June 30, 2022 - Herndon Youth Soccer welcomes three new members to its Board of Directors announced at the Board of Director’s Annual Meeting on June 6. In addition, the club also announced at the meeting changes to the leadership structure with expanded key roles undertaken by Nick Arzani, Michelle Alioto and Jane Dawber. The additions to the Board and the staff leadership in place will position the Club to focus on growth and servicing our members and community.

NEW MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kelly Wilson, JR Williams and Marylise Fabro are the newest members of the Board. Kelly was selected to the Board of Directors after the Board initiated a search in March for an at-large member with strong experience in our recreational program. JR and Marylise were voted by club membership present at the annual meeting to fill two open seats on the Board. All three members join President Andrew Butler, Vice President Stefanie Palmer, Treasurer Aliona Gorea, Secretary Elise de Clerck, and At-Large Members Wassim Issa and Nicolas Delellis.

To help introduce our new Board members, below is a brief bio on each of them.

Kelly Wilson, selected for role of Member At-Large and Recreational Programs Liaison.  Kelly has four children participating in Herndon Youth Soccer: Riley (10), Evelyn (8), Adeline (6) and Oliver (4) have played for either our recreational or travel program since Spring 2021.  Kelly is both an Age Group Commissioner (U4/5, U6 and Girls U7/8) and a volunteer coach (U5 and U6) in rec. She and her husband are both native Virginians and met at the University of Virginia.  She has done a variety of volunteer work including coaching youth soccer, mentoring, teaching adult literacy and working for ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network).  Kelly has worked as a special education teacher and is currently a stay-at-home mom.  She says, "I look forward to serving our community by representing the needs of the Recreational Program - and I love all things soccer."

JR Williamson, elected for role of Member At-Large.  JR has a son, Carter (18) who play 2004 Boys River Plate Black as well as Super Y.  JR has coached for 14 years (three years with Rec and 11 years with travel) and his wife, Brenda, has been a Team Manager for 11 years, an Age Group Commissioner for three years and has supported Michelle with Club administration functions.  JR and his family are heavily involved with soccer--both at the youth development and support level as well as fans of professional soccer rooting for Tottenham and DC United.  JR is a Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Office with Leidos, and has corporate board experience.  In joining Herndon’s Board of Directors,  JR says, "I now have the opportunity to scale up the passion that I have been using to teach the kids on my team the beautiful game to now focus on helping to grow and improve the overall HYS program for the benefits of all of our teams."

Marylise Fabro, elected for role of Member At-Large.  Mary has a daughter, Lana (15) who plays for the 2007 Girls Alianza Black and a son, Ethan (15) who also plays travel soccer.  Mary has been involved with Herndon Youth Soccer for eight years and has served as Team Manager, Team Treasurer, Age Group Commissioner and Club TeamSnap Director.  Mary has been working with smaller organizations for many years, helping them accelerate their success. Even though Herndon Youth Soccer Club is a different type of organization, she hopes to use all her skills and knowledge to help make a difference in the lives of players and the community.   Mary is a Chief Operations Officer with a company that specializes in restaurant management technology.  Mary says, "I feel the club has taken an exciting path last year and there is so much left to build. I also love everything the club represents and does for our little Herndon community and this is my way of giving back to the town I made home 18 years ago"

For more information about our Board of Directors, go to our website.

LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

During the Annual Meeting, changes were discussed to the senior leadership structure of our Club for the upcoming year after the departure of Greg Andrulis in the Executive Director role. The Club will be led by Nick Arzani, Michelle Alioto and Jane Dawber in the three critical areas:

Nick Arzani, Technical Director.  Nick continues in his role as Technical Director and will be critical to the Club's success as we navigate a new league affiliation (ECNL-R) as well as our new elite player pathway partnership (VDA) in our travel program.  As he considers all the foundational work the Club has undertaken, Nick says, "With so many positive changes and exciting opportunities emerging in the past year, I look forward to continued success with the club alongside Jane and Michelle."

Michelle Alioto, Director of Administration and Communication.  Michelle's role will grow to include more of the vital activities that keep our Club running smoothly and ensure our message is resonating in the community.  Looking forward to the upcoming year, Michelle says, "I am proud to be part of a very dedicated staff and BOD in supporting the club’s growth while working with the countless volunteers that serve to better our club and community through the love of soccer."

Jane Dawber, Director of Recreational Programs and Director of Girls Travel.  Jane's dual-role will enable her to continue to build on her success in growing the Club's Recreational Program while also focusing on growing our Girls Travel Program.  In reflecting on her role, Jane says, "I am honored and excited to lead the Recreational and Girls Soccer programs this year with HYS. These programs are crucial for community outreach and the growth of our club, whilst providing opportunities for local children to participate in the Herndon soccer community."

By investing in these key leaders and focusing on these important areas, the Club is well-positioned for success in the coming year.

This leadership structure also means that the Board of Directors will be more active in day-to-day Club activities this year.  To support this, Board members will carry specialized roles to oversee growth and membership services. For example, Nico Delellis is focusing on Latinx Community Engagement and Kelly Wilson is the Recreational Programs Liaison.  There will be more information forthcoming this summer on each Board member's responsibilities.  In the meantime, if you have any questions that don't seem to fit under these three leaders’ portfolios, please email board@herndonyouthsoccer.org.

We are looking forward to great things in 2022-23!

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