The Nominating Committee of the SWTU Board presents the following slate of candidates for the election to be held at the Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 7.

President: Mark Maffit (see bio below)
Vice President: Topf Wells (incumbent)
Treasurer: Nick Jackson (incumbent)
Secretary: Henry Nehls-Lowe (incumbent)
State Council Delegate: Michael Williamson (incumbent)
Three open Director positions:

• Tom Thrall (current Director seeking to continue in the role)
• Kevin Maes (see bio below)
• John Freeborg (see bio below)

President – Mark Maffitt
I have been an SWTU member for more than 30 years.  In the late nineties and early aughts, I served several terms on the board and a couple of terms as vice president. Then I served for eight years as the Newscasts editor back in the days when we snail mailed newsletters to members (yes – Drew Kasel actually has a predecessor). Somewhere in there I also chaired the Icebreaker for a few years. Age and the pandemic time warp makes it difficult for me to say exactly when but I served two additional terms on the board (one term as secretary) just a couple of years ago.

In addition to being a fly-fishing fanatic, I am also a bicycling enthusiast and bicycling advocate. My nonprofit leadership experience includes 14 years on the board of directors (including four years as vice president and then president) of the Bombay Bicycle Club here in Madison. There is a surprisingly large overlap between Bombay and SWTU in terms of the challenges faced by volunteer-driven nonprofits.

There was once an expectation that SWTU vice presidents would subsequently serve as president, but earlier family and career commitments prevented me from fulfilling that expectation. Though it has been a long time, I am thrilled to finally have the opportunity to serve as SWTU president.

Director – Kevin Maes
Kevin is a lifelong fly fisherman and was fortunate to guide during a summer in Alaska. He’s fished all over the US and in many other countries. He’s been a TU member on and off for 40 years and believes there is a lot of work to be done to keep this amazing resource going for our children and grandchildren … and also their grandchildren.

Director – John Freeborg
John has been a SWTU member since 2016. He started taking the chapter’s fly tying courses in 2017 and is still trying to graduate from the intermediate class after many attempts. Learning bug lifecycles through the classes combined with workday stream experiences has kindled a desire to support the chapter’s mission in a greater capacity.

At the April 7 meeting, the nominees or a member acting on their behalf will be given the opportunity to present any information relevant to their candidacy.

In addition to the nominees selected by the committee, the chapter bylaws provide that any member may make a nomination from the floor. For those positions with more than one candidate, secret ballots will be used.

Thank you to the Nominating Committee: Amy Klusmeier, Curt Reidl and Tom Thrall.

Jim Hess is moving into the Past President role having served his two years as President. A tremendous thanks to Jim for his thoughtful leadership during a most extraordinary time. We’re grateful that he will continue to Chair our Conservation Committee.

We would also like to extend our appreciation to  Dave Fowler and Ben Lubchansky for their service to the Board of Directors and look forward to their ongoing engagement with the chapter. Ben will continue as Icebreaker Chair and Dave helping coordinate PGT efforts, rod building, fundraising and more.

Note that three directors are in the middle of their two-year term and will continue in their roles: Curt Reidl, Don Golembiewski and Pat Hasburgh.