USA Fencing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a vote of eligible USA Fencing members, Maria Panyi and Andrey Geva have been elected to the USA Fencing Board of Directors as at-large directors. Their four-year terms begin on Sept. 1, 2024.

Andrey Geva, a former U.S. National Coach and founder of Alliance Fencing Academy in Houston, has been pivotal in promoting fencing at all levels. He coached the U.S. Women’s Epee Team at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. In his campaign materials, Geva says he wants to keep USA Fencing’s focus on fencing and support the community's diverse needs.

“My entire family is involved in fencing,” Geva says. “All four of my children are fencers, and my wife is an accountant at Alliance Fencing. I would like to share my knowledge, expertise and successful fencing experience with the USA Fencing organization.”

Maria Panyi, a former Hungarian national team member who competed collegiately at Notre Dame, has a strong background in economics and computer science. She has held executive leadership roles and served on multiple boards and committees, and is also a fencing parent and referee. In her candidacy, Panyi promised to help improve USA Fencing’s financial management, succession planning, and support for parafencing and Veteran fencing.

“Let’s fix the ‘bottom line,’” Panyi says, “and use the money to support our clubs, teams and referees. Help parents realize a higher ROI!”

Geva and Panyi will replace David Arias and Peter Burchard on the board at the conclusion of each member’s term. Arias and Burchard did not run for re-election.

Phil Andrews, USA Fencing CEO, says he looks forward to working with the new Board members.

“Congratulations to Maria Panyi and Andrey Geva on their election to the Board of Directors,” he says. “I look forward to collaborating with them as two of our 12 voting Board members. We are grateful to all members who participated in the election and to David Arias and Peter Burchard for their service.”

Here’s how we got here: The election process began on Jan. 2, 2024, when the nomination window opened. This window closed on Jan. 12, 2024, and the list of candidates was announced on Feb. 15, 2024. Following the petition deadline of March 29, 2024, the general election opened on May 13, 2024. After two weeks of voting, the general election closed on May 27, 2024.

To determine the winners of the two open seats, voting was conducted using a preferential voting system, as required by the USA Fencing Bylaws. Members were asked to rank the candidates in order of preference, with "1" being the highest ranking. Points were assigned based on ranking, with 7 points for a ranking of 1, 6 points for a ranking of 2, and so on.

Maria Panyi and Andrey Geva were elected with the highest total points. Here is a breakdown of the rankings and points:

2,334 votes cast of 12,092 eligible voters (19.3% turnout)

173 votes cast of 299 eligible voters (57.86% turnout)

RC Chair: Tasha Martin elected

• Tasha Martin: 144 votes (100%)

• Abstain: 22 votes

Domestic Development — Grassroots: Charles Astudillo elected

• Charles Astudillo: 87 votes (54%)

• Lindsay Stapleton: 74 votes (46%)

• Abstain: 9 votes

Domestic Development — National: Jelena Zeljkovic elected

• Jelena Zeljkovic: 134 votes (84%)

• Andrew Foster: 26 votes (16%)

• Abstain: 12 votes

Referee Ombuds: Bobby Gibbs elected

• Bobby Gibbs: 101 votes (69%)

• Cara Taggersell: 45 votes (31%)

• Abstain: 24 votes

Once again, congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all members who participated in the election.

Voting results for the Class of 2025 are combined with objective scoring criteria, and those results will be announced once available.