Hello,
I'm not sure either whether I'm eligible to vote but I APPROVE.
Tyson Mordue
On 17 January 2020 at 15:57 JT <hazelnutt2001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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
