I approve entire slate.
What is the current status of annual membership requirements? My wife Marty and
I used to participate in the over-the-board tournament, but have been inactive
for sometime now. I would like to change that going forward.
Most cordially,
Larry W. Honaker
Kc8pdx@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:Kc8pdx@xxxxxxxxxxx>
From: usbca_chess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <usbca_chess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of JT
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2020 10:57 AM
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aron.shmuel5752@xxxxxxxxx; 'Aaron Kriegel' <harav1@xxxxxxxxx>; 'ajpietrol'
<ajpietrol@xxxxxxxxxxx>; barrassoal@xxxxxxxxx; autter0211@xxxxxxxxx; 'Alvin'
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blindtony1016@xxxxxxxxx; kociabafitness@xxxxxxxxx; 'Robert Rathbun'
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bradley.m.blair@xxxxxxxxx; 'Charles' <wee1sman@xxxxxxxxxx>;
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winstead' <littledjchuck@xxxxxxxxx>; 'Curtis Cockayne' <blueskys012@xxxxxxx>;
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Rosenkoetter' <davidrosenkoetter260@xxxxxxxxx>; 'David A Schuh'
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<donwalhout@xxxxxxx>; 'Zolotarevsky' <eddyz69@xxxxxxx>; 'Elizabeth Koren'
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<cancarol1@xxxxxxx>; 'Vinnie Beatty' <vbeatty1@xxxxxxxxxx>; 'Karla Westjohn'
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Cc: 'JT' <hazelnutt2001@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [usbca_chess] 2020 USBCA Board of Directors Ballot
Dear Voting Member:
Yes, you are a member of the United States Blind Chess Association. You have a
voice, voting right, in the USBCA. We ask you to use it now.
The seven people shown on the ballot below have volunteered their time and
energy to keep the organization running. They ask for your support. You may
exercise your vote as follows:
Since each position has only one candidate, you may vote in acclamation with
the word APPROVE
Since any time you can vote in favor, you can also vote against, disacclamation
= DISAPPROVE
You may also cast your vote for or against any of the candidates by entering a
Y or an N in the spot at each Board position
Finally, you may write in a name for any position simply by entering it at the
appropriate Board position.
You will find a letter of introduction for each candidate immediately following
the ballot.
Submit your vote simply by replying to this email and CC'ing Renee Braverman at
braverlady@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:braverlady@xxxxxxxxx>.
Thank you for your support and participation. This is your organization; you
make it happen! The ballot follows.
USBCA 2020 Slate of Officers & Board Members
- President - Ginny Alverson
- Vice-President - Evan Reese
- Secretary - Billl Kociaba
- Treasurer - Michael Rodgerson
- Tournament Director - Chris Chaffin
- Assistant Tournament Director - Jim Thoune
- Director At Large - Jim Homme
Ginny Alverson's Letter of Introduction
Hello! I'm Ginny Alverson and have decided to jump back into the daily
operations of the USBCA.
Aside from playing chess, I'm an avid sportsman and co-host a radio show
through the Perkins school for the Blind. I'm also an apple certified support
professional.
My background is public relations and broadcast journalism. So, I can actively
participate in marketing the USBCA and our annual over the board championship.
My work with the USBCA let me serve as Vice President in the late '80s and
early '90s. Dick McStraw and the rest of the officers worked hard to keep our
annual over the board championship alive. We succeeded. As the '90s moved
along, I continued to actively assist with the over the board tournament. Rick
Varchetto, a member of a Lions Club in West Virginia, secured the bid for the
tournament. He helped provide transportation to and from airports and train
stations.
I have three goals as President of the USBCA. My first goal is to try to
recruit more women to our events. The next goal is to help develop the next
generation of blind chess players. Work in that direction is underway. And,
my final goal is to establish our own chess publication. In the '80s and '90s,
the USBCA published a quarterly magazine called Challenger. I was the first
editor. Jay Leventhal took over for me and published Challenger as an email
magazine. Putting together a similar publication would keep our members
updated on our activities and give our members a platform to contribute their
games and other ideas to the membership group.
Evan Reese's Letter of Introduction
My name is Evan Reese. I am currently Vice President of the USBCA. I am running
for
a second term as Vice President.
I served on the Board as a Director from 2012 to 2017, and as Vice President for
the past two years.
I feel that I am best able to further the goals of the USBCA by continuing to
serve
in this capacity. In my term as VP, among other things, I led the committee that
developed the policy on those who cheat in tournaments that was instituted by
the
Board. I also took charge of the Board last month when our President was
unexpectedly
overwhelmed with work and medical obligations.
Thank you for considering me for another term. With an active, enthusiastic
Board,
we can take the USBCA into new territory in 2020.
Bill Kociaba's Letter of Introduction
My name is Bill Kociaba. I live in south florida and have been playing Chess
on and off since my early teens. Iam a personal fitness trainer and a massage
therapist. I am a former health club owner and have worked in the health and
fitness industry pretty much my entire life. When I was in my teens I was very
involved in numismatics (coin collecting) and served as first a board member
and then as secretary for the Fort Lauderdale Coin Club. I was the youngest
person to serve in either position. That was back in the late 70s. I currently
serve as a member of the board of directors for the OneTouch Project. One Touch
is a self defense program designed for blind and multiple disability
individuals. The group has a very strong relationship with the Vetrens
Administration as well as the UK's version of the same group.
I would like to offer my services to the USBCA board as secretary.
Michael Rodgerson's Letter of introduction
My name is Michael Rodgerson. I live in Connecticut with my older sister
Shonta, I am 1 of 5, with 3 older sisters and 1 older brother. I have
2 nieces and 2 nephews and enjoy spending time with my family,
especially my nephew Jonny. I do have fun playing chess but amongst
my other hobbies are:playing guitar, hanging out with my friends,
listening to old time radio shows, and playing basketball.
I would like to be a part of the USBCA Board so that I can help spread
knowledge that blind people are regular people too, and chess can be a
gateway to that. I would like to see chess as a curricular and
extracurricular activity, and have a blind person play a game against
a student, if not in the schools in a public meeting place. I would
like to see everyone try to get chess in to there schools. I would
encourage everyone on the list to play someone they have not played
before, I would like them to find someone that is stronger or of equal
strength of them, we all can learn something from each other. I am an
open minded person and listen to what others have to say, I would be
open to suggestions and the ideas of others.
One of my favorite sayings is:
Everyone can learn something from everybody , and nothing is as it seems.
Hope to see you on the board!
Chris Chaffin's Letter of Introduction
My name is Chris Chaffin, and I am seeking the office of Tournament Director.
I have been a member of the US BCA since 2008, and I have been serving as the
Tournament Director since 2011.
I would love to continue to servie you as your Tournament Director, and use my
creativity to give you many fun and challenging tournaments. Since 2011, I
have worked hard to give you many opportunities to enjoy the game of chess,
including by email and by skype. I have many ideas for future tournaments, so
I would appreciate your vote to help me continue serving you and giving you
lots of ways of enjoying the game we all love... chess! Thank you,
Jim Thoune's letter of introduction
I am a 69-year-old, totally blind individual who has played tournament chess
since 1965, and played it steadily since 1973. I learned to play chess because
Norbert Matthews, a member of the Indianapolis, Indiana, chess club, was
persuaded to volunteer his time to come to the Indiana School for the Blind
simply to teach any interested kids how to play chess. For his efforts I will
be eternally grateful. And my gratitude for the experience I have gained over
the decades drives my determination to help other kids reap rewards similar to
those I've enjoyed. Since I retired from the Government in early 2014, chess
and travel have received much of my time and energy. As a result, I have
national and international experience and contacts. I have taught
beginner-level chess, both for the Hadley Institute and for my own personal
pleasure as host of Chess Gather. I helped drive the project which resulted in
the USBCA purchasing four quality chess sets for the Florida School for Deaf
and blind. I have also directed several skype-based chess tournaments.
What do I do when I'm not doing chess? Gardening and landscaping projects also
claim much time and energy. Over the years, I've been a League bowler with the
American Blind Bowlers Association. I've accrued over ten years experience with
Toastmasters International, holding various posts. Other interests include
kayaking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and I'm learning more about
woodworking, relevant because I am currently working to convert the low-quality
wooden chess sets, previously provided by Hadley to their chess students, into
usable sets. I have been very blessed. I am determined to spread as widely as
possible the knowledge that blind people can and do play chess-and do other
things, as well!
Jim Homme's Letter of Introduction
My name is Jim Homme. I'm running for Director at large for this turm.
I am past president of the USBCA. I have been on the board for some time now.
My vision is simple. Advance the group in whatever way I can, but mostly to
promote a way for beginners to learn and fall in love with chess and to
increase the number of people who are blind and visually impaired who discover
and play chess, and finally, to increase the number of our players who play
over the board and Skype chess. It would be my honor to serve again.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the United States Blind Chess Association
Board of Directors
Renee Braverman
braverlady@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:braverlady@xxxxxxxxx>
