Board Member Ballot - 2022

For terms of service January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026
Member Verification

Note: you must be a current American Whitewater member to vote on this ballot. Your information is requested below to verify your membership status.

Your member number is usually printed on any mail you receive from American Whitewater and is on your account page if you're signed into the AW website. How to find your member number.

If you have questions regarding your membership number please call AW Membership Director, Bethany Overfield at 1-866-262-8429.






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Board Member Ballot
As required by the American Whitewater bylaws, the Nominating Committee of American Whitewater is responsible for the process of identifying, recruiting and nominating diverse, highly-qualified nominees for the board. This is done by a thorough review of incumbent, self-nominated and recruited nominees. All nominees are assessed against selection criteria set by the board.

The American Whitewater Board of Directors can have a maximum of 12 independent directors. Directors serve three-year volunteer terms and are elected by a majority vote of active American Whitewater members. For a nominee to be seated, the majority of ballots cast must be affirmative (for). Any nominee who fails to receive a majority "for" vote will not be seated and the position may be filled by board appointment until the next election cycle. Based on nominee qualifications, the committee strongly recommends a "for" vote for all nominees.

Deadline for submitting electronic ballots is December 13, 2022, midnight PT. Thank you for your participation in this important election process. You must be a current American Whitewater member to be eligible to vote for directors.

Brent Austin
Brent Austin
Brent Austin is an attorney, a longtime paddler from Central Kentucky, former President of the Bluegrass Wildwater Association and has been involved for decades raising money for AW River stewardship goals, particularly related to the Russell Fork River. An active paddler on the Gauley, Russell Fork, the rivers around the Smoky Mountains and all the Southeast, Mr. Austin has a unique perspective grounded in being an active member of the paddling community. Mr. Austin currently serves on the John Flannagan Dam Whitewater Advisory Board and has been an instrumental voice and force for the Russell Fork River since the mid 90s. A founder and organizer of the Russell Fork River Rendezvous, Mr. Austin also organized and raced in the predecessor event to what is now known as the Lord of the Fork Race. He also raced in the Gore Canyon Race in the mid-90s. Today, Mr. Austin practices law in his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky and frequently paddles around the Smoky Mountains where he and his family have a second home.

Erin Savage
Erin Savage

For me, conservation efforts, community outreach, and whitewater have always been linked. I began kayaking while traveling through East Africa, exploring the links between environmental conservation and local communities. I first became an AW member at Moose Fest in 2008, while living in the Northeast pursuing a Master of Environmental Science and completing my first full year of kayaking. Currently, I work as a program manager for Appalachian Voices, a regional nonprofit focused on energy issues in the Southeast. I have a decade of experience in working in water quality, and natural resource policy. I have served on the AW board since 2017, and am currently the board secretary. I respect the way that AW balances recreational needs, ecological considerations, and interactions with other stakeholder groups in relicensing and access projects. I look forward to continuing to serve AW through my board position.



Chris Tulley
Chris Tulley
I want to improve access and flows to the rivers that have made such a difference in my life. My 20+ years of paddling has been nearly evenly split between the east coast and west coast. There is such a huge difference in how AW is perceived and valued in these regions. I believe I can help grow both membership and river stewardship projects on the west coast and nationally. To help accomplish this, I will bring my optimistic and collaborative 20+ years of experience in big technology companies getting results as: 1. Project Manager - getting things done on time and under budget 2. Technical Sales - Getting people to say yes while not over-promising 3. Product Marketing - simplifying ideas so they are highly valued by the target market 4. Product Manager - defining and bringing the right product to market 5. Account Executive - getting stakeholders who have different objectives to collaborate. While I definitely have a serious side...mainly I like to go paddling. Hope to see you on the river!

Lily Durkee
Lily Durkee
Lily Durkee started whitewater kayaking when she was 9 years old on the Potomac River near Washington, DC. Since then, her love of rivers, passion for conservation, and desire to share paddling with others have grown and matured. Lily understands the importance of paddling and river access because her experiences on whitewater as a young girl gave her confidence to be bold and strive for excellence both on and off the water. Today, she is the Founder and President of the nonprofit Diversify Whitewater, which works to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in paddlesports by removing the barriers that may exist for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Allies in kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddling, and rafting. She is also a PhD Candidate in Ecology at Colorado State University, where she studies evolutionary ecology and conservation. If elected to the AW Board, Lily will bring her unique perspectives, experiences, and enthusiasm to the organization. She is excited about this opportunity to serve the paddling community and to protect the rivers that she has always loved and cherished

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