Mich.)

• Joanne Pasternack (San Jose, Calif.)

• Richard Weiss (Fairfax, Va.)

*Includes Life, Competitive, Collegiate Competitive, Supporting, Access, Olympian Life, Paralympian Life, Life Installment, Coach

Note: Because Donald Alperstein served as Board liaison to the Election Committee, he has, at his own suggestion and in line with appropriate practice, opted to recuse himself from all Election Committee work until the electoral process has been completed.

On Dec. 1, we issued a call for nominations, giving members until Dec. 21 to announce their desire to be considered for a position on our Board.

After that window closed, all applications were shared with the Nominating Committee, a group that includes: 

• Kat Holmes OLY, Chair (athlete representative selected by the Athlete Council) 

• Jackie Dubrovich OLY (athlete representative selected by the Athlete Council)

• Terrence Lasker (elite coach)

• Sam Cheris (past president of USA Fencing)

• Molly Hill (national tournament official) 

They were supported by Phil Andrews (CEO, USA Fencing) as a non-voting, ex-officio member and Christina Pachuta (Athlete Safety & Compliance Manager, USA Fencing).

The Nominating Committee received 30 applications from the field and selected nine individuals to advance to the ballot based on objective scoring against the criteria set by the USA Fencing Board of Directors, including factors like experience in senior business leadership; education; financial services; marketing; diversity, equity and inclusion; fundraising; and innovation. 

Consideration also was given to candidates’ past involvement with USA Fencing, the FIE (International Fencing Federation), the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, as well as participation in USA Fencing’s Leadership Academy. 

Knowing that one at-large member will be selected to lead the Board as Chair, the Nominating Committee also gave special consideration to each individual’s ability to serve in that role should they be selected.

While no group of nine individuals can fully represent a population as diverse as USA Fencing’s membership, we’re proud to share that the nine nominees selected by the Committee include four women as well as four individuals from BIPOC and/or AAPI communities.   

No, this is not necessarily the final ballot of candidates who will be presented to USA Fencing members when voting opens in May 2023. 

Eligible members of USA Fencing may also petition for a spot on the final ballot.

Per Article IX, Section 9.3.b of the USA Fencing Bylaws, additional candidates may be included on the final ballot if they, among other requirements, receive signatures from at least 50 voting-eligible USA Fencing members representing at least 10 separate clubs. 

Those petitions must be received — by mail, not electronically — no later than 5 p.m. Mountain Time on March 31, 2023.

We’ll share the formal process for petitioning soon, including the official form for collecting signatures, so those interested in petitioning onto the ballot should return to this page for additional info.

In April, after these signatures are received and verified, we’ll announce the full final list of candidates for May’s election.

In addition to the petitioning process outlined above, the election now moves from the Nominating Committee to the Election Committee, which will be establishing the schedule for the election this spring; the rules for campaigning; and the method of balloting. 

Details will be communicated via email and posted on our 2023 Election page as soon as they become available.