L-R, Andrew Beck, Abraham Opoti, Max Tusa
After over 62 shareholder votes, three members were elected to the BoD for a term of two years.
Max Tusa and Abraham Opoti were re-elected to serve another term. This is Max's second term, and Abraham's third. Andrew Beck joins the Wonderwall Board of Directors for the first time.
Thanks to all who ran and for all who voted in these elections.
Below is a list of nominees and statements for all candidates running in the 2020 Board of Directors Elections. These statements are direct copy/paste from the nomination form, with no edits. If you click on a candidate's name, the link will take you to a photograph.
These six candidates will be running for three open seats.
As quite possibly the loudest Wonderwall season-ticket holder, I will use this platform on the board to advance our community´s collective voice and interests. As an immigration attorney, I bring an analytical perspective to a variety of issues that the board may consider in the future. As a former long-term resident in both South America and Europe, I have a passion to advance our amazing Wonderwall to even higher levels evidenced in fellow supporter groups around the world.
The sport of soccer has invigorated the community and our state with something new and exciting! My business experience is in human resources: policy, performance and LEAN philosophy. I also have skills in relationship and consensus-building that can be valuable in a BOD environment. I would love to support and move the Wonderwall purpose forward!
As the current President of Wonderwall, I feel fully qualified to say that we have come a very long way in the time since I first started on the board. We also have quite a bit more to do, which I am very much interested in accomplishing as much as possible during my next term should I be re-elected. Through conversations with our members it became clear that we were not speaking to each other enough, and now have all-WW SG leadership meetings with the WW President, Vice-President, and anyone else from the WW board who is able to attend.
As a corporation, we are in the middle of a massive shift in focus from operations to oversight. As was stated at a recent board meeting, we’ve grown as an organization in scope and size, and now begins the hard work of governance. We are adding structure and policy where it had not existed before in order to make the lives of our volunteers less complicated. Creating policy documents is not the same sort of fun as leading chants, or banging loudly on drums, yet it is critical work that I honestly enjoy seeing completed. We have a wonderful organization I have been honored to be a part of. I am regularly humbled by the great work our many volunteers do daily. I wish to honor those efforts by continuing to serve on the board and help lay the foundation for future successes.
With my time on Wonderwall board there are 3 things main categories I would like to focus on.
Building Relationships-I believe one of the most important and powerful things Wonderwall can do is be platform to help build stronger relationships across supporter groups at all levels and especially between leadership. Being able to facilitate those conversations and relationships is going to be key to the continued growth of WW along with existing and new SG’s. Those connections are a huge part of the organization’s strength and allow WW to be most effective voice possible for all MNUFC supporters.
Structure & Growth-As Wonderwall continues to grow and evolve as an organization separate from supporter groups, having smart and effective policies and procedures, extending to financial controls, in place and functioning is going to be critical going forward. Also serving as primary platform for SG’s to grow and build off of, it is important that there are clear rules and expectations that all SG’s follow. This extends particularly to dealing with financial decisions and how money is spent amongst SG’s.
Brand Building-Due to the unique structure that has developed, Wonderwall is a somewhat unknown and opaque organization to the average supporter. I want to grow the work to address that through continuing to build the WW brand along communicating the unique role WW fulfills. I believe one of the best way that can be down is to open up the organization so that supporters can see what WW role is and continue to communicate why decisions are made.
I thank you for your time and ask you for your vote.
My name is Maxwell Tusa and I am a current member of the Wonderwall Board of Directors seeking to continue my board membership. Currently, my tenure is only 3 months, as I was voted in by the Board itself in October; this spot was left vacant by the departure of my good friend and fellow True North Elite member James Norungolo. I am incredibly eager to continue the work I have only just begun!
As an introductory aside, for those of you who don't know me by name, I am a devout fan of the Loons and have been a season ticket holder for the three years Minnesota has been a part of MLS. I am a member of True North Elite, having been adopted into the group by former TNE leader Nicholas Bisbee in the fall of 2016. Most of you will know me better as the guy in TNE who wears a facemask and never wears sleeves!
That said, to restate to the broader Wonderwall membership what I had stated in my application to the Board back in October, I bring a unique view to an already diverse Board of Directors. This past May I graduated from the University of St. Thomas School of Law with my Juris Doctorate - the professional training and education I received while in law school instilled in me excellent analytical skills. I will forevermore IRAC every issue or question that is placed in front of me - IRAC being the lawerly process of looking at any matter, I for issue (find what is being asked), R for rule (what's the applicable rule, or usually the standard practice), A for application (how do you apply the rule to the issue at hand), and C for conclusion (make a measured conclusion based on your analysis). I love nothing more than to carefully and judiciously work through any and all questions presented to me, from legal questions, to vehicle maintenance questions, to soccer related questions as well! I will put forth this same level of analysis and carefully measured thought process as a member of the Wonderwall board.
Turning to a less professional, and more humanistic qualification of mine relates to my desire to continue to foster and develop the soccer community here in Minnesota. Although I played soccer through high school, I never followed any team or even watched professional soccer. However, upon studying abroad in London in 2012, I had a chance to snap up a cheap ticket to a FA Cup fixture at Stamford Bridge - Chelsea v Leicester City. I found myself in the middle of the Chelsea supporters section and was absolutely floored by the passion and love for the team. Not only that, from what I saw, it was an incredibly diverse group of people brought together in their support. Within the writhing crowd of Blue I saw a coming together of people from all walks of life - it didn't matter who you were, only that you were shouting in unison for the team you supported. It was nothing like any sporting event I had been to before, and from the instant I saw that, I knew I wanted to bring that experience back across the pond. After sticking primarily to Premier League fandom in the years I lived out of state, my move back to Minnesota coincided with the Loons coming into the league. After being introduced to True North Elite and the supporter culture here in Minnesota, I well all in on the Loons. Since then I've done my utmost to both grow True North Elite and Wonderwall in what ways I can, and to bring awareness to MNUFC and soccer here in Minnesota. Take for example my fun part time job of Uber and Lyft, I nearly always try to bring up the Loons in my conversation, my love of the team and culture around the team is that strong!
I know I could continue extolling on my 'soft skills' and as to my unending love of the Loons, True North Elite, and Wonderwall, but in my first impression I don't want to go too overboard. I would be honored to continue to retain my Wonderwall Board of Directors membership and continue to move our amazing organization forward in support of the team and of it supporters within the Wonderwall. I am excited to do all that is required in support of the Board and Wonderwall, and will continue to be a diligent and present member of the Board.
Thank you all so much for your consideration. COYL
I was hooked on this team and its supporters from the Snowpener in 2017 - my first ever MLS match, and quickly became a STH. I believe the energy we bring to the stands every week is infectious and can spill out into our communities if channeled. I began as a Dark Cloud and am currently a Red Loon, though I believe all our SGs can provide a fantastic linkage to the team and I see Wonderwall as that federation for our common objectives as SGs. As a board member, I hope to bring the perspective of a new-ish supporter who can speak to those elements which attract new members, volunteers, and strengthen our ties to each other as SGs.
