2021 Director Election Results

The election results are in! Here are the USHPA directors for the 2022-2023 term.

The election closed on October 25, 2021 at 5 pm MT and the results are in! We'd like to thank everyone who voted in the 2021 board of directors election. In total, 16% of USHPA members voted, meeting the 10% quorum requirement.

The voter breakdown by wing type was as follows:

Total HG PG Both None
1511 439 846 166 60

2021 Election Results
  • Steven Pearson
  • Pamela Kinnaird
  • Julia Knowles
  • Nelissa Milfeld

These four elected directors will join the board starting January 1, 2022. The full 2022 board will consist of the following eight directors, plus two directors appointed by the board at their first meeting in January. The officers for 2022 will also be elected by the board at the first meeting in the new year.

2022 USHPA board of directors
  • Bill Hughes
  • Tiki Mashy
  • Paul Voight
  • Matt Taber
  • Steven Pearson
  • Pamela Kinnaird
  • Julia Knowles
  • Nelissa Milfeld
  • Director to be elected by the board in January
  • Director to be elected by the board in January

We sincerely thank all the candidates that ran, as well as our outgoing directors for all their time and work on the board: Jugdeep Aggarwal, Kimberly Phinney, Sara Weaver, Jamie Shelden, and Dale Covington. Their terms will end on December 31, 2021.


Diversity Selection Process

The diversity algorithm seeks to ensure that the 10-person board of directors continues to represent all regions and wing types, as well as a mix of ages and genders, by aiming to fill each of the following categories out of the national election:

  • at least 1 director from each region
  • at least 3 of each wing type (hang gliding or paragliding)
  • at least 3 under age 40 and 3 age 40 or older
  • at least 2 women and 2 men

The categories are filled based on the number of votes received by each candidate, meaning that the results are determined purely by the algorithm and cannot be altered.

This table shows an overview of the diversity selection process, along with an explanation of its application in this election. Zoom in with your browser to sharpen the image

The algorithm first looks at the sitting board to determine which categories are lacking. For this election, we needed one director from Region 2, one director from Region 3, two paraglider pilots, three directors under age 40, and one female director to meet the representation goals.

Candidates were ranked by the number of votes they received, and then the representation algorithm was applied. In this election, the four candidates with the most votes also happened to fill all the representation goals, and were therefore selected.

For the first priority, region, we needed one director from Region 2. The candidate from Region 2 with the highest number of votes was Pamela Kinnaird, making her the first new director.

We also needed one director from Region 3. The candidate from Region 3 with the highest number of votes was Steven Pearson (incumbent), making him the second elected director.

Next was wing type, with two paraglider pilots needed. Pamela Kinnaird's selection fulfilled one of the slots. The next paraglider pilot with the highest number of votes, Julia Knowles, became the third new director.

Finally, we needed three directors under age 40 and one female director. The previous selections, Pamela Kinnaird and Julia Knowles, also fulfilled the female director requirement and two of the slots for directors under age 40. Since one younger director was still needed, the candidate in that category with the most votes, Nelissa Milfeld, became the fourth new director.

For more details on the election and the diversity selection process, please see the elections page. Thank you once again to everyone who voted, and congratulations to our new USHPA directors!

If you have any questions regarding the election process or diversity matrix, please contact [email protected].

Mark G. Forbes
USHPA Elections Committee chair
[email protected]