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Jay Coakley, University of Colorado
Preserving Play: The Ultimate Challenge

Jay Coakley is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, USA. He received a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Notre Dame and has since taught and done research on play, games, and sports, among other topics in sociology. Coakley has received many teaching, service, and professional awards, and is an internationally respected scholar, author, and journal editor. His text, Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies is in its 10th edition with adaptations published in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and translations in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Croatian.
 
In 2004 the Citizenship Through Sport Alliance presented Coakley with a national Citizenship Through Sport Award for his work to make sports and physical activities more inclusive. In 2007 the Institute for International Sport selected him as one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators, and the University of Chichester in West Sussex, England awarded him an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the sociology of sport.

A former intercollegiate athlete, Coakley continues to critically examine social phenomena and promote changes that will make social worlds more democratic and humane. He currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado and helps his three granddaughters and their friends to remain physically playful, despite their involvement in organized youth sports.

Tom Crawford, CEO USA Ultimate
USA Ultimate: An Exciting Evolution is Underway

Prior to accepting the role as Chief Executive Officer for USA Ultimate, Tom Crawford was a founder and Managing Partner of High Performance Associates (HPA), providing consulting services to Fortune 100 companies, universities, sports organizations, and executives and athletes across the United States.  He was also a co-founder of Altheus, an award-winning health and human performance company with  recognition for its unique and successful health and human performance programs.

Dr. Crawford also has almost 10 years of experience as the Director of Coaching and Managing Director for high performance programs for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). During his tenure at the USOC, he led the development and management of education and performance programs for more than 45 Olympic and Pan American sports. Tom also served as Vice President of Eteamz, helping to build the company into the most successful online media property for the youth sports market.

Prior to the USOC and Eteamz, Dr. Crawford was a founding staff member and  Senior Director of the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, where he worked collaboratively with corporations, universities, medical centers, government agencies and National Governing Bodies of Sport.
 
In 1989, Dr. Crawford was the first graduate to receive a double-doctoral degree in Performance Psychology and Motor Development from Indiana University, where he was recently awarded the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus Award and served as a special advisor to the Dean of the School of Health. Previously, he received his master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology with an emphasis in Leadership from the Purdue University School of Science. He is a member of the American Psychological Association.

Jeff Malmgren, Vancouver Ultimate League (VUL)
Ultimate, the Great Green Game
League Growth:  The What If, Whens and Hows.
League Development: Time To Get Some Paid Help?

Jeff Malmgren is a the Executive Director of VUL and has been on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Ultimate Players Association.

Beyond his work with the VUL, he works as a consultant and facilitator in the community on environmental projects and also has his LEED AP® designation.

Michael Hechter, Washington Area Frisbee Club (WAFC)Managing Valuable Volunteers
Creating Meaningful Board of Directors

Michael Hechter, from Washington, DC, is well-versed in association management principles having 10 years of experience.  He is a previous presenter (2007 Convention), a past league commissioner with the WAFC, clinic organizer,  plus an all-season Ultimate player & an online contributor to www.twitter.com/sludgebrown.

Chuck Delich, Wells Fargo
Liability and Risk

Chuck Delich is a Senior Vice President and Branch Manager at Wells Fargo Insurance Services.  He is responsible for sales and service of Wells Fargo Insurance Services’ and his expertise is in Commercial Insurance/Workers’ Compensation and Professional Liability. Chuck serves on the Operational Management Team for Colorado Springs and the Wells Fargo Community Board.

His book of business emphasizes amateur sport organizations, developers, contractors, manufacturers, condo associations, and technology risks. He is also a member of the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation Board of Directors.

Tiina Booth, National Ultimate Training Camp (NUTC)
How To Start a Day Camp
Youth Ultimate Coaches: Are You a Teacher or a Dude?

Tiina Booth recently retired as an English teacher at Amherst Regional High School, after 23 years of teaching.  She taught many different English electives, including public speaking, African-American Literature and Women in Literature.  In 1992 she received the Teacher of the Year, the Robert Frost Award from the school, which is voted by her peers.  

In 1992 Booth founded the Amherst Invitational, the oldest high school ultimate tournament in the United States.   Sports Illustrated selected her as a "Face in the Crowd" in 1997 for her coaching achievements.  In 1998, her program was awarded varsity status by the school and remains one of the few public schools in the country with such designation.  She continues to coach the boys’ varsity ultimate team at the school.  Her team won Nationals in 1998, 2003 and 2004; they won Easterns in 2005, 2006 and 2010.  They also are perennial contenders for the Spirit Award at any tournament they attend.  Many of her alumni populate college and club team rosters.

In 1998 Booth co-founded the Junior National Ultimate Championship.  She also coached the U.S. Juniors Boys Team at the World Ultimate Championships in 1998, 2000, 2004, bringing home 2 golds and a bronze medal.

In 2001 Tiina Booth began the National Ultimate Training Camp, the oldest high school overnight camp in the country.  This camp attracts hundreds of campers each summer, including players from throughout the U.S., as well as from Canada, South Africa and Colombia.

Her book Essential Ultimate, coauthored with Michael Baccarini and published in 2006, is a consummate guide to the game. Her current passions include sports psychology and its application to the game of Ultimate; she offers mental toughness clinics to coaches of ultimate and other sports.  She will be coaching a men’s club team Dark or Light in the fall USAU series; this team is comprised of ARHS alums and current high school players.

Lindsey Hack, Triangle Youth Ultimate League (TYUL)
Building a Robust Youth League
Panel: Making Sense of SOTG in Ultimate Today

Lindsey began volunteering for the USA Ultimate during her third year playing Ultimate as the MI women's college sectional coordinator for one year.  She moved down to North Carolina for graduate school where not only did she play for UNC-CH but she was also the AC regional women's college coordinator for three years.  During that time, she became a regular NUMP voter and an USAU reporter and earned Women's College Regional Coordinator of the Year honors.  After her graduation from UNC-CH she became an assistant coach for the women's college program under Brian Dobyns.  During her time with the UNC women's program, Lindsey was also a member of Backhoe, where she was a captain for three years.

In 2008 Lindsey founded the TYUL with a few other very dedicated individuals in the area. TYUL began by running a club league that included 100+ participants, 23 coaches, and an eight week season. In 2010, Lindsey founded and captained the women's club team Phoenix, earned Atlanta Coast Women's College Coach of the Year for her work with UNC-CH and began co-coaching the Gravelly Hill middle school team. Lindsey is currently the President of TYUL which now includes a robust high school league of 22 teams, a 10 team middle school league, a 10 team summer league, a girls league, and two YCC teams. 

Marjorie McMahon, Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance (PADA)Best Foot Forward: Working With the Community

Marjorie is currently the Executive Director of PADA.  She loves playing matchmaker…setting up friends for love, or for business.  Marjorie began her career in cultural and non-profit leadership in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian and National Gallery of Art.  In these jobs she was involved in local and national outreach efforts by the museums’ education departments.  In 2008 she moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania working Mercer Museum in Doylestown before accepting the call to be PADA’s first employee.

From working in museums, Marjorie has extensive experience in fund raising, event planning, working with volunteers, managing budgets, and bringing different groups together to work on special projects.  Marjorie is also an artist who enjoys paper and fabric crafts. 

Marjorie first played Ultimate Frisbee in 2000 as a student at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts.  She continued playing pick-up and was encouraged by a museum colleague to try the Pittsburgh summer league, which got her hooked on ultimate.  She has taken part in various recreational leagues in Pittsburgh, Washington, DC, and Mercer County, NJ, and of course plays PADA.

William Bartram, DiscNW
All-Ages Ultimate Events - Administrative and Social Perspectives
Panel: League Development: Time To Get Some Paid Help?

William is the current Executive Director of DiscNW in Seattle, Washington.  He recently received a masters degree in Sports Administration and Leadership from Seattle University and is a co-owner of the Internet Disc Shop.  When he's not organizing ultimate events you can find him playing with his nine month old daughter.

David Barkan, Ultimate Peace
Defining SOTG: Finding Simple Language for a Complex Concept
Panel: Making Sense of SOTG in Ultimate Today

Dr. David Barkan lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a national reputation as a group facilitator and consultant to organizations dedicated to social change, holds a Ph.D. in Clinical/Organizational Psychology, and consults with schools, non-profit organizations and community collaborations across the USA. David has dedicated his career to helping people and groups to navigate difficult and complex discussions and decisions in order to find creative solutions to the most challenging problems. He recently served as consultant to USA Ultimate in the process to develop its five year strategic plan.  

David has led many Ultimate teams over the course of his thirty-year career to compete at the highest national and international levels of the sport and was recently inducted into the USA Ultimate Hall of Fame. He is a founder of Ultimate Peace (www.ultimatepeace.org), an organization which helps to build bridges of friendship and understanding for youth from different social and cultural backgrounds around the world through the sport of Ultimate.

Will Deaver, USA Ultimate
Making Sense of SOTG in Ultimate Today

Will Deaver has been responsible for overseeing USA Ultimate’s competitive program and services since 2001, initially as the first Director of Championships and more recently as the Managing Director for Competition and Athlete Program. He served on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and continues to be a leader in guiding both process and policy for USA Ultimate and the sport. 

Will has worked with local Ultimate organizations, universities, high schools, sports facilities, the National Association of Sports Commissions, CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV), UltiVillage.com, the World Flying Disc Federation, and many others to bring Ultimate to communities throughout the country and the world.  Will has also been a creative and driving force behind the development of the role of Observers in the sport.   In 1997, he co-authored the Callahan Rules.

Prior to his work at USA Ultimate, Will worked in the outdoor recreation industry as both a park ranger and whitewater raft guide. He received his bachelor’s degree in Forest Recreation (1995) from the University of Georgia, where he also earned his Masters Degree in Park Management (1998). While in Athens, GA will was actively involved in creating, managing, and promoting local and national Ultimate events. Will also served as the coach for the UGA Women’s College Ultimate team (1999-2000) and worked as a volunteer on a number of USA Ultimate committees.

Andy Lee, USA Ultimate
Media, Marketing and Communications

Julie Serfass, WAFC
Panel: Best Foot Forward: Working With the Community

Darren Shultz, Community of Pittsburgh Ultimate
Panel: Best Foot Forward: Working With the Community

Danny Saunders, Ultimate Canada
Panel: League Development: Time To Get Some Paid Help?

Katie Drake, PADA
Panel: League Development: Time To Get Some Paid Help?

Meredith Tosta, USA Ultimate
Panel: Making Sense of SOTG in Ultimate Today

Meredith joined the USA Ultimate staff as the Director of Youth Development in the winter of 2007, following her graduation from the University of Washington’s Masters in Teaching program. After moving to Seattle in the spring of 2003, Meredith immediately became involved with DiscNW’s youth programs, serving on the Youth Committee, teaching at the summer camps and coaching a mixed team at the UPA Youth Club Championships. During this time, Meredith worked for the law firm of Carincross & Hempelmann initially as a Legal Support Assistant before being promoted to a Paralegal position in order to spend time as outside counsel to the Subsidiary Management Group at the Microsoft Corporation. Combining her skills as an efficient organizer with her love of the sport of Ultimate, Meredith was also able to take on several volunteer positions at USA Ultimate, from Sectional Coordinator to State Youth Coordinator before being brought in to USA Ultimate headquarters to run the Youth Development, Junior National Team and Coaching Corps programs.