US Sailing has named five new members of the US Sailing’s Board of Directors who were officially elected on Friday, October 14, 2022 at US Sailing’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The newly elected and re-elected members of US Sailing’s Board of Directors are incumbent Henry Brauer (Marblehead, MA), incumbent Stan Honey (Palo Alto, CA) and newcomer Marie Rogers (Los Angeles, CA). Sheila Tolle (La Jolla, CA) was selected by the Nominating Committee to serve as Independent Director, and Pamela Healy (Tiburon, CA) was elected Sailor Athlete Director.
Honey, Rogers, Tolle and Healy will serve a four-year term. Brauer will serve a three-year term.
Notably, Rogers is the first Black sailor to serve on the US Sailing Board. Rogers is a past commodore of the Los Angeles Yacht Club and an advocate for increasing diversity in the sport of sailing.
“Our Nominating Committee made it a priority to continue our effort for bringing a diverse perspective to the board and provided us with incredible new board members,” said Board President Rich Jepsen. “We look forward to the perspective that our new members will bring.”
Sheila Tolle was selected as Independent Director, a US Olympic and Paralympic Committee-mandated position that brings an outside perspective to the Board of Directors. Tolle comes to US Sailing from USRowing, where she has served as a long-time referee and a member of their board of directors.
Pamela Healy, 1992 Olympic Bronze Medalist and 1991 World Champion in the 470, will serve as the Sailor Athlete Director. The Sailor Athlete Director, mandated by the USOPC and the Amateur Sports Act, serves as the voice of active racing sailors in the U.S. To be elected, they must be registered as 10 year or 10 year + athletes. These seats are voted upon by their peers, other 10 and 10 year + athletes, in a process handled by the Sailor Athlete Council.
US Sailing would also like to thank outgoing board members Clerc Cooper (New Orleans, LA) and previous Sailor Athlete representative Briana Provancha (Fort Myers, FL) for their service to the board and US Sailing.
“Both sailors served admirably and were critical voices for the sailor athlete for several years each,” said Jepsen. “The board and I, personally, deeply thank them for their service.”
US Sailing held its annual election to fill the open seats on its Board of Directors from August 25 to October 4, 2022. All current adult and family members were entitled to vote online. In addition, members voted in person at the US Sailing Annual Meeting.