Description
Please review each board position description and member bio before voting.
Vice President of Administration
The Vice President of Administration shall be responsible for overseeing the Administrative Directors and Support Staff as well as overseeing all aspects of the Club’s office. This includes:
- Nominating Administrative Directors and appointing Support Staff under the Officer’s direction.
- Verifying membership status of nominees for Club Officers, Directors, and Coordinators.
- Notifying Executive Board members of their election.
- Processing new memberships and renewals.
- Handling Club communications at the Club’s email address.
- Being in charge of all other office functions.
Vice President of Racing - Mid and Long Distance
The Vice President of Racing shall be responsible for overseeing and providing guidance and support to the Race Directors. This includes:
- Soliciting Strider Members to nominate eligible members for vacant Race Director positions to the Executive Board for approval.
- Supervising Race Directors, as well as Support Staff.
- Introducing Race Directors at the membership meeting, when appropriate.
- Negotiating letters of agreement for all Club contract races.
- Working with the Director of Insurance and Permits to obtain the necessary insurance certificates and permits for their events.
- Calling special meetings of the Race Committee, as necessary.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping an accurate balanced account of the Club's funds. This includes:
- Overseeing the Club’s main accounts as well as the associated accounts of Race and other Directors and Officers.
- Making all appropriate deposits and paying all appropriate bills in a timely manner. (Some bills and deposits are the responsibility of Race and other Directors and some Officers in either the main account or their respective associated accounts.)
- Providing status reports at the Executive Board and membership meetings.
- Preparing and providing any financial information or analysis requested by the President or Finance Committee Chairperson for their Club use, or by the Executive Board or Finance Committee.
- Review monthly reports from Club accountant and approve accountant expenditures.
- Preparing all year-end financial reports.
- Filing all related tax forms in a timely manner.
Communication Director
The Communication Director is responsible for internal and external Club communications including:
- Marketing, advertising and promotion of activities and goals of The Club.
- Provides leadership and direction to the Web Master and Newsletter Editor to insure consistent and accurate messaging across all platforms.
- Proactively solicit details from Race Directors, race specific marketing leads, and Program Directors to ensure timely and accurate information and promotion of races, programs, training, and events of The Club.
- Oversees Public Relations.
Member at Large #3
Members at Large are responsible for providing input and insights at the member level of the Club for the Executive Board discussions. In addition to representing the Club as board members, members at large will:
- One Member at Large will lead the board elections committee with 2 non-board Club members. That person cannot be currently running for any board position.
- Primary organizers and hosts for the winter member party.
- Fill in the needs for fun run hosts.
- Participation in committees as needed.
- Create and implement initiatives that will improve member experience.
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Vice President of Administration candidate Paul Huhn
I come from a family of runners and ran cross country and track during high school. Started running again after college the joined the Striders in early 2000's when I became interested in running a marathon. Have been running ever since. I do 5-6 Strider's races every year and am at almost every Wednesday night fun run. I am looking to give back to the Striders for all the years they have helped and encouraged me to continue running. I want to pass that along to others.
Vice President of Administration candidate Jennifer (Jen) Klimek
I started running in 2002, my first Strider race was the Deer Run and in 2011 I ran the Lakefront Marathon for the first time, I was hooked! Since then, I've run countless 5-10K's, 80+ half marathons and 17 marathons. I love running and want to give back to the community. I enjoy promoting an active lifestyle and meeting likeminded individuals. I've met some of the nicest people through running and being in the Striders!
Vice President of Administration candidate Sally Koch
As a 25+ Strider member, I have volunteered for various roles supporting our running events. I believe in our club mantra of 'For Runner, By Runners' and want to make sure we maintain/further build our identity in that manner. I have always considered myself an average runner and believe that all abilities and all paces have a spot in our sport. I bring 30+ years of healthcare project management and leadership skills, taking great pride in the ability to adapt and communicate with changing client and people dynamics throughout my career. I look forward to serving the Badgerland Striders as a member of the leadership team.
Treasurer Candidate Robert Wehner
Lifelong runner, currently focused on trail ultra-marathons. I'm a lifetime Badgerland Strider member, currently serving on the Board as Treasurer. We've made progress the past few years in stabilizing our finances and I'd like to continue working on that issue and seeing the club give back more to the communities we run in.
VP Long Races Candidate Barry Thrune
My name is Barry Thrune and I'm running for VP Racing - Long. I am an active member of the Striders and enjoy running all distances. In addition to Strider races, I pace quite a few marathons each year in preparation for ultra marathons. If you re-elect me, I will continue to support and learn from the RD's which will ultimately provide a better experience for you.
VP of Middle Races Candidate John Cornell
I am seeking the role of VP of Racing Middle Distance to help strengthen and grow the racing experience for all members of the Badgerland Striders. The Striders have played a major role in our local running community, and I want to build on that tradition by elevating race quality, improving runner experience and supporting both emerging and seasoned athletes. I'm passionate about creating events that are well-organized, welcoming, competitive and reflective of the camaraderie that makes this club special.
As a successful business owner and a Race Director for many years, I bring strong organizational and leadership skills to this role.
Director of Communications Candidate Chris Sosinski
Chris is a lifelong runner with over 15 years in endurance sports. Chris brings enthusiasm, experience and a strong connection to the running world. A former NCAA DIII Track and Cross-Country athlete and Cross-Country coach, seven-time Lakefront Marathon Weekend participant, and running advocate for all, Chris is passionate about helping others enjoy their running journey. Energized by teamwork and community, Chris is ready to keep The Badgerland Striders' story moving forward as Communications Director.
Member at Large #3 Candidate Richard Dodd
My name is Richard Dodd and I've been a Badgerland Strider for 48.5 years, Joining in 1977 prior to my 18th birthday. Past positions I have held include VP of administration, Monthly Meeting Coordinator, Turkey Trot RD and I'm a (1979) Co-founder of the Firecracker Four. In 2001 I was awarded the Lifetime Member Award. I wish to serve as Member at Large #3 on the BOD to ensure that the Badgerland Striders, a club I love, is headed in the proper direction to ensure its success and longevity.
Member at Large #3 Candidate Jason Marhal
I stated running at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. I ran 3/4 years there. I ran 4 years at Port Washington High School on both the track and cross-country teams. My coach was Mark Pasten. He has had some of the best WIAA teams in WIAA state history. He is an unbelievable coach, and it was an unbelievable program. It was an honor to be there. I was a 3X WIAA state qualifier in cross-country. My team made it to state in 2010. I was a 2X WIAA state track and field qualifier. Our teams made the Ozaukee County Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA Today sports. I was a walk on to the UW-Oshkosh cross country team, GO TITANS, but could not participate due to complications with Lyme disease. The Lyme disease came during the final track season of my athletic career. My last race before my comeback in 2024 was at the 2013 WIAA state track and field championships. I nearly passed out due to the heaviness in my body at the finish line. My return to the sport has been bittersweet. I still suffer, but I'm getting through it. My coach has built a phenomenal program so that I can come back to the sport. I felt it was time to lead in the running community.
I'm interest because it's my way of giving back. It's my thank you for what the Milwaukee running community has done for me, my teammates, and others in the running community. It's a way to continue in the sport because my prospects of participating professionally or in college are little or none. What the Badgerland Striders have done over the many decades for this running community should be held in appreciation by the new members and in that appreciation, we can start to bring the Millennials and Gen Z into our movement. With the winter approaching, teams are going to need to go indoors. We're hoping we can get a group of runners to run in the Petit if it can be secured. I hope we can coach a group of people in the indoor season that can be great for the spring season. We have a ton of major events happening in April including the Brew City Marathon, the Milwaukee Marathon. More recently we have the Turkey Trot and other major seasonal races coming up. I have the Dia De Los Muertos 5K this weekend. I did run the Lakefront Discovery run last year and placed 3rd. I made the shift year for cultural reasons, as a Hispanic American I think it is important to express my love of our culture through athletics. That being said, looking at their races this season I saw the Badgerland Striders were there present at the LFM 5K, which was a relief as ever major run club besides FEARMKE had not made an announcement to be there. It felt as if the 5K community was valued. The same goes for the discovery run. I'm most interested in this position because I see an opportunity to bring more eyes to the 5K community. Most cannot afford marathons or are disabled like me so the cannot run or walk that far. The goal here is to be more inclusive, more organized and overall, just more supportive of our members and teammates. I'm honestly sic of the cameras rolling all the time. I just want a group of motivated kind people building each other up. I want to see an elite team built this fall/winter. I have so many running friends in the community who really want me to take the lead here because so many of the other clubs are viral trends ran by people who never even raced in High School. I want to make sure someone with experience here is there to help runners stretch, help runners recover from runner related injuries and someone who can coach a team to be faster, who will show up for their team at every event and give every runner the spotlight. Without my coach valuing every one of us guys, individually, putting the time in, I don't think any of us would have seen all the benefits that come from being great athletes. I understand this time commitment, and I have created a work schedule to optimize for the 25/26 season, so I can be of service to my community. I appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to being your Member at Large #3.
Member at Large #3 candidate David Robarge
I have completed 128 out of 129 races. I've entered 2 marathons, 16 half marathons and 2 beer runs. I began running in 2004 intending to experience one race and be done with it. I fell in love with the sport and despite a lifelong heart defect I have been doing it for 21 years.
They say that the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you understand why. I haven't got that figured out yet, but I believe I was meant to make the world a better place in small little ways. I'm ready to make a bigger contribution to the Striders. I have been a runner since 2004 and a strider since 2007. I have volunteered for many strider events and hosted the Mexican Fiesta Fun Run and co-hosted the Hawaiian Fun run. I think the biggest current challenge for the club is getting younger runners more heavily involved in the club. Being a former marketing major, a long time IT professional, a creative writing enthusiast and someone who thinks outside the box IU believe I could help come up with solutions to this and other challenges to make a good club even better.
