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Governance

Call for Board of Director Nominations

To: USA Volleyball Beach 10-Year Athletes:

USA Volleyball is accepting applications for the Beach Male Athlete Board of Directors position.  The position was held by Casey Patterson, who submitted his letter of resignation from the USAV Board of Directors. This will complete Casey’s first four-year board term which ends on June 30, 2028.

If you are interested in serving on the USA Volleyball Board of Directors, please send a letter of interest and current resume/CV to Chris Vadala at [email protected]. Please respond by no later than Wednesday, June 11, 2025, after reviewing the information below.

Approximate Timeline

May 30, 2025: Call for nominations distributed and posted on USAV website
June 11, 2025: Nominations close and applications due to Chris Vadala
June 12, 2025: USAV Nominating Committee confirms eligibility
June 13, 2025: Ballot emailed to electorate (international beach athletes)
June 20, 2025: First round of ballots due back via USAV voting software

If no candidate receives greater than 50% of votes, then another round of voting will be conducted (repeated until a candidate receives a simple majority of votes). When a candidate receives greater than 50% of votes then USAV informs the candidates, the electorate and USAV board of election results.

Board of Director Position
One athlete – Beach (male) Director, with one vote.

Selection Process
Selection: Nominees shall be solicited broadly by the Nominating Committee (NC) with self-nomination encouraged. Reasonable effort will be made to identify a minimum of two (2) nominees for each available Board position. The NC will evaluate the nominees against both the General and the Minimum Criteria taking the opportunity to solicit additional information from the nominee or others as useful and determine whether the nomination shall go forward or not. In the event a nominee was judged by the NC to fail to meet the criteria, the nominee shall have the right to request and receive the rationale. International indoor athletes will elect the Indoor Athlete Directors (1 female and 1 male); international beach athletes will elect the Beach Athlete Directors (1 female and 1 male); the international sitting athletes will elect the Sitting Athlete Directors (1 female and 1 male). The determination of whether an athlete is voting as an “indoor eligible athlete,” “beach eligible athlete” or “sitting eligible athlete” will be established by that athlete’s last qualifying competition.

Eligibility Requirement
Minimum Criteria: In order to be eligible to run and/or vote for Beach Athlete Directors, athletes must be international beach athletes as defined below:

Within the ten (10) years preceding election, represented the United States in the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, FIVB Beach World Tour Events, FIVB Beach World Championships or a USOPC Designated Operation Gold event.

General Qualifications: Each Director shall possess the following general qualifications in addition to meeting the Minimum Criteria for the Beach Athlete – Male Director:

  1. Be a citizen of the United States; and not be affiliated with any national volleyball federation other than USA Volleyball;
  2. Be at least eighteen years of age;
  3. Be judged qualified and appropriate for the particular Board position based on but not necessarily limited to:
    1. Possessing good character; and
    2. Possessing appropriate communication and interpersonal skills.
  4. Be committed to the principles and policies of the Corporation and serving the best interests of the Corporation and the sport regardless of the constituency which (s)elects the Board Member.

In addition, a successful candidate is required to pass a USAV Board of Director background check and be currently Safe Sport trained. Once elected to the Board the Director will also be required to sign a Conflict of Interest Form as well as a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

Should additional information be required, please contact Rachael Stafford, USAV General Counsel, at [email protected] or call 719-228-6800.


For Athletes

USA Volleyball Athletes Advisory Council Manual (PDF)

Athlete Ombuds

The Office of the Athlete Ombuds offers independent, confidential advice to elite athletes regarding their rights and responsibilities in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and assists athletes with a broad range of questions, disputes, complaints and concerns.

Phone: 719-866-5000
Email: [email protected]
Website: usathlete.org

Athlete Ombuds Confidentiality and Privacy Policy:

(A) In general.—The Office of the Athlete Ombuds shall maintain as confidential any information communicated or provided to the Office of the Athlete Ombuds in confidence in any matter involving the exercise of the official duties of the Office of the Athlete Ombuds. (B) Exception.—The Office of the Athlete Ombuds may disclose information described in subparagraph (A) as necessary to resolve or mediate a dispute, with the permission of the parties involved.(C) Judicial and administrative proceedings.—(i) In general.—The ombudsman and the staff of the Office of the Athlete Ombuds shall not be compelled to testify or produce evidence in any judicial or administrative proceeding with respect to any matter involving the exercise of the duties of the Office of the Athlete Ombuds.(ii) Work product.—Any memorandum, work product, notes, or case file of the Office of the Athlete Ombuds—(I) shall be confidential; and(II) shall not be—(aa) subject to discovery, subpoena, or any other means of legal compulsion; or (bb) admissible as evidence in a judicial or administrative proceeding. (D) Applicability.—The confidentiality requirements under this paragraph shall not apply to information relating to—(i) applicable federally mandated reporting requirements; (ii) a felony personally witnessed by a member of the Office of the Athlete Ombuds;(iii) a situation, communicated to the Office of the Athlete Ombuds, in which an individual is at imminent risk of serious harm; or (iv) a congressional subpoena.

Anti-Retaliation:

No individual associated with USA Volleyball (USAV) who, in good faith, reports a violation of any matters shall be subject to retaliation, including, harassed, threatened, discriminated against, demoted, discharged or subjected to other forms of retaliation or other adverse consequences associated with the reporting.

Per the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (the “Act”), retaliation means any adverse or discriminatory action, or the threat of an adverse or discriminatory action, including removal from a training facility, reduced coaching or training, reduced meals or housing, and removal from competition, carried out against a protected individual as a result of any communication, including the filing of a formal complaint, by the protected individual or a parent or legal guardian of the protected individual relating to the allegation of physical abuse, sexual harassment, or emotional abuse, with: (1) the U.S. Center for SafeSport; (2) a coach, trainer, manager, administrator, or official associated with USAV; (3) the Attorney General; (4) a  Federal or State law enforcement authority; (5) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; or (6) Congress.

No individual with USAV shall take or threaten to take any action against an athlete as a reprisal for disclosing information to or seeking assistance from the Office of the Athlete Ombuds.

Anyone who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation as discussed in this policy, in good faith, is subject to discipline up to and including dismissal from Board positions, cancelation of contracts, or other such applicable action. In the case of a USAV employee who has been found to have retaliated against someone under this policy, the USAV employee shall be automatically terminated or suspended without pay as required by the Act.