Board of Directors – Election Info

Get ready to vote in Election Buddy!

Similar to last year's CMSA Main Board election, we will be using a program called Election Buddy for vote tabulation.

Eligible* members can click the voting link (within their email inbox used to log into LeagueApps) from Thursday, July 6th to Sunday, July 9th, 2023 at 9PM CDT. 

 *Voter eligibility includes anyone who has paid their CMSA annual dues since September 1, 2022

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The following members were nominated to run for CMSA Main Board 2023 (in alphabetical order of last name).

Ron Alexander
Kevin Dietz
Luis Dominguez
Clare Hamilton
Nancy Hitt
Christina Lopez
Chris MacKoul

We would like to recognize that a nomination is a huge honor and the first step in making headway in the organization.

These candidates were nominated by your peers/coaches/members/league leaders because of their:

  • Passion about CMSA and LGBTQ+ athletics, diversity, inclusion, and community
  • Ability to excel, lead, and motivate others as a member, coach, captain, or league leader
  • Ability to ensure member safety, sense of community, and culture are the highest priorities
  • Dedication and time commitment CMSA where they like to help others and/or give back to the community
  • Positive impact to CMSA with technical, analytical, design, or community engagement experience or expertise, and/or skills where they excel as leaders

Each candidate was asked to prepare a written statement of their goals, vision, experiences, and strategies they would bring forth if elected to the CMSA Main Board.

There are FIVE open positions on the CMSA Main Board, THREE that serve two-year terms and TWO that will serve one-year terms. Once candidates are elected, the newly formed Board will select roles amongst President, Vice President of Athletics, Vice President of Operations, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Ron Alexander

1.5 years in CMSA

Flag Football, Softball

Fun Fact:

I have seen 20 Beyonce concerts in my life and still not done 🙂

Candidate Statement:

Ron is interested in joining the CMSA Executive Board because he has found home and a sense of community by being involved within CMSA Flag football open season for the past year and a half as a player and now captain. Ron has been able to step up when called upon and steps out of his comfort zone to ensure others feel a sense of belonging. Ron also became a travel team captain for the Chicago Renegades this year for Pride Bowl. Ron sees the good in others and wants this league to continue to grow and be an olive branch for community building for other local queer and ally Chicago residents especially those who identify as BIPOC. For Ron, inclusion and a sense of belonging keep those who are invested in an experience retained.

As a student affairs and higher education professional, Ron’s daily work is to oversee and implement goals and objectives related to the strategic plan of his division of student development by fostering an inclusive environment and promoting student success outside of the classroom through co-curricular opportunities. This transcends into being a part of the board as he continues to find ways for all players, team mates, vendors and the league leadership to feel like this experience is worth coming back to. He's able to be organized in his communication, is timely in communication and other parts of his responsibility as a leader, and would do anything to make the league continue to grow in many facets.

  • A key goal is to materialize and operationalize many CMSA sports processes. In Flag football Ron sat on the draft committee and recognized there are many aspects of communication that are held by individuals and not written or passed down for new leadership members. Materializing these major operations can prevent overextending oneself by having a blueprint for those items.
  • Increase CMSA membership with more black and brown players in all major sports areas whether its players or serving as referees.
  • Conduct consistent assessment of our programs and include those results in newsletters for transparency to be clear and concise and what steps are being taken to continue to increase efficiency in our operations, player development, and sense of belonging.
  • Start a development program for those players who see themselves in leadership roles within their sports, the CMSA board, and provide them with skills that can sharpen their leadership style in order to be an effective leader.

 

Kevin Dietz

11 years in CMSA

Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Kickball

Fun Fact:

I've been to all 6 inhabited continents

Candidate Statement:

With my extensive experience as the Beach Volleyball commissioner from 2017 to 2021, member of the Beach Volleyball Board since 2015, and a CMSA member since 2012, I have gained invaluable firsthand insights into the organization's strengths and areas for improvement. Witnessing the turnover of various boards throughout the years, I have developed a good understanding of the qualities that make an effective board member and how the CMSA board can better serve our players, leagues, and commissioners. I firmly believe that the board needs to adopt a more hands-on approach in supporting our commissioners and leagues. By actively engaging with and providing assistance to the commissioners, we can ensure smoother league operations, reduce turnover, and address any challenges they may face more effectively. There are three main areas I would like to see the organization improve upon: 1) Increase the social element within our leagues. Many folks join CMSA as a way to meet new people and make new friendships, in addition to playing the sport. Working with our long-time bar sponsors in Boystown and Andersonviile, I would like to see the board take a more proactive approach to organizing league and CMSA-wide mixers for members; 2) Empower league commissioners to have more control over the long-term vision for their league and allow unused league funds to rollover into the next season for better planning and management of that long-term vision; and 3) Simplify the fee structure. Team fees, player fees, membership fees. It can get very confusing and be a barrier for entry, especially for new players. I would like to see the board take on the task of simplifying how leagues and CMSA bring in revenue by reducing fees to just player fees and seeking out sponsorships.

During my tenure as the beach volleyball commissioner for five seasons, I faced a regular stream of challenges that directly impacted the league -- from nesting endangered birds, to flooded courts, to splitting the league between Hollywood and Montrose.  The Beach Board and I weighed the possibility of cancelling or scaling back the league many times. But we always found a solution to make the league happen and give players the best experience possible given the circumstances. I believe in always finding a path forward, no matter how difficult or burdensome it may be. The CMSA Executive Board is tasked with making difficult decisions, and I believe my experiences navigating the challenges of the beach volleyball league and my level-headed approach to decision-making will contribute to the success of CSMA as a board member. I am excited to serve CMSA in furthering its goals and fostering a vibrant and inclusive community.

 

Luis Dominguez

6 years in CMSA

Volleyball, Soccer, Dodgeball, Ultimate

Fun Fact:

Luis is a native Chicagoan

Candidate Statement:

Who Am I?

I have a strong passion for LGBTQA  organizations like CMSA. Currently, I work as a Business Intelligent and IT project manager for a financial institution.I have been a member of CMSA since 2018 and have participated and been captain of numerous sports (Indoor and Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee), Commissioner of Beach Volleyball 2023, and Indoor Volleyball Board Member since 2022). Over the years, I understand CMSA’s strength and challenges that the organization and members face. For years members have faced different commissioners and board members turnover. As a board member supporting the commissioners and their board with their league. Areas to focus on are communication, technology, athletics, and fundraising.

Why Vote For Me?

With my extensive experience building sports teams and having a goal-oriented mindset in high pressure environments, I took on the opportunity to become the Beach Volleyball Commissioner. One of the biggest challenges is stepping up to be beach volleyball commissioner in late April 2023 for the Summer 2023 season. The previous commissioner resigned, and the league needed someone to run the league. Today the CMSA Beach Volleyball league has over 1,360 players and 170 teams, a growth rate of over 300% in our social media engagement, and a budget of over 100k. That is the largest in terms of membership and budget in the last 10 years. Furthermore, the league hosted its first free agent/captain’s mixer and wellness clinic which were all done in less than a month.

One of the main areas I would want to focus and improve the league are:

 

1.Bring back Team Sponsors and Reduce the fees we charge.
The board needs to build a larger team of qualified people and committees to help with fundraising, team sponsorship,and eliminate the annual fee. We have too many expensive team fees which has hurt CMSA’s ability to attract members and have more people participate in our league.

2.Support for Commissioners and Members to focus on their league and not administrative work. 
Supporting Commissioners work on their leagues long term version and control how to grow their league. The board needs to have a centralized team to help and take over with registration, city permits, collect registration fees, renting storage locations, and fundraising.

3.Support and NOT Cancel Our Sports Leagues.
CMSA faces challenges having sports leagues get canceled or leagues (Kickball, Dodgeball, Tennis, Badminton, Bowling) due to having no leadership to run the leagues. Furthermore, I would work to help create our league to have open gyms, or skills clinics for our sport due to lack of organized leadership and support for incoming leadership.

By voting, we have a say in the future of our organization. Thank you for your consideration and I would appreciate your vote. 

 

Clare Hamilton

2 years in CMSA

Badminton

Fun Fact:

I met Stan Lee and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) on the same day

Candidate Statement:

Hello, my name is Clare and I am interested in joining the CMSA Board of Directors because I care about the CMSA community and wish to become more involved. From what I've read about upcoming projects and events the current board has planned, I feel excited for the opportunity to join this amazing team and to help accomplish the goals already set in place and to help create new goals as well. As a school counselor, I also believe I can bring a special set of skills to the board that can help with understanding multiple demographics and overall communication. I would like to give a big thank you to whoever nominated me. If I am elected onto the board then I will do my absolute best to live up to your faith in me.

 

Nancy Hitt

10 years in CMSA

Flag Football

 

Candidate Statement:

CMSA has afforded me the opportunity to be part of a community based on diversity, friendship, athletics, and love. Recently I was able to participate as a member of the Pride Bowl Board of Directors; getting that behind the scenes look of the hard work, time, and commitment it takes to organize an event important to so many was an honor.

That experience, paired with my immeasurable appreciation for CMSA and how it has positively influenced my life, is the "why" regarding my interest in committing my time and efforts to the opportunity to be part of the CMSA Executive Board. I would love to be able to give back and be part of the leadership team that continues to foster and grow our tremendous community. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Christina Lopez

2 years in CMSA

Flag Football, Women’s +

Fun Fact:

I’ve been a Bears fan since I was a child even though I’m from California

Candidate Statement:

Christina’s goals include providing more equity across women’s+ and open leagues when it comes to funding/sponsorship, equipment/jersey fits, and player feedback for the femme presenting and GNC folx who are not always prioritized or understood.

Increasing operational efficiencies and transparency across the league. This could include playbooks for new captains, free agents guide to joining a team, enhancing the project management tools used to increase visibility across league leadership (including non-board members), preferred vendor lists (equipment, jerseys, sponsors, etc.), and much more supporting growth and equity for players of color across sports

 

Chris MacKoul

7 years in CMSA

Soccer, Voleyball, Dodgeball

Fun Fact:

Chris is a Registered Yoga Teacher.

Candidate Statement:

I first volunteered to fill in as the Commissioner of our Soccer league as a means to give back to CMSA in 2019 and have been at it since! After serving as the Soccer Commissioner for a few years, I volunteered to serve on the CMSA Board of Directors when learned of a few vacancies that needed filling. I loved being able to give back to the Soccer League, I wanted to give back to CMSA as well and have been acting as the Secretary of CMSA since early 2023. I've taken on many responsibilities and hope to continue to serve on the board with your support 🙂

I have been so fortunate to have met so many friends and made so many wonderful connections through this organization and I hope to continue to grow CMSA into an organization we are all proud to be part of. I appreciate your support!

Get ready to vote in Election Buddy!

Similar to last year's CMSA Main Board election, we will be using a program called Election Buddy for vote tabulation.

Eligible* members can click the voting link (within their email inbox used to log into LeagueApps) from Thursday, July 7th to Sunday, July 10th, 2022 at 7PM CDT. 

 *Voter eligibility includes anyone who has paid their CMSA annual dues since September 1, 2020