skip navigation

Call for Nominations

Nomination deadline: 5 p.m. MT on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Please submit your self-nomination or suggest potential candidates to nominations@usafencing.org.

The USA Fencing Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for three At-Large Directors on the Board of Directors.

Two At-Large Directors to Be Elected

  • Two At-Large Director positions are up for election.

  • These seats are currently held by David Arias and Peter Burchard.

  • The two successful candidates will serve two-year terms that will begin Sept. 1, 2024 and conclude on Aug. 31, 2026.

One At-Large Director to Be Appointed

  • One At-Large Director position was recently vacated as a result of the resignation of Ivan Lee.

  • As required by the USA Fencing Bylaws (Section 7.6: Vacancies on the Board of Directors), this vacancy must be filled through Board appointment. The Board has asked the Nominating Committee to solicit and review candidates.

  • As outlined in the Bylaws, the appointed individual will complete the balance of the original three-year term, which began Sept. 1, 2023, and will conclude on Aug. 31, 2026. 

  • It is anticipated the appointment will be made at the USA Fencing Board meeting scheduled for Feb. 17, 2024.

Process and Timeline

As per our Bylaws, the Nominating Committee is tasked with identifying and soliciting candidates for the USA Fencing Board of Directors. For each elected role, at least one qualified individual will be nominated for election by our general membership. 

Note: All nominees’ names go into the same pool for both the elected and appointed roles. In other words, there’s no need to apply twice or indicate whether the nominee is for the elected seats or the appointed seat. All nominees will be considered for all available roles.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. MT on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Please submit your self-nomination or suggest potential candidates to nominations@usafencing.org.

What Makes a Qualified Nominee?

All nominations are welcome and will be considered. USA Fencing especially values diversity in both experience and background. 

Graduates of USA Fencing’s Leadership Academy are particularly encouraged to apply.

The USA Fencing Nominating Committee will be particularly seeking individuals who have prior board experience (inside or outside of the sport), or have held senior leadership positions in complex organizations, preferably at the Board level. 

The ideal individual, as identified by a July 2023 analysis commissioned by the Board, is someone with expertise in growth, service, finance, education, fundraising, strategic planning, or another knowledge gap of the USA Fencing Board. They also have an ability to collaborate and work well with fellow board members, to serve the membership, to support the USA Fencing strategic plan (available here), to support and lead the CEO, to lead and inspire USA Fencing to move forward in a positive strategic direction, and to understand the difference between governance and operations. 

The Nominating Committee will also be looking at the diversity of our board, both in terms of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging considerations as well as diversity of experience and thought.

As three of the five individuals who may be selected by the Board as Chair of USA Fencing, experience as a Board Chair or in leadership positions is also sought. The Nominating Committee also recognizes that there are currently few saberists on the Board.

Your participation could be a game-changer — not just for you, but for the entire fencing community. This is more than a position; it's a chance to help lead our sport at a critical moment for our growth and development. Thanks in advance to those who step up and serve — but make no mistake, Board work is demanding, and we need a dedicated, service-led, set of volunteer leaders.