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Updated: NWBA Governance Committee Announces Nominees for NWBA Board of Directors

By NWBA Governance Committee, 03/01/17, 6:30PM CST

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The NWBA Board of Directors has four positions that are up for re-election at the 2017 NWBA Annual Assembly, set for March 29 at 12 p.m. The Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel’s Ballroom is where the Annual Assembly will take place, and eligible delegates may register prior to the meeting at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel’s Registration Desk from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

The four positions for re-election are:

  • Sarah Castle, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Bruce Fischbach, Vermillion, South Dakota
  • Lee Montgomery, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Tim Fox, Cleveland, Ohio

The NWBA Governance committee also received nominations from:

  • Doug Arambula, Valpairso, Indiana
  • Sean Clark, Selden, New York
  • Mike Rosenkrantz, Tucson, Arizona

Below are the biographies on the four incumbent Board of Directors, and their resumes. The three candidates’ resumes that are running for the NWBA Board of Directors for the first time are also below. 

Incumbent Board of Directors:

Sarah Castle, Kansas City, Missouri

Sarah Castle is a four-time U.S. Paralympian, having competed in swimming in 2000 winning silver and finishing fourth in 2004. After a shoulder injury that left her unable to keep swimming, she then went on to play Wheelchair Basketball in 2008 winning Gold and 2012 placing fourth. She is also a five time NCAA National Champion for the University of Illinois, and two time Parapan American Games gold medalist.

      Sarah graduated in 2006 from the University of Illinois with her undergraduate and a masters in Political Science and Government. She received a doctorate of law from the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2012. During her road to the 2012 Games she was also studying for the bar exam. She later passed and became a lawyer in the state of Missouri.

      Sarah is a member of the United States Olympic Committee Athlete Advisory Council. She spoke at the NCAA National Convention discussing inclusion of adapted athletic programs. She is an advocate for children and their development with disabilities. She worked on a campaign in 2008 entitled Campaign for Real Choice promoting the rights of people with developmental disabilities. Sarah became NWBA BOD President in July of 2015.

Bruce Fischbach, Vermillion, South Dakota

      Bruce has contributed to the NWBA as a tournament director and junior conference commissioner. He is the assistant athletic director for sports medicine at the University of South Dakota. He has also served the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a wish granter and regional ambassador. Fischbach has served as president, vice president and secretary/treasurer for the South Dakota Athletic Trainer’s Association and has been on the Mid-America Athletic Trainers’ Association’s board of directors.

      Bruce received his undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska. He is a United States Sports Academy alumnus with a master’s degree in sport science and was recently named to the South Dakota Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame. He has served the healthcare needs of thousands of student-athletes at the school since 1987.

      Fischbach has spent time working with Special Olympics, minor league baseball, local youth athletics and athletes in the NWBA. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children, with Dylan a member of the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater wheelchair basketball team.

Tim Fox, Cleveland, Ohio

      Tim Fox filled the position vacated by Pat McCoy, through the balance of the original term (April, 2017). Tim is currently the head coach and general manager of the Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers. He won a Division III championship with the team in 2010. He has built the team and the organization to be the success it is today.

      Tim also was a part of the venture in establishing the Junior Wheelchair Cavaliers team. He has fostered a great relationship with the NBA and in specific the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tim has also been a long time member of the NWBA Division III Committee.

      He quickly became involved in the NWBA activities serving on the NWBA Governance Committee and being named the Director of Basketball Operations for the 2017 NWBT.

      Fox is currently an Assistant Vice President Branch Manager for PNC Bank. He graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University in 1997 with a degree in education and Masters in Business Administration in 2008.

Lee Montgomery, Grand Rapids, Michigan

      Lee has both been a player and coach of wheelchair basketball, and is a three-sport phenom. He first got into the sport at the age of 14. Lee won a gold medal for wheelchair basketball at the 1990 Parapan American Games and played sitting volleyball in four Paralympic Games. In 1993, he ranked 10th in the U.S. among wheelchair tennis players. He was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and continues to be the only wheelchair athlete among those honored.

      Lee has coached at numerous places including the Indiana Junior Pacers, Indiana Adult Pacers, Columbus Buckeye Wheelers and Grand Rapids Pacers. He currently coaches the Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports teams. He has been partners with the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital for five decades. In 2015 he was inducted into the NWBA Hall of Fame.