PPTC 2018 Elections: The Candidates

We are proud to announce our candidates for the Board of Directors in this year’s election cycle.

The voting period opens on Friday June 8th and ends Thursday, June 21st at 11:59 p.m. All members as of June 9th, 2017 will be receiving an email from noreply@opavote.org with a special link and instructions on how to vote.

Members are allowed one ranking vote. Please rank candidates in order of your preferences. The candidate with the greatest number of votes will be elected to a three-year term; the candidate with the second greatest number of votes will be elected to a two-year term.

If you did not receive an email, please first check your Spam folder. If there is still an issue, please email elections@pptc.org. See the Bylaws of the Club for the responsibilities of each position.

Thank you to all of our candidates! The Elections Committee

Current Board of Directors are:

Officers

• Tom Meany – President
• Michael Ring – Vice President
• Jennie Matz – Secretary*
• Doug Olney – Treasurer

*position subject to a special election in 2018

Directors

• Missy Burgin (2019)
• Michael Koplin (2018)
• Colleen Lynch (2020)
• Jana Trenk (2019)
• Noah Devereaux (2018)

2018 Board of Directors Statements of Intent

Allan Co

I am very excited to declare my candidacy for the PPTC Board of Directors.

I joined Prospect Park Track Club when I moved to Brooklyn in 2012 and was struck by the diversity and warmth of the team. While my PRs have gone down, it's this diversity that I cherish. I've made some of my dearest friends who come from all walks of life, each of whom have taught empathy and perspective, and who have inspired me to serve more.

I have previously served the club in varying capacities. Most notably, in 2015, I led the beta test and pilot for the first edition of PPTC's successful Marathon Training Group (MTG) as a volunteer coach. Launched in preparation for the 2015 NYC Marathon, I oversaw the training of nearly 50 diverse runners, working with these runners on both a group and individualized basis. I was humbled, at the years' end to have been voted my peers for the 2016 PPTC Single Greatest Contribution Award.

I hope to bring a broad perspective to our leadership. While some may judge me a talented runner, I strongly relate to the parents who fit workouts between naps; the professionals who relieve stress by hitting the roads; the newbies who may be intimidated by group runs; and even the retired runners who seek lifelong fitness and ongoing service and involvement with their community. I approach all runners as equals, regardless of pace or ability, open to the possibility that they have something new to teach me.

As a member of the PPTC Board of Directors, I will use this perspective and empathy, as well my years of professional experience working in the non-profit sector, to serve our members and help foster a supportive culture throughout our diverse running community and beyond, regardless of pace, age or motivation. I kindly ask that you support my candidacy.

Chris Fischer 

Howdy!

I'd like to be considered for a board seat.

I've been a member since 9/16.

I got my start running as a middle schooler back in small town Indiana over 20 years ago.  I was had a pretty tough childhood but running and being part of a team gave me a safe and supportive set of friends.

I mostly kept running never was able to recreate the team environment, support, and love for the sport that existed in my earliest years.  That is until I got active with PPTC!

I've lived in NYC 10 years now and at first found running in the city challenging.  Through our local running community and PPTC I've come to learn that NYC has some of the best terrain for running / jogging / racing be that in 5ks, marathons, ultras, or just long walks.

It's been a phenomenal experience learning more about the members of our club, and while I haven't been a highly active member until this year, I have gotten to know quite a few members very well through our new member runs, weekend runs, social committee, Monday club meetings etc... I've also gotten quicker again and its a real trip to be running some of the best times of my life in my mid 30s.

PPTC has helped me rekindle with my love for running through community, openness and inclusion.

I'd like to contribute to the club and help be part of fostering a collaborative, open, and inclusive environment for our current and future members.  I have experience as an active board observer and advisor at several technology companies.  While I'm certain the board dynamics are very different between our club and venture backed companies, working with a diverse group of people with unique perspectives, goals, and concerns is a very rewarding process for me.

Thanks for your consideration.  Let me know if more detail or information is needed!

Liz Grammer

Hi! I am interested in serving on the PPTC Board of Directors.

 After moving to Brooklyn and spending over a year running by myself, I finally bit the bullet and started looking for a club to join.  Quite frankly, it was rather intimidating.  However, through a bit of luck I was put in touch with a PPTC member who explained how welcoming and supportive (and well, amazingly awesome) the club is.  It was clear after joining a Sunday morning run (in frigid temps after a Saturday snow storm) that this was the club for me.  I have not only gained a running support system and network of endless training knowledge, but also valuable friendships.

 As a PPTC member, I have volunteered at the Cherry Tree and Al Goldstein 5K series and enjoyed giving back to the team that has provided me with so much. In the past year and a half the club has grown through initiatives by PPTC and its members.  I would love to help keep these initiatives thriving, while also developing and implementing new ideas to further the club’s growth and success.  It would be an honor to serve on the PPTC board.

Adam Iannazzone

Joining Prospect Park Track Club has been the greatest decision I’ve made since moving to New York (except for meeting my wife 😬, sssh). Over the last year, it has become clear that like many things in life, what you give to the club is directly proportional to what you get out of the club. Volunteering, working on the Communications Committee, and running social media (with the help of the inimitable Lillian Park) has made my experience that much richer and more meaningful, and by joining the Board of Directors, I hope that I can leverage my unique position as a social media wizard to make the club more coherent, connected, and inclusive of all members.

Since joining the club, I have tried to take initiative and improve areas of the organization when I thought that I had the right skillset. A few things that I have accomplished since joining in 2017:

• Took over Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and made highlighting our members a priority on those platforms (with the help of Lillian Park).
• Ran our first ad campaign on Facebook for the Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series this year, resulting in record registration numbers.
• Managed the pages on the PPTC website for 2017 Marathon activities and the 2018 Al Goldstein Summer Speed Series.
• Organized 2017 NYCM wave/corral data collection to help people connect with other team members who would be in the same starting area as them before the race.

Here are a few ideas that I would like to implement if given the opportunity:

• Create a set of monthly challenges for members to compete for, with winners honored at the end of the month on all of our media outlets. These challenges will not only be speed/distance-based, but will allow for runners of all ages/speeds/experience to be competitive.
• Create a central database for runners to submit/share their accomplishments, especially for non-NYRR races, since it can be difficult to keep track of all our amazing races.
• Start a Wiki on our website/elsewhere for common suggestions, tips, and questions (like gear, doctors, exercises, speed workouts, etc.).

Thank you for consideration, and whatever the result, I promise to continue doing my very best to help PPTC remain the best track club in all of New York.

Michael Koplin

It has been my honor and privilege to serve and represent the club on the PPTC Board.   It is with a deep sense of humility that I ask the membership to confirm my ongoing participation as a member of the board of directors for another term.

I believe it's important that membership experience be seamless... from race organization or social events, to the important responsibility of maintaining club history yet participating in the evolution of change.  We are a dynamic club in a diverse community, providing a safe harbor where we can all gather together and enjoy our passion for running.  As a runner, I see this as a responsibility that demands my time and  involvement.

If reelected, I will continue to serve all our club members and help provide a welcome and inclusive environment for runners of all age and abilities.  Thank you for your consideration.

Roshan Leslie

I am excited to announce my candidacy for the Board of Directors. This club means a lot to me.  I was a runner for 15 years before joining PPTC, but being a member of the club has made me feel more like an athlete--and a part of a real running community--than I have ever felt before.  PPTC is not just an athletic club; it’s a diverse community of kind, intellectual, and welcoming people, who provide every member with a strong connection to Brooklyn (and no shortage of amusing internet commentary). The people I have met in this club have inspired me to get out of my comfort zone, both physically and socially. You have pushed me to run faster, and have motivated me to participate more.

Since joining the club, I’ve volunteered at AGSS, NYCM last 10 miles, NYCM post race party, and Turkey Trot. I also joined the Race Committee, where I’ve been able to help out while learning about the logistical side of all the fun.

I’d like to join the Board of Directors in order to further develop the programs available for new runners and new members, and to support the club’s mission of being an inclusive running community. This is a great club, and I would like to be a part of the magic that makes it the club of choice for Brooklynites looking for a running crew. I love connecting with others and I hope to be able to show you what I can do!

Thank you for your consideration.

Marek Stepniowski

Dear Teammates, please consider me for a position of director on the PPTC Board.

I've joined Prospect Park Track Club in 2015, a few months after moving to New York. Since then I've trained for my first marathon with PPTC Marathon Training Group, took part in the coached speed workouts,

group races, as well as countless social runs. Not only have my fitness improved, I've also found a group of friends, many of whom I hope to keep for life. You might know me as a guy running everywhere with a huge DSLR camera (at times dressed in a shark onesie).

I feel like it's time I start giving back to the club. While I've never served as a director, I've been involved in two NGOs before, leading key projects: Geek Girls Carrots (enabling women in IT) and Modern Poland Foundation (promoting readership and computer literacy in Poland). I'm very fond of both the competitive part of PPTC as well as the fun and quirky social part. As a director on the board, I would make sure to keep both of those parts of PPTC working in tandem, while implementing new ideas to make our club even better.