[NABS-L] 2020 Election Results

[Cory McMahon]

Congratulations to the new board; I look forward to opportunities ahead for
us to work together.

Thank-you, Kathryn, for your leadership for the past four years.

Sincerely,

Cory McMahon

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Kathryn Webster,
National Student President via NABS-L
Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2020 10:48 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Kathryn Webster, National Student President <nabs.president at gmail.com>;
OfficeOfThePresident at nfb.org
Subject: [NABS-L] 2020 Election Results

Dear NABS Family,
 
When I think about an ideal board to drive our national student division
forward, I look for balance. Balance can mean a ton of different things. To
me, balance means diversity. It means qualifications that, when combined
across the nine personalities, creates a space for all leaders to share,
grow, and learn together; it means perspectives to fit our needs; it means
so much more, but it prioritizes NABS and our national student membership,
not the board members driving the work forward. We are a membership-driven
organization and thus serve our members every single day of our lives. We
need diversity of age, race, gender, talents, backgrounds, life experiences,
involvement in NABS, religion, disability, and of as many identities as we
can reach. We must be intentional to meet the changing needs of our members.
Simultaneously, we need the strongest leaders from all walks of life to
guide our state student divisions forward, facilitate leadership and
regional seminars, lead our committees, retain members, and build our
organization.
 
I preface all of this to what happened Wednesday night. In person, our
protocol would have been to put forth the five names to our active,
registered, and dues-paying members. The name with the least amount of votes
the first time by voice would have been dropped. We then would have done the
same voting procedure for the four, dropped the lowest; and all the way
until we got to the remaining two candidates seeking said position. With
over 250 participants on our call and no feasible way of one person reaching
a majority in the formal way we typically check, including cross-referencing
our registrants, I was comfortable with the motion brought to the floor.
This motion asked for the discussion to cease; and the appointment of the
final 1-year vacated board position be left to the current president. I
allowed for ample time to share concerns and received unanimous support to
proceed in this way. I am so sincerely sorry that this process did not
resonate with everyone. I understand and I am confident that if we are
virtual moving forward, voting will be even more mitigated and intentional.
 
To this end, I am thrilled to announce that Shane Wegner has been appointed
to the position of board Member 4. They are entering their third year of law
school, living in the wonderful city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a
leader in the diversity and inclusion space, ready and eager to approach
diversity proactively within our national organization. Moreover, Shane has
a wealth of knowledge as it relates to accessibility, intersectionality,
graduate studies, and so much more. I am confident in their abilities to
represent the future of NABS, as I am with the eight other board members.
These nine rock star leaders are authentic, intentional, proactive, honest,
collaborative, and transparent.
 
Shane will be a great addition to the 2020-21 organization calendar year;
and would be more than happy to chat with any member interested in
conversing. So, cheers to the incoming NABS Board and congratulations!!
 
President: Trisha Kulkarni
1st Vice President: Kenia Flores
2nd Vice President: Justin Salisbury
Treasurer: Elizabeth Rouse
Secretary: Mausam Mehta
Board Members: Nina Marranca, Johna Wright, Robert Parsons, and Shane Wegner
 
These leaders will make us so proud! Regardless of my role moving forward,
the door is always open. Blind students have the softest place in my heart.
I hope we all can put the love, energy, passion, and support behind these
incoming leaders. I know I certainly will.
 
I love you all,
Kathryn Webster
President, National Association of Blind Students A proud division of the
National Federation of the Blind
(203) 273-8463

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