2025 Candidates
See the links below for more information on each of the candidates:
(* Recommended slate by the board of directors, executive director, and USHPA staff)
2025 Bylaws Referendum
Rationale for Proposed Changes to the USHPA Board of Directors Structure and Election Process
This proposal is jointly recommended by USHPA management, the Board of Directors and USHPA staff. It
includes the following key changes:
1. Reduce the Board size from ten to eight members
2. Extend director terms from two to three years
3. Reduce the number of directors elected annually from four to two
4. Simplify the Representation/Diversity Matrix by reducing its requirements and influence
Purpose of Changes:
⢠Items 1â3 aim to enhance board continuity and effectiveness. The current system allows for the possibility that over half of the Boardâincluding designated directorsâmay be replaced annually, leading to a significant loss of institutional knowledge.
⢠Item 4 addresses unintended consequences of the current Representation/Diversity Matrix. Its complexity can result in outcomes that do not align with member voting preferences and may be vulnerable to manipulation. Simplifying the matrix maintains balanced representation while better reflecting the will of the membership.
Additional Changes:
⢠Removal of recommendation letters:
The requirement for three letters of recommendation per candidate has been eliminated, as it contributed little to the election process.
⢠Lower quorum threshold:
The quorum requirement for elections is reduced from 10% to 5%. This change reflects declining voter participation and helps avoid invalid elections, which would otherwise result in vacant seats being filled by board appointment rather than by member vote.
⢠Reduction in regions:
The number of regions will be reduced from five to two, broadly dividing the U.S. into eastern and western regions. This prevents regional weighting from unduly favoring candidates with limited overall support and complements the matrix simplification.
⢠Transitional appointments:
The Board may appoint directors as necessary to fill any vacancies arising from the transition to the new structure.
View a redline edit of the proposed changes to the bylaws here.
View the new proposed regions here.
Board Overview
10-member board:
8 directors are elected by the membership with 2-year terms
2 directors are appointed annually by the board with 1-year terms
The membership elects 4 board members per year with staggered 2-year terms.
The board elects its 4 officers (president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer) from within its members. The president must have served as a USHPA board member for at least 1 year, unless no board member has that much experience.
If a board member resigns, the board appoints a replacement to serve the remainder of their term. If there are not enough candidates in an election to fill the open seats, the remaining seats will be filled by appointment by the board.
Election Timeline
Nominations Open: June 1st
Nominations Close: September 1st at 5 pm MT
Candidate Questionnaires Due: September 20th at 5 pm MT
Voter Eligibility Date (pull voter list): Last day in September at 11:59 pm MT
Election Opens: First Monday in October at 8 am MT
Election Closes: Last Monday in October at 5 pm MT (new director terms effective January 1st)
Candidates
All candidates must complete a questionnaire to give voters sufficient information to make their choices. The questionnaire asks each candidate to describe their free flight experience, why they want to serve on the board, their experience with other organizations or on other boards, and more.
Completed questionnaires will be posted online and will be part of each candidate's individual profile on the ballot.
Write-in votes will not be counted, so please nominate any USHPA member that wishes to run for the board by September 1.
Election Process
Each USHPA member may vote for up to four (4) candidates, with one (1) vote cast for each of the four (4) open seats.
A candidate must receive at least 50 votes or win votes from at least 5% of the voters (whichever is greater) to be declared a viable candidate and be included in the second stage of the election process, the diversity algorithm. (Example: If 2,000 members turn out, each voting for up to four candidates, 5% of the voters is 100 votes. Any candidates not winning 100 votes will be discarded from the selection process.)
Representation Algorithm
Research shows that diverse workgroups do better work. USHPA's representation algorithm focuses on region, wing type, age, and gender to help ensure that all members are represented and to create the strongest board possible.
Note that regional representation is the most important in this algorithm, and the first aspect to be filled. Under this system, every region that fields a viable candidate (who receives the required minimum number of votes) is guaranteed a seat on the board.
The goals for each category are as follows:
Region: At least one (1) board member from each of USHPA's five (5) regions.
Wing type: At least three (3) current, active pilots of each wing type (hang glider and paraglider).
Age: At least three (3) members age 39 or under, and three (3) members age 40 or older as of January 1 of the election year.
Gender: At least two (2) men and two (2) women.
The algorithm takes into account the current makeup of the board to determine which attributes are needed to meet our representation goals. The most important attribute is region, followed by wing type and then age and gender.
Candidates are ranked by the number of votes they received in the election. Then, the algorithm begins filling the board seats based on the representation goals, beginning with region. For example, if the current board already represented all regions except for Region 4, the algorithm would select the candidate from Region 4 who received the most votes, making them the first new board member. Next, the algorithm would look at wing type. If the current board needed two (2) paraglider pilots to fulfill the goal of at least three (3) current hang glider and three (3) current paraglider pilots, the algorithm would next select the two paraglider pilots with the highest number of votes (regardless of other diversity factors, and not counting the director who was previously selected in the regional representation step). Although a higher number of votes gives candidates a greater chance of being selected for the board, this process means that candidates with the most votes may not always become directors based on other representation factors.
For a more detailed explanation of the representation algorithm, please see this video or Article VII of USHPA's bylaws.