Vote today for those who have been recommended to serve on the American Whitewater Board of Directors. Recommended board members’ names, hometowns, and a brief summary of their background and qualifications are listed. These recommended board members, nominated to fill current board vacancies, will serve for a term of three (3) years, beginning January 1, 2003.
You are eligible to vote if you are a dues-paying member in good standing. Individual Affiliate Clubs have two votes for each of the Directors to be elected at the election.
Follow the following directions to place your vote for our new slate of directors, some of whom are running for a sequential term:
- Print the Official 2003 Board of Directors Ballot
- Select the directors for you whom you wish to vote
- Sign and date the Official Ballot
- Fax the Official Ballot to the American Whitewater office at 301-565-6714 by December 30, 2002 as is noted on its face. Ballots received after December 30, 2002 will be rejected.
Click Here for the Official Ballot
‘Note that the board of directors’ slate is different than that printed in the November/December issue of American Whitewater.
Rich Bowers, up for election by the members in the journal, has been asked to be an Honorary Member by the Board (an appointed, non-voting position), as he has and may continue to contract grant-writing services to the organization. Kevin Lewis’ bio and photo were omitted from the journal board nominations list – by accident. The slate as listed here is complete and acknowledges those two changes.’
Board Bios
| Kevin Lewis | Sutton Bacon | Chris Kelly | Don Kinser | Charlie Walbridge |
Kevin Lewis
Anderson, California
Several years before my first paddle stroke, AW spoke out against the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. Like a snowball rolling downhill, slowly at first, gradually gaining speed and size, AW has become a force to be reckoned with. It is no accident that AW has become the foremost national organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of America’s whitewater rivers. Throughout the last four years, during my first board term, I was amazed by the dedication and quality of the board, staff, and our many volunteers. My goal during my first term was to take an active role on committees and working to better the organization. I believe I have achieved my goal, and if re-elected, will work even harder for the organization and the public we serve.
In my “other life” I’m a self-employed small business owner on constant lookout for new friends with a canyon permit.
Sutton Bacon
Atlanta, Georgia
Greetings all! My name is Sutton Bacon, and I am sincerely honored to be a candidate for the American Whitewater Board of Directors. I greatly look forward to this opportunity, one where I can take a hands-on approach inhelping American Whitewater fully maximize its potential and continue to move itself into the great arena of possibility.
I learned how to paddle at Camp Carolina in Brevard, North Carolina, where as a 10 year-old, I began exploring the whitewater rivers and creeks of the Southeast. Since those days in a Dancer XS, I have kayaked in 17 states, andthanks to American Whitewater, my choices increase every year. My core area of volunteerism for AW is on Southeastern Conservation and Access issues, where I am currently the Tallulah release coordinator. In addition to my work at the Tallulah, I am heavily involved in the ongoing conservation efforts on the Upper Ocoee and serve as an active StreamKeeper. I have also had the great fortune of running the famed Cheoah River at release levels andhigher, and I am often heard reciting tales from what will become the South’s best whitewater run.
When not on the water, I am an entrepreneur, recently leaving my position as head of a successful Internet consulting firm to lead another company developing a chain of retail-based personal web design studios. I bring toAmerican Whitewater executive business experience in both the bricks-and-mortar and the digital realms, with a strong competency in intelligent and compelling marketing solutions. I also have over eight years of experience in graphic design with a portfolio of advertising placements in regional and national publications.
I live in Atlanta and am a graduate of Emory University.
Chris Kelly
Columbia, Missouri
Prior to my service on the AW board I had no idea how important the organization is to our sport. AW’s contributions in the areas of safety, access, and conservation over the past forty-eight years are immense.
We are currently in the midst of a vital transition from an organization that has been primarily volunteer in nature to one, which must employ professional skills while continuing to make effective use of our large and dedicated volunteer members. For example, volunteer Don Kinser is effectively leading the campaign for access to the Chattooga headwaters, while staffer John Gangemi’s technical expertise was crucial to the re-opening of the Feather River to paddling.
The key to continuing a vibrant volunteer pool as well as maintaining a competent technical staff is membership. AW must increase its member base. If you are kind enough to allow me to serve a second term on the Board of Directors, I will continue my work as access chair and seek ways to increase our membership.
AW also faces a massive cultural challenge. Being the token flat-lander and open boater on the Board, I am often, and unfairly, the target of base kayak humor. If reelected, I plan to rectify this crass discrimination by making clear that open boating is the very pinnacle of our sport.
It has been an honor to meet, paddle and work with so many of AW’s dedicated members. See you on the river.
Don Kinser
Atlanta, Georgia
My interest in whitewater boating started in the early 1970’s as a teenager growing up in the Washington, DC area. However it was not until my wife, Nanci, gave me a whitewater canoe for Christmas in 1991 (I figured this was a green light to spend more time on the river) that my whitewater addiction became serious. Since early 1994, Ihave spent an average of almost 60 days a year canoeing the rivers and streams in the southeastern US. Nanci, Kelsey (age 12), Alison (age 10), Max (age 8) and I spend a great deal of time at our second home near the Chattooga River. We all enjoy spending time on the river.
During a trip to West Virginia Joe Greiner convinced me to joined American Whitewater in 1995,and I have been an active AW supporter ever since. My volunteer efforts with AW began during the first Tallulah Gorge releases in 1997, and I have been working on Chattooga River management issues since 1999. In early 2001, Risa asked me to serve as a regional coordinator focused on the Chattooga watershed. Since then, I have worked closely with AW staff members Jason Robertson and Kevin Colburn on the issues surrounding the Chattooga river management. I believe we will gain boating access to the Chattooga headwaters as a result of AW’s efforts.
I am the president of EDI, Ltd. Consulting Engineers, a firm I founded in 1986. EDI is a technology, security and audio-visual consulting and engineering firm located in Atlanta. I have a great deal of association experience, having served in many capacities over the last 10 years with the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia. I was president of the organization from 1998-2000, and I currently serve as ACEC’s national director, representingGeorgia at the national level. In these different roles with ACEC I have spent a lot of time in legislative advocacy work at both the state and federal level. I have a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a MBA from Georgia State University.
I am committed to AW’s mission. I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve AW as a director, and I promise to be an active and energetic director should I get the chance to serve.
Charlie Walbridge
Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
I first started paddling rivers over thirty years ago and joined American Whitewater very early in my career. I find the ongoing changes in the sport fascinating and believe that adapting to them is AW’s greatest challenge. I bring a background in river safety, some knowledge of the business end of our sport, and a continued active participation and love of whitewater rivers.