Call for Nominations: USA Fencing Independent Board Directors
Published
USA Fencing's Nominating Committee issued a call for nominations for the Board's "Independent" director appointees, for terms running Sept. 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2030. Nominations were due March 31, 2026, sent to nominations@usafencing.org with a short biography and any relevant information. Self-nominations were accepted.
USA Fencing's Nominating Committee issued a call for nominations for the Board's "Independent" director appointees, for terms running Sept. 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2030. Nominations were due March 31, 2026, sent to nominations@usafencing.org with a short biography and any relevant information. Self-nominations were accepted.
What an Independent director is
Independent directors are a distinct category on the Board. They are not appointed from inside the fencing community — the point of the seat is that the person has no current stake in the sport, so they can weigh governance, financial and legal questions without a competing interest.
Who is eligible to return
The two current Independents, Andrea Pagnanelli and Jade Burroughs, are eligible for a second term if interested.
The experience USA Fencing is looking for
The committee is seeking candidates with governance and Board experience. Beyond that, it named useful backgrounds in media, education — especially collegiate athletics — marketing and growth, finance, legal, and other fields relevant to the strategic plan.
The independence test
This is the part that surprises most fencing parents who think about applying. At the time of initial appointment, a candidate is not independent if they, or an immediate family member:
- are a current USA Fencing member, or were a member in the last two years
- coach a USA Fencing member
- are employed by, or hold a paid or volunteer governance role in, USA Fencing, the FIE, World Abilitysport, any international fencing federation, or any entity in the fencing sport family
- are affiliated with USA Fencing's outside auditor or legal counsel
- have received compensation from USA Fencing
- have participated in a fencing competition
- are affiliated with any person or organization that did business with USA Fencing or was a member of USA Fencing
The Nominating Committee may also judge a candidate not independent from the sport on other grounds.
Why the bar is set that high
Taken together, those disqualifiers mean an Independent director is almost by definition someone from outside fencing. That is deliberate. Independent seats exist to bring outside professional judgment to audit, budget, legal and strategic matters, and to satisfy governance expectations that apply to national governing bodies generally.
What it means for members
For fencing families, the practical read is simple: if you are a member, a coach, or a parent of a competitor, the Independent seats are not your path onto the Board. The member-elected At-Large seats are. Those seats go through a nomination, petition and general-election process — see how the 2026 At-Large ballot was finalized for what that cycle looked like in practice.
What members can do here is suggest names: professionals in finance, law, media, education or marketing who would serve the sport well from the outside. Nominations, including self-nominations, went to nominations@usafencing.org.
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Source: USA Fencing, "Call for Nominations: USA Fencing Board of Directors — Independents," March 2, 2026 — https://www.usafencing.org/news/2026/march/2/call-for-nominations-usa-fencing-board-of-directors-independents
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