Online Elections now open for US Sailing Board

by Sail-World on 4 Sep 2008
US SAILING, national governing body of the sport, has opened the online election period for its annual election of Board of Directors. This year, US SAILING members will vote for three open seats on the Board. The 2008 election is the third time in the organization's 111-year history that the membership has elected Board members and played a direct role in selecting the sport's leadership in the United States.

Online ballots, as well as bios and position statements for each candidate, are available on the US SAILING election website at www.ussailing.org/BOD/election. Members have until Wednesday, October 8 (midnight Eastern) to vote online for their chosen candidates.

Members of the Board of Directors play a critical role in guiding US SAILING policy, programs, strategic planning, and overall fiscal responsibility. All Board nominees are running for a three-year term. US SAILING members can vote for two of the following nominees:

Paul Callahan
Susan Daley
John Dane III
Amy Gross-Kehoe (incumbent)
Dawn Riley

In addition, incumbent Bill Stump is running unopposed.

Members can also vote via faxed- or mailed-in ballots; more information on manual ballots can be found on the US SAILING election website at www.ussailing.org/BOD/election. The final opportunity for members to vote is in person at the US SAILING Annual Meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Sunday, October 19 (registration and additional information about the Annual Meeting can be found at www.ussailing.org/events/Meet08fall/index.asp).

Board of Directors election results will be announced after votes are tallied, at the Annual Meeting on October 19.

In October 2005, US SAILING amended its Bylaws to restructure the organization and dramatically downsize the Board of Directors, from 49 to 15 members, making the Board more nimble and efficient. The inaugural Board of Directors election was held in November 2006.

In addition to the nominees for the Board, Jim Capron (Annapolis, Md.) has been nominated to serve as President for a third one-year term and is running unopposed. Capron has been President of the organization for two years. Unlike the Board of Directors candidates who are elected by the membership of US SAILING, the position of President is elected by the Board of Directors. When the newly elected Board meets at the Annual Meeting on October 19, they will elect the President.

Any questions about the upcoming elections can be sent to the Nominating and Governance Committee at electionquestions@ussailing.org.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.