Officers
Lew Smith (he/him)
I have been an active member of NAGVA since 2004. I am fortunate, and very proud, to have served on the Board since 2008 in the roles of Registrar, Eligibility, Regions, Tournaments, Treasurer, and currently as President. I have also served as director for New York’s Big Apple tournament for 15 years and the original Masters tournament for 10 years. I thank NAGVA for giving me fulfilling friendships, great competition, and love of new places across North America.
Joshua Baxter (he/him)
Executive Vice President
Hello! I am Joshua Baxter and I am so honored to serve as Executive Vice President. I live in the wonderful city of Nashville, TN. I first joined NAGVA in 2013. I have made friends for life and accomplished many goals within the organization. I ran on a platform of expanding NAGVA to new areas and increased member engagement. I look forward to serving you over these next two years and helping the organization grow.
Andrew Crawford (he/him)
I have been a member of NAGVA since 2011. I am a late bloomer to volleyball and only began learning the game at the local Dayton LGBT Volleyball Open Gym in 2009. Since diving head first into the sport we all love I have co-captained multiple Dayton teams, and joined numerous others from all parts of the United States to lend my abilities and team spirit. I look forward to bringing my love for the sport and this organization to this position.
Rich Sucre (he/him)
I have been a member of NAGVA since 2011 and have served on the NAGVA Board of Directors as a Member-At-Large (2016-2019) and as the Vice-President of Tournaments (2019). Since 2012, I have served as part of the leadership committee for the Balls of Furry Volleyball Group in San Francisco. I am a proud Middle in NAGVA's B Division, and love to travel for tournaments. I want to constantly improve our tournaments and the member experience, and am happy to contribute to our community.
Tyler Malpass (he/him)
My first NAGVA tournament was NOLA in 2015 and it was such a liberating experience! Prior to finding NAGVA, I played at the Division I and II levels in the NCAA and served as an assistant coach at my alma mater after graduating. I currently coach a 17s/18s girls club team for LAVA and reside in Fayetteville, NC. As MAL, I am honored to have the chance to aid in the growth of volleyball for LGBTQIA+ individuals across North America and help bring awareness to those living in rural areas who are not currently part of our organization. I want to be able to give others like me the opportunity to experience competitive volleyball and find the family and forever friends that NAGVA has given me along the way.
Kerry "Ohu" Phomtavong
Aloha, my name is Kerry Phomtavong, but everyone knows me by Ohu. I was born and raised on the island of Oahu, but now I call San Francisco my home. I have been part of NAGVA since 2019 and in this short amount of time I have made friends and some who became like a family to me. Before becoming a Member-at-Large, I have helped out with local tournaments in SF and when traveling if help is needed, I'm more than happy to help out. NAGVA has brought joy to my life and it will continue to for many more years. I look forward to working with this wonderful organization and helping it grow even bigger than it is now.
Jordan Rosenberg (he/him)
I have been a NAGVA member since 2016 and finding this organization made me fall in love with volleyball again as a queer person. Prior to NAGVA, I played at the NCAA D1/2 level and NCVF D1 club as a Libero and a Setter. I am a college coach, most recently serving as the assistant men's coach at Carthage College. This organization has given me so much, and I am excited to give back to NAGVA and the LGBTQIA+ community. NAGVA has helped me see and become the representation that I wanted so badly in athletics as I was growing up and I look forward to continuing the growth of such an incredible organization and being a voice for the membership.
Nelson Santos (he/him)
I’ve been playing volleyball since 2012 and am currently the Vice Chair of Vancouver Gay Volleyball Association, the largest LGBTQ2A sports organization in Western Canada. One of my goals when I became Chair of VGVA was growing the league and developing more outdoor volleyball options in the city. We have doubled our tournament participation, including the Queen Vicki tournament. I’m excited to focus on growing NAGVA within the rest of Canada, and look forward to working with the many different volleyball organizations across our beautiful country.
Jen Callen (she/her)
I have been playing NAGVA since 2011 and immediately fell in love with the NAGVA community! I began rating and assisting RC's 3 years ago before becoming an official RC for the 2015-16 season. I have been Team Saint Louis Invitational Tournament committee since 2017. I have served on the NAGVA Board since 2015 when I was elected as Member-at-Large. I previously served as VP of Regions from 2016 to 2022.
AJ Johnson (he/him)
I discovered the NAGVA family in 2009 in Sacramento, CA. I played my first NAGVA tournament in 2010. Volleyball quickly became a passion of mine. Since then, I have served as part of the leadership committee for the Balls of Furry Volleyball Group in San Francisco. Within NAGVA I have ran and facilitated many west coast tournaments, including the initial return of the Sacramento Tournament. You can catch me playing and running tournaments in my home city of San Francisco as well as Portland and San Jose.
Joshua Christensen (he/him)
I have been an active member of NAGVA since 2007. I have been an RC since 2011. I have also served on the Board of Directors for Gotham Volleyball in NYC and tournament director for the Fire Island Beach Tournament for 10 years. I look forward to serving NAGVA in a different capacity. When I'm not playing, or reffing, or coaching volleyball, I enjoy travelling and playing table-top board games.
Tyler Anderson (he/him)
I have been a member of NAGVA since 2014 and have loved every moment of it. I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue my service with our efforts to connect with players, other volleyball community members, and anyone else who is interested into what it's like in the life and times of NAGVA! I'd love to work with any member in any way I can, so please don't hesitate to reach out! Happy Spiking!
Donald Leckey (he/him)
I joined NAGVA and USA Volleyball back in 1997 when i was 19 years old and have been involved ever since. I started my officiating career back in 2007 and have been a National level official since 2012, officiating Junior club tournaments, National tournaments and Collegiate tournaments all over the country. I am one of the OVRs (Ohio Valley Region) Raters, Evaluators and a mentor to a number of officials in and out of our region. I look forward to using my knowledge of the game as a player and an official to help further develop NAGVA officials.
Gabe Shelton (he/him)
Hi! I am Gabe Shelton. I have been a member of NAGVA since 2015. I did not start playing volleyball until 2013 in our local league in Columbus, OH. NAGVA has given me more than I can probably ever give back. This organization has helped me find my chosen family, even love. Hopefully through my service as the VP of Tournaments, I can help this organization continue to be special for someone/everyone else like it has been for me. See you all on the courts.
Summary
To contact a Board Member, please click on the title of the desired member to e-mail the individual directly. NAGVA members elect officers to the board each year during Championships. In alternating years, 4 Executive and 4 Members At-Large are elected to serve 2 year terms. Additionally, each season the President nominates individuals to serve a term of one year as Appointed Officers. By approval of the voting board members, these officers manage the NAGVA administrative departments.
Have a question? Please see the "NAGVA Help" section to ensure your question reaches the person best suited to provide the answer.