COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The National Wheelchair Basketball Association Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC) and Governance Committee will host an election in August to fill four open Athlete Representative positions in alignment with the NWBA Bylaws and USOPC AAC Bylaws. All eligible athletes who have the skillset, capacity and passion to assume a leadership position are strongly encouraged to submit their interest. This is a perfect opportunity for athletes who want to influence the direction of the NWBA and ensure that the athlete voice is heard at the highest level of the organization.

OPEN POSITIONS:

1.  NWBA Athletes’ Advisory Council (NWBA AAC) Member

• The elected nominee will fill the current vacant position which has an unexpired term of two years 2022-2024 (previously held by Eve Hampton).
• Candidate Eligibility*: 10-Year Athletes and 10-Year + Athletes (i.e., Team USA athletes), as well as Actively Engaged Athletes (i.e., competed in an NWBA National Tournament within the past 24 months) are eligible candidates for this position.
• Election: This position is elected by 10-Year Athletes, 10-Year + Athletes, and Actively Engaged Athletes.

2.  NWBA Board of Directors Athlete Director - this elected position will also assume a member position with the NWBA Athletes’ Advisory Council (NWBA AAC) 

• The elected nominee will fill the current vacant position which has an unexpired term of three years 2022-2025 (previously held by Stephanie Wheeler).
• Candidate Eligibility*: 10-Year and 10-Year + Athletes (i.e., Team USA athletes) are eligible candidates for this position.
• Election: This position is elected by 10-Year Athletes.

3.  USOPC AAC Representative - this elected position will also assume an Athlete Director position with the NWBA Board of Directors and a member position with the NWBA Athletes’ Advisory Council (NWBA AAC) 

• The elected nominee will fill the current vacant position which has an unexpired term of two years 2022-2024 (previously held by Darlene Hunter).
• Candidate Eligibility*: 10-Year Athletes (i.e., Team USA athletes competed within the past 10 years) are eligible candidates for this position.
• Election: This position is elected by 10-Year Athletes.

4.  USOPC AAC Alternate Representative - this elected position will also assume an Athlete Director position with the NWBA Board of Directors and a member position with the NWBA Athletes’ Advisory Council (NWBA AAC) 

• The elected nominee will fill the current vacant position which has an unexpired term of two years 2022-2024 (previously held by Steve Serio).
• Candidate Eligibility*: 10-Year Athletes (i.e., Team USA athletes competed within the past 10 years) are eligible candidates for this position.
• Election: This position is elected by 10-Year Athletes.

*Athlete definitions as well as eligibility criteria and election requirements are outlined in the NWBA Bylaws: click here for the NWBA Bylaws – ARTICLE 11 pages 28-32

All details of the election including requirements and a responsibilities description that outlines the expectations for the successful candidate(s) have been e-mailed directly to eligible athletes. By Thursday, July 14, 2022, interested eligible athletes should e-mail their statement of intent, disclosures and biography to Tina Cain, NWBA Business and Compliance Manager, at: tina@nwba.org.

Further details and the election timeline are included below.

ELECTION TIMELINE:

• By Sunday, June 12, 2022 (60 days prior to election): Registered Member deadline
  • Per the NWBA Bylaws, “An individual shall be a member of the NWBA sixty (60) days prior to the date of the election in order to be eligible to vote”.
  • https://www.nwba.org/individualregistration
  • NOTE: Current Membership Registrations are not required to be elected for a Leadership position; however, due to NWBA Policies, elected individuals are required to complete a current season NWBA Individual Membership Registration for Non-Athletes.
• By Thursday, July 14, 2022 (four weeks prior to election): Self-Nominations deadline
  All athlete self-nominations from eligible candidates must be received by the NWBA. The self-nomination must include the following and should be emailed to Tina at: tina@nwba.org:  
  • statement of intent 
  • disclosures
  • biography
• By Thursday, July 28, 2022 (two weeks prior to election): Candidate and Voting information shared
  The NWBA will e-mail voting instructions and pertinent information for all eligible nominees (i.e., the statement of intent, bio and disclosures) to all eligible voters for their review in advance of the vote.
• Thursday, August 11 – Friday, August 12, 2022: Election
  The NWBA will conduct the election voting via Survey Monkey through two separate surveys based on who is eligible to vote. 
• By Wednesday, August 17, 2022: Election outcome communicated
  The NWBA shall communicate the outcome of the election with all stakeholders—i.e., NWBA AAC, NWBA Board of Directors, NWBA Membership, USOPC Leadership, etc.

“Thank you, in advance, to all eligible athletes for considering this important opportunity that will further increase the two-way communication between athletes and leadership,” said Darlene Hunter, former USOPC AAC Representative and current NWBA President of the Board. “The organization has been driven by membership for 72+ years, and will continue to evolve with continued athlete voice and member input driving our future direction.”

In summary, Athlete Representatives are elected by their peers to represent their interests and provide athlete perspective in all decisions. Athlete Representatives are responsible for bringing the athlete voice to the Board and Committees--actively participating in strategic initiatives and regularly attending Board and / or Committee Meetings.

Athletes are encouraged to reach out to the NWBA AAC or the Governance Committee with questions or to learn more about serving in an athlete representative position - select the following link for Leadership contact details: https://www.nwba.org/managementleadership. 

Note: All communications will be sent to eligible athletes using the e-mail address on file within the NWBA Membership database (SportsEngine), or for athletes no longer competing to their last e-mail of record. Eligible athletes who did not receive the direct e-mail with the election details are encouraged to reach out to Tina Cain, Business and Compliance Manager at: tina@nwba.org, to ensure their contact information is updated.