2014 Board of Directors Election Results

USA ULTIMATE ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Michael Eck Appointed as Independent Member; Minderhout, Seamon Win At-Large Seats; Fajardo Elected as Elite Athlete Representative

Boulder, Colo. (December 17, 2014)—The USA Ultimate Board of Directors will welcome four new faces in 2015 following the appointment of an Independent Board Member and the election of two At-Large candidates and one Elite Athlete by USA Ultimate members.

The board appointed Michael Eck (Rye, N.Y.) as the independent member. Eck recently retired from Morgan Stanley where he most recently served as global head of the consumer and retail banking practice since 2008. Under Eck’s direction, his group was transformed into a leading global franchise on Wall Street. Prior to his position at Morgan Stanley, Eck created and led the global consumer and retail investment banking practice at Citigroup.

In 2012, Eck co-founded Steer for Student Athletes, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to assisting student-athletes with improving their life outcomes through participation in sports. The organization targets low-income and disadvantaged populations and partners with local school and community organizations. Eleven years earlier, Eck also co-founded Altheus, an innovative health services business integrating personal health and performance programs that combined strength and conditioning, physiology, nutrition, massage, physical therapy and mental preparation for athletes and teams.

In addition to his professional background, Eck brings 27 years of experience as a trusted advisor to both public and private boards, senior management teams, entrepreneur owners and financial sponsors. As a member of the board, he will also help guide the organization, drawing from his extensive interactions on strategy with CEOs, CFOs, board members and owners on impactful, long-term shareholder value creation plans.

A highly sought after recruit, Eck also received a full scholarship to play college football at the University of Virginia where he started at quarterback and played defensive back and received All Academic ACC honors. He received his Masters in Management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and recently completed his high school coaching certification from SUNY Cortland in order to coach in the public high school system in the state of New York.

In addition to the appointed position, eligible USA Ultimate members elected Ness Fajardo (San Jose, Calif.) as the Elite Athlete representative.

Fajardo received 156 votes to win the two-person race over Tyler Grant (San Francisco, Calif.), who received 132 votes.

Fajardo is the current captain of Fury, San Francisco’s elite women’s team. As a member of Fury since 2009, she won four national titles (2009-12), a World Ultimate Club Championship (WUCC) in 2010 and silver medals at the 2012 World Ultimate & Guts Championships and the 2014 WUCC.

Two At-Large seats were also on the ballot, one of which went to Kevin Minderhout (Portland, Ore.) with 436 votes. Minderhout owned and managed the NexGen Ultimate Tour and the NexGen Network. The tour ran for three years (2011-13) and showcased a traveling team of college all-stars playing against some of the nation’s top Triple Crown Tour teams in a match-play environment. The NexGen Network provided live streaming and on-demand video coverage of the NexGen Tour, as well as several USA Ultimate properties including the College Championships, the U.S. Open, select Triple Crown Tour events and the National Championships. In addition to his experience as a business owner, Minderhout brings to the board a wide breadth of knowledge and expertise as an elite player on the Triple Crown Tour (Portland Rhino), a coach, and local league board member.

The second At-Large seat went to Josh Seamon (Easthampton, Mass.) with 388 votes.

Seamon previously sat on the USA Ultimate Board of Directors from 2008-10 and currently serves as the national governing body’s Northeast Regional Youth Director and a Level 1 coaching instructor. Professionally, Seamon is Chair of Mathematics at Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts.

Minderhout and Seamon earned their seats on the board over the other two At-Large candidates, Joe Seidler (San Francisco, Calif.), who garnered 171 votes, and Andrew Sieja (Huntsville, Ala.), who collected 138.

The four newly added board members will all serve three-year terms commencing Jan. 1, 2015, lasting through Dec. 31, 2017.

Gwen Ambler, Mike Kinsella, Sandy Park and Ben Slade will exit the board later this month as their terms expire on Dec. 31.

"USA Ultimate is pleased to welcome these new members to the board," commented Mike Payne, USA Ultimate Board of Directors President. "All bring unique and relevant perspectives that will help to serve the organization and our 50,000 members well for the next several years. As the sport of ultimate experiences unprecedented growth in a variety of areas, and as we continue to execute our current strategic plan, having these bright, well-respected and knowledgeable representatives from our community and beyond at the table will be a valuable asset. On behalf of the entire board and staff, I’d also like to express our sincere thanks to Gwen, Mike, Sandy and Ben for their insightful and generous service to the board. They will be missed by all."

The next meeting of the USA Ultimate Board of Directors is scheduled for Jan. 24-25, 2015 in Colorado Springs.

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