United Soccer Coaches Pathway for Board of Directors

Dr. David Carr was elected to the United Soccer Coaches Board of Directors last week at the organization’s annual convention. In a few years, he will become president of  United Soccer Coaches, the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than 30,000 members.

How does this work?

2019 Board of Directors Election is Over

Soccer News: The United Soccer Coaches Elections and Nominations Committee had four candidates running for the position of Vice-President to serve on the Board of Directors.

Dr. David Carr – Coaching Educator, Kendall Reyes – Chair of Black Soccer Coaches Membership Community Group, Haley Carter – Senior Women’s National Team Assistant Coach, Afghanistan Football Federation, and Dan Woog – Advocate, High School Coach, and Writer.

Dr. David Carr won the election and became the newest member of the United Soccer Coaches Board of Directors at the 2019 Convention. Scheduled to hold the office of Vice President for four years, then advancing to the role of president for one year, followed by the past president for one year, Carr will have a major mark on the future of American soccer.

This is a rather lengthy and ingenious pathway which offers the association the combination of both new voices and continuity on its Board of Directors.

Each president serves on the board for several years and while the actual term is only 12 months, their imprint on the game and the organization runs much deeper.

For example, vice president of social media and CRM at MLS, Amanda Vandervort has just completed her sixth year on the Board, most recently serving as past president. Vandervort was also a collegiate coach at NYU.  Other past presidents include Mike Jacob, now technical director at MLS’ Nashville FC and Louise Waxler, McLean Youth Soccer Executive Director. Waxler was the General Manager for the Philadelphia Independence of Women’s Professional Soccer and the Director of Operations for the Washington Freedom (WUSA).

The Board of 11 includes six elected members, the chair of the Advocacy Council, three at-large appointed members and the CEO as an ex officio member.

Here are the Steps to the Becoming a Member of the Board

1. Any United Soccer Coaches member may self-nominate or be nominated by another member. All current full members are eligible for nomination to the Board. The nomination period is approximately 30 days and is announced through a direct email to every member and communicated widely through all association media.
2. When the nomination period closes, all nomination applications are sent to the Nominations & Election Committee. This is a diverse group appointed by the Board of Directors that works independently to narrow the nominations down to 3 to 4 final candidates.
3. The committee reviews all the nominee applications based on a series of diversity criteria including but not limited a comprehensive list (See below.) 
4. The committee reviews the current board members on the same criteria determining where can a new board member potentially fill in gaps in any of those areas?
5. The committee holds a series of rigorous conference calls to narrow down the nominees to a final three to four qualified, committed candidates that best complement the current Board in terms of expanding its diversity of representation.
6. A final slate of candidates is determined and put forward to the full membership. Every current full member receives a dedicated link for their vote. Online voting is handled by an independent vendor with voting taking place over approximately a 10 day period culminating at the United Soccer Coaches Convention. The new Board member is announced at the annual business meeting of United Soccer Coaches held at the Convention. It is open to all members.

United Soccer Coaches Criteria List:

• Coaching level represented
• Skills
• Experience
• Region of the country
• Gender
• Race/Ethnicity
• Education
• Expertise
• Association volunteer/leadership experience
• Active coach vs non-active coach
• Connections within the game
• Historical background in coaching, non-profit organizations, working with boards, demonstration of vision/innovation
• Will they be engaged or overloaded?

Lesle Gallimore held the title of the 70th president of United Soccer Coaches and presided over the recent 2019 Convention in Chicago. Jeff Farnsworth is the new President.

Other positions are held by:

First Vice President: Kevin Sims
Second Vice President: Dr. Missy Price
Third Vice President: Ashlee Fontes-Comber
Fourth Vice President: Dr. David Carr
At-Large Representative: Warren Mersereau
At-Large Representative: Andy Haile
At-Large Representative: Haroot Hakopian
Advocacy Council Chair: Sue Ryan

In addition, United Soccer Coaches CEO Lynn Berling-Manuel is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors.

Related Article: ONE YEAR LATER – A NEW CULTURE FOR THE GAME OF SOCCER

Photo Credit: United Soccer Coaches