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Rich Pagaliarli

Rich Pagaliarli
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Section: Section 10 10 year
Area: Area E 24 YEARS
Regional: RC for Region 42 8 years
National Programs: I have always worked to follow all National programs and also have my Region, Areas and Section do the same
Instructor: I am a Advanced Management Instructor
Tournament: I have started new Tournament and help run tournaments

Accomplishments / Achievements:

As the RC for Region 42 our player count grew to over 2200 players As AD for Area E I have 6 Regions and worked to have all my Regions be in compliance and to work on player growth We grew our Area League and All Star teams from 6 team per division to 16 teams to give more players the opportunity to play more games and ran the tournament over a three weekend As SD I have worked very hard to get all my Area in compliance and to use all the programs that National put out. We were not 100% but we were very close.

Kris Graff

Kris Graff
TREASURER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Section Director 6 yrs; Assistant SD 1 yr; Secretary 2 yrs
Area Director 5 yrs; Area Management Admin 1.5 yrs
Regional Commissioner 3 yrs; Registrar 1 yr; Treasurer 3 yrs; Division Coordinator 1 yr
National Management Council Chair 1 yr; National Management Council/Commission 7 yrs; NAGM Caucus Program Mgr 2 yrs; NAGM
Caucus AD Lead 2 yrs; NAGM Caucus RC Facilitator 3 yrs
National Management Instructor 4 yrs; Advanced Management Instructor 6 yrs; Management Instructor 2 yrs
2023 National Games Webmaster
NAGM Task Force Virtual/Hybrid 2yrs; RC Training Instructor 10 yrs; ADTraining Instructor 9 yrs; EXPO Instructor Sections 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12

Accomplishments / Achievements:

National Management Volunteer of the Year,
Section 9 Management Volunteer of the Year 2 times,
Area 9B Management Volunteer of the Year,
100% Participation RAP Participation by Regions in Area 4 years as AD.
AAP Gold Area 2 yrs,
AAP Silver Area 1 yr,
RAP Bronze Region 2yrs,
RAP Silver Region 1 yr;

Gary Van Otten

Gary Van Otten
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Section Coach Administrator – 5 years
Area Referee Administrator – 3 years
RCA – 3 years; Division Coordinator – 4 years; VIP Coordinator – 3 years;
Team Balancing Coordinator – 6 years; Coach – 16 years; Referee – 18 years
Chairman, National Coach Council – 3 years
Coach Instructor
National Expo Task Force 2016

Accomplishments / Achievements:

National Coach; National Referee; 2022 Coach Spirit Award; Co-writer of 5 Expo
workshops (referee track and coach track); initiated Kerlan-Jobe/AYSO relationship;
initiated the continuing education units, CEU, program; coached 400+ AYSO
games; refereed 400+ AYSO games

Michael Cassidy

Michael Cassidy
SECRETARY
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Assistant Section Director – 4 years
Area Director – 8 years
Winter Select League Director – 3 years
Assistant Coach – 2 years
Team Coach – 7 years
Field Maintenance – 2 years
Division Coordinator – 5 years
Systems Support Council – 1 year
NAGM Facilitator – 2 years
Coach Instructor – 8 years
Management Instructor – 5 years
Advanced Management Instructor – 1 year)
Western States Championships – 2 years
Section 2 Tournament – 7 years
Area 2N Tournament – 7 years
12U City Championships – 1 year

Honors, Accomplishments:

Gave my full support to AYSO Volunteer Training, Certification, mentorship,
continued Education and Child/Volunteer Protection.
Embraced the full weath of available AYSO Programs and opportunities; Core, EPIC
(VIP), Playground/Schoolyard, 16U/19U, Select League, Youth Volunteers, AYSO
Soccer Camps, all-year round soccer opportunities Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer.
Supported and encouraged the inclusion of mixed gender Teams.
Advocated for the expansion of the 19U Program to allow all high school seniors to play AYSO Soccer.
AYSO Area of the Year Section 2 Area N (2018)
Section 2 Area of the Year (2019)
Section 2 Extraordinary Volunteer (2018)
Section 2 Exceptional Volunteer of the Year (2016)
Manny Hirschel Area 2N Volunteer of the Year (2014)
Best EXPO Area Attendance (2016, 2017, 2020)

A native of Southern California, Donovan was a member of the inaugural class of the U.S. Soccer youth residency program in Bradenton, Florida. He was named Player of the Tournament for his role in the United States under-17 squad that finished fourth in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship before signing with German club Bayer Leverkusen later that year.

Landon Donovan, an AYSO alum, started playing soccer at age 2 in Ontario, Calif., after his older brother, Josh, introduced him to the sport.

“Josh would take me out to the backyard and kick the ball around with me,” said Donovan, who joined an AYSO team at age 5 and kept playing AYSO until age 14. “The beauty of AYSO was that you had kids from all walks of life who just wanted to be active and run around and play soccer,” U.S. Men’s leading goal scorer Landon Donovan said. “I started playing club soccer at the age of 10 but I wanted to continue playing AYSO because I enjoyed the camaraderie and the ability to just play for the love of the game.”

Donovan turned pro at 16 years old, when he signed with German club Bayer Leverkusen. He’s come a long way in the past 12 years, becoming the most recognizable American soccer player. The 2010 Player of the Year currently plays for the U.S. National team and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Los Angeles Galaxy.

A three-time World Cup veteran, Donovan is the all-time leader in both scoring and assisting goals for the national team; he also became the fourth-youngest player to reach 100 appearances for his country. He scored three goals in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, including the goal in the 1-0 defeat of Algeria, propelling the U.S. to the second round of the games. He scored two goals in the 2009 Confederations Cup, scoring against soccer power houses Italy in the group round and Brazil in the final. In his first World Cup, Donovan scored in the 2-0 Quarterfinal win over Mexico in 2002. Donovan has also represented the U.S. at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where the U.S. finished fourth.

Donovan has scored 124 goals in his 12-year MLS career. Last season, Donovan led the Galaxy to an MLS Cup title, scoring 12 goals throughout the season. The team also won the Supporters Shield (given to the team with the best record in the regular season). In 2010, Donovan helped the Galaxy win the Supporters Shield and became the all-time leading goal scorer for the team. Before the start of the 2010 MLS season, Donovan went to English Premier League (EPL) team, Everton, for a short loan. During that time, Donovan played in 13 games, scoring two goals and was named the January Player of the Month. In 2009, Donovan won the MLS’ MVP and Goal of the Year award. He led the team to the MLS Cup Finals, where the team lost in penalties to Real Salt Lake. Donovan has won three MLS Cup championships – one with the Galaxy (2005) and two with the San Jose Earthquakes (2001, 2003).

Questions & Answers

Age started playing soccer: 2

Favorite AYSO memory: I started playing AYSO when I was 5. Before that, my older brother, Josh, would take me out to the backyard and kick the ball around with me. My favorite AYSO memory is that I got to play on the same team as my best friend when I was 8 years old.

What he loved about AYSO: The beauty of AYSO was that you had kids from all walks of life who just wanted to be active and run around and play soccer. I started playing club soccer at the age of 10 but I wanted to continue playing AYSO because I enjoyed the camaraderie and the ability to just play for the love of playing. The games were still competitive but they never revolved around winning.

Advice for the first-time coach: One of my biggest pet peeves is youth team coaches who take winning too seriously. This has always bothered me, and I always tell coaches to forget about winning with young players. They need to create an environment where the kids enjoy playing and are developing their soccer skills. Winning should never be a priority.

When Julie Foudy won two World Cups and two Olympics medals, she wore the number 11 – the same number that she wore when she started playing AYSO at age 7 while living in Mission Viejo, CA.

Hall of Famer Started Her Career in AYSO

“I begged my mom to sign me up for soccer and joined a team called the Strikers,” said Foudy. “When it came to pass out the shirts, I knew what I wanted. I was this feisty little 7-year-old who thought I was the best, so I should have the No. 1. They told me the goalie has to take that number, so I went with the double No. 1. That’s how I became No. 11 for the rest of my life. Thanks to the Strikers.”

Foudy has many fond memories of her AYSO experience that led to one of the most illustrious careers in women’s sports history. She believes that being allowed to enjoy the game and explore it on her own terms was the key to her success.”AYSO emphasizes all the positives of soccer: the enjoyment that kids get from the sport, understanding how to play on a team and be a good teammate, and developing skills in a fun environment. I watched my nieces and nephews go through AYSO and I look forward to watching my own kids enjoy soccer through AYSO!”

Foudy retired in 2004 after captaining the U.S. Women’s National Team 13 of the 18 years she played on it. She played in three Olympics and four World Cups. And, only two players in the world, former teammates Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly top Foudy’s 271 U.S. National Team appearances.

Foudy’s U.S. National Team soccer career is a storied one. She’s won two World Cups (in 1991 and 1999), two Gold Medals (in 1996 and 2004) and a Silver Medal (in 2000). In her 271 appearances for the U.S. National Team, Foudy scored 45 goals. Foudy played pro soccer with the San Diego Spirit of the now defunct WUSA, where she captained all three years. Foudy was inducted to the AYSO Hall of Fame in 2006 and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007.

Foudy’s had a profound impact off the field as well. She was the President of the Women’s Sports Foundation from 2000-2002, served on the Women’s Sports Foundation Board of Directors for seven years and was a WSF advocacy consultant for two years, with a focus on Title IX, childhood obesity, and athletes’ rights issues. Foudy currently sits on the board of Athletes for Hope (AFH), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization created by successful athletes who have a deep commitment to charitable and community causes. Foudy is the global spokeswoman for Global Girl Media, a new non-profit helping young women around the world find their voice through journalism. She is also an ambassador for Beyond Sport, a global organization that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world. Foudy has been instrumental in a number of women’s rights and child labor issues around the world. FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, awarded her the FIFA Fair Play Award for her work against child labor in the stitching of soccer balls. She was the first woman and first American to receive the award.

She is currently an analyst for ABC/ESPN and the NBC Olympics, director of her Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academies, a motivational speaker, and proud mother of two children, Isabel and Declan.

Questions & Answers

Age started playing soccer: 7

Why she loves AYSO: AYSO emphasizes all the positives of soccer: the enjoyment that kids get from the sport, understanding how to play on a team and be a good teammate, and developing skills in a fun environment. I watched my nieces and nephews go through AYSO and I look forward to watching my own kids enjoy soccer through AYSO!

Favorite AYSO memory: My AYSO coach gave us fun prizes for juggling, so I spent hours juggling and trying to reach those goals. We got something for 25 juggles, something else for 50, and on up. What that really taught me was the importance of time on the ball. When you love the ball, the skills and confidence follow.

What advice would you give a first-time AYSO coach? First of all, I’d tell them they’re not going to be an expert right away! They can read all the books in the world about the technical skills, but the most important thing is to create an environment where the kids feel comfortable and it’s fun to learn. You don’t have to turn them into an Abby Wambach or Landon Donovan…just let them have fun and love playing soccer!

Shannon Boxx, who has won both an Olympic Gold Medal and NCAA Division 1 College Cup for Notre Dame, started playing AYSO when she was four-years-old in Torrance, CA.

“I remember the oranges and halftime, parents lining up on the sideline to make a tunnel after the game and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ blasting on the boom box,” Boxx remembers of her AYSO days. “I learned that real ball skills were more important than tricks to win the ball in AYSO. I also learned that it was ok to get knocked around and fall down while playing soccer. You just got to get back up again!”

This past summer, Boxx was part of the Olympic gold medal team in London. Boxx played in the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany, where the U.S. finished second. As of September 2012, Boxx has played for the U.S. Women’s National Team 172 times, scoring 24 goals. Boxx played every minute of all five U.S. games during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and helped the women reach the semifinals in the 2007 World Cup. Missing most of the 2006 season due to injury, Boxx was named a finalist for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year, coming in third. Boxx won a Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics. Boxx made her first appearance with the U.S. Women’s National team after being named to the 2003 World Cup squad. Boxx became the first American woman to score three goals in her first three games with the national team. She started all five World Cup games, and was voted player of the game against Canada by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

The midfielder was allocated to the Los Angeles Sol in the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) season in 2009, where she also captained the team, scoring three goals and three assists. After the Sol dispersed, Boxx was selected by St. Louis Athletica. Prior to joining the WPS, Boxx played in the now defunct WUSA for San Diego Spirit and New York Power. During her time in the league, Boxx scored six goals and 15 assists. Boxx also helped the University of Notre Dame win their first NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship her freshman year in 1995.

Questions & Answers

Age started playing soccer: 4

Favorite AYSO memory: Oranges at halftime, parents lined up on the sidelines to make a tunnel after the game, and Prince’s “Purple Rain” blasting on the boombox.

Favorite AYSO coach and why: I don’t remember his name, but I do remember he taught us that real ball skills were more important than tricks to win the ball. I also learned that it was ok to get knocked around and fall down while playing soccer. You just get back up again!

What advice would you give a first-time AYSO coach? Make soccer fun for the kids and get them to enjoy it first, then teach them skills. The most important thing is to have fun on the soccer field; winning is not so important. If you teach the value of teamwork and you instill that early, that’s what’s important.

ALEX MORGAN
U.S. Women’s National Team

Questions & Answers

Who was your greatest influence as a youth soccer player?

“Probably the ‘99 World Cup team because that was the first time I’d seen women on TV playing soccer and completely dominating the game.”

Your dad was one of your first coaches. How did that influence you as a player?

“My dad was one of my first coaches. He influenced me greatly because he didn’t know anything about the game of soccer, but he decided to take it upon himself to learn the game and go to coaching and referee classes. And I felt like because he took it upon himself to learn the game better, it was great to have him coaching me and go out with me for extra practice, extra training and extra shooting. I always had a coach next to me that wanted to help make me better. In that way, he influenced me and wanted…and in turn I wanted to make him proud.”

What was your favorite AYSO team name that you were a part of?

“My favorite AYSO team when I was younger was called Blue Crush. I don’t really remember why, I think there was a movie, maybe, called Blue Crush and I think that may have been why. I do remember that we made it pretty far, we made it through like, the regional tournament and did pretty well and that was probably the best AYSO team I played for.”

Did you have a fun pre/post game ritual as an AYSO player?

“Back when I was an AYSO player my pregame ritual was probably to put on my cleats like three hours before a game and have my mom braid my hair. It’s a little different now-a-days, now I have a teammate braid my hair and put my cleats on right before I go out. So it’s a little different, but I don’t want my mom in the locker room, so sorry, my mom can’t braid my hair anymore. I still take a few things from when I was younger and apply that now.”

What is your most memorable memory from AYSO?

“Going to In-N-Out before a game and then everyone was so full and losing that game and being like, why did we eat burgers before a game?”

What is your greatest advice for young athletes?

“Advice I’d give to young soccer players is to believe in yourself first of all and that hard work takes you way farther than any talent that you start off with. It’s really that simple. There’s no secret to success, but it starts with that self-belief.”

What’s been your best moment as a pro soccer player?

“My best moment as a pro soccer player would definitely be our very first game with Orlando Pride and seeing 24,000 people showing up for our first game.”

What are your favorite hobbies off the soccer field?

“My favorite hobbies off the soccer field are yoga, spending time out on our lake here in Orlando, taking my dog to the dog park and just hanging out with family.”

Peter McKinney
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Section: Section 8 Director 2.5 years / Section Volunteer Coordinator 2 years
Area: Area 8J Director 5 years
Region: 10U Division Coordinator – 2 years / Assistant Regional Commissioner – 1 year/ Regional Commissioner – 2 years / Coach – 10 years / Referee – 10 years / Safety Director – 2 years / Treasurer – 1 year / Purchaser – 6 years / CVPA – 1 year
National Programs: Systems Council / Systems and Management Council / Safety Council
Instructor: Coach Instructor / Management and Advance Management Instructor / EPIC Instructor

Honors, Accomplishments:

As the Regional Commissioner for Region 815, I increased the region player count by an additional hundred players each year for the two years that I was RC.

As an Area Director, I help merge Area B and Area J within Section 8 to become one combined area as Area B had not had an area director in several years. This provided for a stronger combined area for the sharing of two bi-yearly Super Camp, training resources, volunteers, interplay and tournament play.

As a participant on the Systems council, I was part of the team that created the AYSO Wikki that provides answers for AYSO volunteer questions.

As a participant on the Management and Systems, I helped update and move the job descriptions of the regional board positions from the printed manuals to the electronic format and put them on the AYSO Wikki.

As the Section 8 Director, I have promoted EPIC (Everyone Plays in Our Community), and I have added an EPIC Coordinator to my Section 8 staff for the purpose of promoting and growing EPIC within our section. I have increased volunteer representation from Section 8 on all AYSO National Councils. I have listened to Section 8 volunteers and moved the Section 8 Expo back to Michigan to decrease costs to regions, decrease travel time of volunteers and increase accessibility for volunteers to attend the expo. Expo attendance was increased by this move back to Michigan by forty percent. I have advocated to the National Board of Directors for changes to procedures and policies when clarification was needed or had not been already established previously.

Penney Wakefield
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Section 8 Volunteer Coordinator 7 years, Section 8 eAYSO Coordinator 6 years
8D Area Director 4 years, Area Treasurer 1 year, Area Auditor 1 year
Regional Treasurer 15 years, Regional Assistant Regional Commissioner 5 years, Regional Coach Playground through 12U 12 years, Regional Referee 12 years
Co-Chair of National Management Council (10 months), Co-Vice Chair of the National Management Council 2 years, Finance Committee Member 1 year
Advanced Management Instructor

Honors, Accomplishments:

As Co-Chair of the National Management Council, facilitated the creation of/updating of several management courses. I helped create a new Intro to Instruction course
Received the Section Director award for Section 8 in 2019
A member of the committee to organize and run the Section 6/8 Expo with a positive bottom line

Rick Buiteweg
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Section Director – 7 years
Section Treasurer – 3 years
Area Director – 2 years
Area Staff – 8 years
Regional Commissioner – 5 years
Regional Coach Administrator – 3 years
Instructor – Advance Management, Advance Coach
Various Taskforces, Workgroups and Commissions – 8 years

Honors, Accomplishments:

Supported AYSO by working to define and execute the direction and scope for AYSO Systems including the current platforms.
Supported AYSO Office, NBOD, and past four NBOD Presidents as a volunteer Lead Consultant for AYSO systems.
Led the New Registration Platform project for many months until AYSO Office could hire a Project Lead.
I have supported many board initiatives as a volunteer and a consultant including Growth Initiative, Volunteer Membership
Program, Fee Increases, Financial Systems, AYSO Future State, COVID Taskforce, along with many other workgroups and taskforces.
Developed operational metrics for COVID Crisis to help the organization understand the crisis and developed current operational measures to help move AYSO to data driven decisions.
Working with current system providers to develop metrics to support all levels of the organization.
Winner of the President Award from last three Presidents for my work to support the organization.
Recognized for contributions to Management Discipline.
Section Director for Section 8 for past 7 years working to improve communication with the National Organization and within our Section.
My main drive as Section Director is connecting Regions back to the organization and to change the focus working with them to how we can help the Regions do what they do versus compliance and blindly pushing National Programs.
Co-created and established the new process for Expo’s which included returning control to the Sections and removing the financial burden they were to the National Organization.
I continued to be asked and support the work of many of the NBOD initiatives and continue to help support changes to help our organization advance.
Advance Coach and Management Instructor active in training volunteers.

Oher Volunteer and Sports Related Experience:

WCAV Board – 2 years

Professional Experience:

The organization has leveraged my professional experience which includes 37 Years of IT experience designing, developing, and implementing large scale complex systems to support business.
I have worked on developing multiple systems and process across a wide variety of business processes and needs. Many of these systems support distributed network of locally run businesses that deliver products to the end customers much as we do here in AYSO.
I have experience with both custom development and purchased packages and integration of these into complex eco-systems.
I have Program and Project management experience as both the technical and business lead including several global projects.
Current position is the Chief Architect for Enterprise Connectivity that is responsible for Architectural teams and direction for the connectivity and services for Ford Vehicles for both internal and external needs. This includes supporting the systems and software that are both on-board and off-board of our vehicles.
I am part of the Product Development Leadership team responsible for the development and execution of business and technical strategy for vehicle connectivity and the development of connected features for all Ford Vehicles globally.
I have two bachelor’s degrees – one in Computer Science and the other in Business Administration. I also have a Juris Doctorate (JD) and am a member of the Michigan State Bar – although not actively practicing law.

Christina Bentley
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

AYSO Experience:

Regional:

Regional Commissioner: 6 years
Assistant Regional Commissioner: 1 year
Website Admin: 7 years
Uniform Coordinator: 4 years
Coach/Assistant Coach: 6 years
Team Parent: 16 years
Referee: 4 years

Area:

Assistant Area Director (.5 years)

Instructor:

Management Instructor 1 year

Honors, Accomplishments:

Created Course: Creating a Culture of Volunteer Willingness and Appreciation
Participation in the Volunteer Engagement Group
Participation in the Participant Safety Council
Growth of player and volunteer base within the region

Professional Experience:

Education:

Bachelor of Arts – Business Administration (Human Resources focus)
Master of Arts – Organizational Psychology, Human Behavior
Master of Science coursework in Instructional Design and Training
Doctorate of Psychology – Organizational Leadership Psychology (focus on Neuroleadership, Adult Development, and
Volunteerism – in-progress

Certiﬁcations:

Certiﬁed Project Management Professional (PMP)

Professional Roles & Skill Sets:

Business Owner
Consultant
Project Management
Change Management Practitioner
Human Resources
Employee Lifecycle & Performance Management
Instructional Design & Training
Human-Centered Design & Facilitation
Communication Strategy
Knowledge Management and Collaboration
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness Initiatives

Jeff Ransom
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER

Yvette Barrett
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

Personal:

Mother of two incredible daughters, Jaqueline and Brittany.
Grandmother to an amazing grandson, Bentley.
Previous business owner.
Currently an Executive Administrator.

AYSO Experience:

Regional:

Regional Commissioner 5 years
Assistant Regional Commissioner 1 year
Registrar 3 years
Coach 10 years
Safety Director 2 years
Team Mom 5 years
Equipment Coordinator 2 years
Tournament Director 6 years

Area:

Area Director 4 years
Tournament Director 4 years
Management Instructor

Section:

Section Director 6 years

Commissions:

Nominating Commission 3 years

Task Force:

NAGM Task Force 1 year
Expo Task Force 1 year

Accomplishments/Awards:

Area Manny Hirschel Award Winner
Section of the Year Award
Runner up Section of The Year
Received a Volunteer Award from my current home region

Other Volunteer Work:

Girl Scout Leader 10 years
PTO 11 years
Fundraising Chair 8 years for PTO
Dance Studio Costume and Trip event organizer 9 years
Softball Coach 2 years

Professional/Work Experience:

Executive Administrator (Current)
Owned Restaurant (Previous)
Owned Construction Company (Previous)
Owned Automotive Business (Previous)

Doug Ryan
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
[email protected]

Personal Information:

Married to Melanie for 30 years
Born March 27, 1962
3 children: Danielle 27, Alex 25 and Jonathan 20, all of whom played in AYSO from U6 through U19.
Degree in Business Management from Davenport College in Michigan

AYSO Experience:

AYSO volunteer since 1999 for Section 12, Area D, Region 310 starting as a Referee.
Various Regional and Section positions to include:

Referee and Coach
Regional Director of Referee Instruction (4 years)
Regional Referee Administrator (2 terms for 6 years total)
Regional Commissioner of a 1000 player Region (3 years) earning Platinum status each year
Section Director of Referee Instruction for 3 years
Section 12 Director for 3 years
Accomplishments and Certifications:
National Referee
National Referee Instructor
National Referee Assessor
Referee Instructor Evaluator
Advanced Management Instructor
CVPA Instructor
Activity Leader
Commission and Task Force Participation:
National Referee Commission Member for 5 years
National Referee Commission Chair for 2 years
Member of the Extended Play Task Force
Member of the National Tournament Commission
Referee Coordinator volunteer for each National Games since 2010
Nominating Commission for 2 years
Other Volunteer Experience
Arizona Interscholastic Association (high school) Referee Assignor and Assessor
Boy Scouts of America troop volunteer
Church Board of Trustees

Professional Experience:

Employed in the industrial equipment industry since 1987
Presently work for a pump manufacturer as a Regional Sales Manager for 8 Southwestern states with revenue to 4 million.
Successful at working with clients to identify the needs and developing programs and solutions to satisfy those needs.

Audrey Castreje
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

Personal Information:

Biography coming soon.

Eileen Tabert
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT
[email protected]

Personal Information:

Married to Herb for 38 yrs.
Mom of 3 children, Chip, Erich and Natasha who played in AYSO.
Brigham Young University, Bachelor of Science degree: Child Development and Family Relations.
Co-owner with my husband of our travel agency “Travels by Herb”

AYSO Experience:

Regional Staff:

Regional Commissioner – 3 yrs.
Regional Tournament Director – 3 yrs.
Regional Tournament Sponsor coordinator – 3 yrs.
U 16 Coach – 1 yr.
Regional Treasurer – 4 yrs.
Select team Manager – 1 yr.
Area Staff
Area Director – 6 yrs.
Assistant Area Director – 1 yr.
Area Management Admin. – 3 yrs.

Section Staff:

Section Director – current SD (6yrs to May 2016)
CVPA
Section Advanced Management Instructor
National Tournament Advisory Commission member – 1 yr.

National Programs Staff:

RC Training Instructor – instructor since Class 1 to present
Chair, Section Meeting Task Force – 1 yr.
Strategic Plan: Volunteer Development – 2 yrs.
EM Expired Term Task Force – 2 yrs.
RAP/AAP Assessment Task Force – 4 yrs.
Programs and Education Commission – 2 yrs.
Extended Play Task Force – 2 yrs.
NBOD Nominating Commission – 5 yrs.
Chair, National Management Advisory Commission – 1 yr. 4 months
Volunteer at Lancaster National Games, Hawaii National Games, Anaheim National Games – 2014
National Management Advisory Commission – 4 yrs.
AD Training Instructor – 5 yrs

Other:

USSF Appeals Committee member – 2 yrs.
Assistant Secretary to the National Board of Directors – 1 yr.

Other Accomplishments and Awards:

As chair of NMAC I worked with Rosanne MacPhail to get approval from the NBOD to create RC Training. Helped develop the current RC Training format and curriculum
Worked with a fellow AD caucus facilitator in May 2004 to change the AD caucus format to its current format, making it a positive, productive discussion of issues facing EM and making change recommendations to the NBOD & NO to eliminate/alleviate issues.
AD/RC Caucuses Project Manager – late 2004 – 2008. Applied new AD caucus format to RC caucuses in 2005. Managed the selection of AD & RC facilitators and topics. Created the facilitator training. Also managed the follow-up with NBOD & NO for recommendations coming out of AD/RC caucuses.
President’s citation of Excellence – May 2006.
National Management Spirit Award – 2008.
Section of the Year – 2010, 2011, 2016
Chair, National Management Advisory Commission (NMAC) 2008-2009
Member, National Tournament Commission
Member, National Management Commission
Wrote and revised curriculum for Management workshops as a member of NMAC
Green Thumb Award in 2010, 2011
Section 9 Spirit Award – 2012

Professional Experience:

Director of 2 Pre-schools operating all day to day operations and Curriculum Development.
Co-Owner of a Travel Agency where I responsible for customer service, maintaining & updating the customer database, travel planning, communications, and the agency finances

Dan Howald
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & GROWTH
[email protected]

Personal Information:

Married to Allison, 28 years; children Amanda (25), Jason (22);
Cat AJ (17), Dog Zoey (8).
Native of Philadelphia (avid follower of its sports teams, including the one that recently one a championship in the other kind of football)
BA Communication Arts, Hofstra University. Minors – Political Science, Music.
Resides in Garrison, NY

Current AYSO Roles:

U5 Master Coach, Region 455 (since 2010)
VIP Head Coach, Region 455 (since 2006)
Section 3 Marketing Director (since 2010)

AYSO Experience:

Region 455:
Coach, starting 1998
Regional Coach Administrator, 2001-03
Regional Commissioner, 2003-07 (~580 players)
Area 3T Director, 2007-2010
Chair, AYSO National Marketing Commission, 2007-2015
AYSO Crisis Response Team 2012-14
U4/Playground Task Force, 2015-2016

AYSO Certifications:

Intermediate Coach
Regional Referee
Safe Haven
Management Instructor
Coach Instructor

AYSO Achievements:

Initiated Region 455 VIP program
Initiated Region 455 AYSO Scholarship for graduating
HS Seniors
Platinum Area, 2007-2010
Expo Workshop Instructor, 2008–present
NAGM – Marketing Presenter, 2012-14
AYSO Marketing Commission Initiatives/Programs Led:

Fielding/interpretation of brand attitude and
awareness research
Brand Positioning Study – implementation program to embrace AYSO’s marketplace perception (“Rec is Not
a Four Letter Word”)
Nationwide player programs survey – creation,
deployment, analysis
AYSO 50th Anniversary/”Project Gold” Task Team: Sponsorship, marketing and events development/deployment
Section Meetings re-branding (now AYSO Expo)
Fourth of July “Official Sponsor” concept
development/implementation
Created several original Marketing workshops for Expos.
Other Volunteer Work:

Former Coach, Little League Baseball, CYO Basketball
Former Team Parent, Patriots FC (ENY/USYS Premier League)
The TicTocStop Foundation / Camp Carton, for Children
with Tourette’s
NYC District 39 Participatory Budgeting Program.
Professional Experience

Advertising & Marketing Communications Professional for 30+ years, overseeing strategy and execution for brands such as Marriott, Kellogg’s, Fisher-Price, Nabisco, LifeSavers, Del Monte, and many more.

Currently: Director, Digital & Social Media Intelligence, SMA NYC. Developed and built practice area, focusing on using analytics to develop insights that inspire creativity and results.

Michael Karon
NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
[email protected]

Personal Information:

Married to Carolyn for 32 years
Two children: Lauren (26) and Andrew (24)
BA, Chinese 1981 (UCLA); MBA, Finance 1986 (UCLA)

AYSO Experience:

AYSO player (4 years, starting in 1968)
AYSO volunteer (44 years, starting in 1972)
Regional Commissioner, Region 76 (4 years)
Referee Administrator, Region 76 (10 years)
Assistant Regional Commissioner, Region 76 (6 years)
Area Referee Administrator, 1P (6 years)
Extra Program Manager, Section 1 West (2 years)
Assistant Area Director, 1P (2 years)
Section 1 Director of Referee Assessment (4 years)
Co-Director, Ken Aston Cup (5 years)
Instructor, Ken Aston Camp (7 years)
Expo/Section Meeting Presenter (15 years)

Honors, Accomplishments and Certifications:

Platinum Region
National Referee
National Referee Instructor
National Referee Assessor
Developed Referee Instructor curriculum (Ken Aston Camp)
Developed and delivered Regional Commissioner Continuing Education workshops (Expo)
Developed regional player programs (Monday night open practice, Flex play, Kick It in the Spring, Pre-Season Boot Camp) to drive family engagement and increased participation. Grew Regional enrollment from less than 1500 to over 2000 players.
Identified specific growth opportunities for AYSO Regions on a National basis
Trained over 5000 new referees
Assisted in the start up and funding of the Watts, LA Central, Los Feliz and South LA Regions
Developed new field space for more players to play

Commissions and/or Task Forces:

National Development Commission
U4 Task Force

Other Volunteer Work:

UCLA Alumni Mentor

Professional Experience:

Certified Financial Planner
Started multiple companies
More than 30 years Executive Level experience at both large and small technology and financial service companies
Experienced at achieving successful results through sound business strategy development and execution

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