The following is a link to the Bios of the 13 APBA members running for one of four sports available to serve on the APBA Board of Director's for 2017-2018. We invite both the candidates and members to comment on how the candidates will best serve the APBA membership as a Board member. Thank you and good luck to those members running for the Board. An official ballot will be mailed to each current APBA member shortly.
Candidates for APBA Board of Directors Election (4 Spots are Open)
Dan Bunting
Chris Fairchild
Jean Mackay-Schwartz
Gary Miller
Howie Nichols
David Richardson
John Runne
David Shaw
Jan Shaw
Katelyn Shaw
R. Scott Schatz
Bill Thompson
Matt Yarno
CANDIDATES FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS BIOS
Below are Bios created by the candidates running for the APBA Board of Directors.
DAN BUNTING – is a resident and native to Central Ohio. For past 25 years he has been an active police officer. As a member of the American Power Boat Association, Dan has held the office of Region 6 OPC Chairman and is very active in his APBA Club #448 Powerboat Nationals. In the past few years you may have seen Dan on TV promoting powerboat racing, first with an episode of "Shipping Wars" on the A&E Channel, where Dan had purchased a boat in California from Ron Hill and had it shipped from California to Ohio. Next was a series of commercials with his sponsor "Flex Seal" (the liquid rubber in a can), these commercials ran on multiple television networks nationwide and can still be seen to this day. Dan's most current project is to bring the OPC Nationals back together again at one site. For 2016, Powerboat Nationals has positioned itself to bring all of the OPC classes together and unite at one location and compete for a National Championship during Labor Day Weekend in Shreveport, Louisiana.
CHRIS FAIRCHILD – 46 year old Chris has been racing for 28 years. He started in OPC in Mod VP and has raced Tri-hulls, SST45, SST60, SST70, SST120, SST140, SST200, F1, Champ, Mod U and now through the generosity of friends, he also races Stocks and PRO. He has been involved with the APBA driving school since its inception. Chris is a 2-time Hall of Champions inductee, 3-time National Champion, 2-time High Point Champion and 3 time World Champion. He has won the 24 hours of Rouen twice and raced UIM F1. Chris has had the pleasure of being a test driver for Mercury Racing and he understands the technical side as well as the owner and driver side of racing. Recently he has promoted several major OPC races giving him another view of the racing world and how APBA can improve for the future. He has sat on the board previously as well as numerous board level committees, the OPC commission, OPC technical committee and the J committee.
JEAN MACKAY-SCHWARTZ - Jean has been actively involved in racing for 42 years, competing in APBA races SO, MOD, OPC and Inboard categories. She semi-retired from driving in 2010; owns and competes in the ASH and FAH classes earning a National Championship, ASH during 1999 and setting a world record in 2014.
Active in the governing body of APBA, Jean served as the Secretary of APBA, 2009-2013. She has served on the SO and OPC Commissions and advisory to the APBA Board of Directors while a Council Member at Large for 8 years. In 2014 elected to the Board of Directors and appointed to Vice-Chair of the Government Affairs Committee and member of Archives and Records Retention Committee. Currently working with the SO Commission as Chief Scorer and promoting the 300SSH class in Region 11.
At the region level Jean is a member of the Region 11 Board of Directors and Chair of the Officials Committee. She has served as Commodore of East Bay Boat Club, 1975-1976 and Region 11 Vice-Chairman, 1988-1989. Currently Publicity Chair for EBBC producing a monthly newsletter extending to a national readership base and marketing boat racing promotions to sponsors and promoters in Central California.
Jean’s officiating background includes 32 years as a Referee SO, MOD, PRO, OPC, Inboard and J/AXS; refereeing for the SO, MOD, & J Nationals for 6 years, OPC Nationals for 3 years, and UIM World Championships in 1989. She retired, with 26 years as a Transit Planner for the County of Santa Clara and worked in Marketing Design with the county before transferring to Transportation Planning. Dan Schwartz served on the OPC Commission, competed in OPC, SO, PRO and Inboard before retiring as driver in 2010.
GARY MILLER - Gary is running for the APBA Board of Directors to give back to APBA and the sport that has given him so much since he began racing with his father in the 1953 in the JU class. Over the years Gary has raced in all the runabout classes in Stock Outboard before turning to the “dark side,” running the modified outboard classes now known as 500CCMR and 750CCMR. Gary remains active in modified outboard racing with teammate Jasen Dircksen doing the driving. During the 2015 racing season the Dircksen-Miller team won the National Championship, National High Point Championship, and the North American Championship in 500CCMR. They also were near the top in High Points in 750CCMH.
As a driver, Gary won multiple National Championships, National High Point Championships, and North American Championships. For his accomplishments as a driver, Gary was inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions in 1985. While achieving great success as a driver, Gary worked hard to support other drivers, his local club, and APBA. Gary has been active in the governance of APBA and the Indiana Outboard Association (IOA) for many years. Gary served as member and then chair of the APBA Modified Outboard Racing Commission. At the club level, Gary previously held the post of president and currently serves on the IOA Board of Directors. The club has honored him as IOA Man of the Year.
Gary believes that power boat racing will thrive by promoting driving schools and making competitive equipment readily available to new members. Acting on his belief, Gary helps put together the rigs used in the IOA’s driving school. These rigs are available for purchase by graduates of the driving school.
Currently retired, Gary spent his working years as the successful owner and operator of a series of small businesses. With this experience, Gary has developed a conservative attitude towards finances. His motto is: If you spend a dollar, you MUST get a return.
HOWIE NICHOLS - Howie began racing his racing career during 1978 in JSR as a 4th generation Nichols behind the wheel of a racing boat, with his father Pete and Uncle Bruce also racing in the Stock Outboard Category. Howie has raced in the J, Stock, Modified, and OPC Categories within American Power Boat Association (APBA). Howie has also held many offices within APBA nationally and regionally as a Board of Director, APBA Chief Referee, Region Chairman, Region Board of Director in Regions 1, 3, & 5, Council-at-Large member along with serving on the J Committee, OPC and SO Categories as a Commissioner, Howie has also been on the Stock motor technical committee member as well as Chief Referee of the Stock Category J Committee Secretary and filled in as APBA Secretary at past National Meetings. It is not uncommon to see Howie as part of the race committee at any given event and in any Region throughout the country helping in any way necessary. Howie made great strides working with the Insurance Companies and the Board of Directors the last 2 years and hopes to continue serving APBA in all areas.
Other family members that have raced include, Paternal Great Grandfather - Howard Nichols, Paternal Grandfather - Howard Nichols, Maternal Grandfather - Del Phinney, Father – Pete Nichols, Uncle – Bruce Nichols, Brother – Ben Nichols, Cousins – Scott & Brett Nichols, Brother in law – Alex Jennings, Nephew – AJ Jennings, and Daughter – Rebecca Nichols. Howie resides in Cocoa, Florida and by profession is a Lieutenant Firefighter/Paramedic with Brevard County Fire Rescue.
DAVID SHAW - Dave has been a member of APBA since 1973, starting his racing career as a riding mechanic in a Jersey Skiff. For the next 20 years Dave competed in several classes of Inboard hydroplanes, where he had success on both a local and national level.
In Region 3, Dave has been an Inboard Director for about 35 years and served as the Region Chairman for several years. In the Inboard Category, he has been a referee for more than 30 years and also have officiated the J Stocks, Stock Outboard, and OPC when asked. Although currently on the Inboard Racing Commission, he has been a member for several years. Dave has been the APBA Chief Referee, Chief Inboard Referee, and is currently the H1 Unlimited Chief Referee.
David has been a member of the Lake Hopatcong Racing Association since 1973, holding various offices for approximately 40 years. He is also a member of the Greenwood Lake Power Boat Association, and the Kent Narrows Racing Association. Dave has participated in the planning, set-up, running, and break down of each of their events.
His family is very involved in APBA. Wife, Ann, is the Region 3 Chairperson, a scorer, referee, and member of the National Scoring Committee. Dave’s children serve APBA as a scorer, inspector, referee, Region 3 Inboard Director, Region 3 Inboard Officiating Director, Region 4 Chairman, and compete in several hydro classes. His daughter owns and drives a boat in the Sportsman Entry (flatbottom) class, and his son is a riding mechanic in a Jersey Skiff.
In 2008 he received the Bruce Broussard Meritorious Service Award in the Inboard Category. Dave served on the APBA Board of Directors for 2 years. After a teaching career lasting 38 years, in June of 2011 he retired from the Paterson Public Schools, Paterson, NJ.. While teaching, he received several awards and served as a delegate to the Paterson Education Association for the entire 38 years. David is looking forward to continuing to serve the American Power Boat Association for years to come.
JAN SHAW - Jan has been a member of Seattle Outboard Association for 48 years. She was Region 10 secretary from 1998-2012, and a Region Chairman from 2012-2014, and then elected to the APBA Board from 2014 to present. Since 2012 she has belonged to the majority of clubs in Region 10 and has taken an active role in many of these clubs. Jan has been a race chairman in Region 10 for over 10 years, even resurrecting old race sites, such as the Kenmore Slough race. Jan has been a lead scorer for Unlimited, Unlimited Light, West Coast Offshore, F1, OPC, Inboard, Vintage, Stock, Mod, PRO, Junior classes, and now trainer for new scorers and timers. Jan has been lead scorer for 2 Nationals, many divisional, and North American Championships, she is also a timer for many record races in Region 10, and has belonged to the National Scoring Committee for many years. In 2015, she was the recipient of the National APBA Scoring Award at the Chicago National Meeting. As an APBA board member, the committee she was assigned to lead was the APBA Archives. She has learned how to copy and preserve old documents, and is currently working with our local library system, to get old rule books, and reference books into the National library system, making them more available to our members, anywhere in the United States.
Jan’s dedication to helping grow and promote racing in Region 10 and assist other regions when asked lends to her commitment to bring competence to the APBA Board Position. She has shown open minded decision making during her current APBA Board time, while keeping safety as her main focus on issues in all categories. Your vote to support re-election is appreciated.
KATELYN SHAW - Katelyn has been involved in APBA for all of her 28 years. She began officiating as chief scorer at the age of 14 and received the Inboard Scorer of the Year award with she was 15. Katelyn has also been active at the region level serving as Region 3’s Officiating Director for the past 10 years and is the Region 3 writer for the Propeller Magazine. Katelyn has also served as secretary, president and vice-president over the years for both the Greenwood Lake Power Boat Association and the Lake Hopatcong Racing Association.
Katelyn has worked diligently to keep both of these races on the APBA schedule over the past 3 years. She began driving in the Sportsman Entry class in 2014 and since has driven in the 1.5 stock, 2.5 stock and 2.5 mod class in addition to riding in the Jersey Speed Skiff class. She was the recipient of the East Coast Rookie of the Year award in 2014, the Region 3 Rookie of the Year award in 2014 and received the Region 3 Man of the Year award in 2015. She has served as race chairman, chief scorer and stepped up to be a turn judge when needed. She is always willing to lend a helping hand at registration and otherwise to assist an event. In 2015, Katelyn began to officiate the H1 Unlimiteds and works as a timer on the starting line. She works hand in hand with the Canadian Boating Federation and has assisted with officiating the HRL GP’s in Detroit. In addition to her involvement in Inboard, Katelyn has assisted at outboard, OPC and SE events.
In her professional life, Katelyn received her Masters’ degree in Special Education and works as a special educator and math teacher in a high school/ middle school in New Jersey. Katelyn would like to make APBA something that people are proud to be a part of and not something that people are forced to be a part of.
DAVE RICHARDSON - Dave Richardson joined APBA Vintage and Historic in 2005 after having volunteered at the original vintage regatta in Clayton, NY starting in 2002. Driving and maintaining vintage boats quickly became a big part of Dave's life. His first boat the 1972 Lauterbach Big Chief, A11 has now been passed on to his wife Carol who is also on the vintage circuit. Dave also has the Lauterbach Special, GP200 and is restoring the 1967 Longtin, Centaure CQ50. He is the organizer behind The Antique Race Boat Regatta held in Clayton, NY where vintage all began. Dave is a Trustee on the APBA Historical Society and sits on the Government Affairs committee. Prior to retirement Dave was President of Texas Instruments Europe.
JOHN RUNNE - John is a second generation boat racer. He began his racing career in 1966 starting in the JU class. His father Hank started racing in the late 1940’s, as well as his brothers Ed (since 1963) and Richard (since 1969). All are still very active in Stock Outboard both on the water, in the pits and behind the scenes in many facets of the sport. His late mother Doris was a mainstay on the judges’ stand locally and nationally for over thirty years and a great enthusiast of this very special family sport.
Throughout the next twenty years John competed on a high level both locally and nationally in all Stock Outboard hydroplane classes, Modified Outboard and for a short time in OPC during the early 45SS years. During that era, John was also very active in Region 3 as a race director for many local races in the mid-seventies through the eighties. He also served as President of the New Jersey Outboard Association (NJOA est. 1929), a Region 3 Stock Outboard Director, Region 3 Stock Outboard category Chairman and four years on the SORC.
After a short hiatus and having moved his family to North Carolina, John resumed his racing career and his involvement in Region 4 working on race committee’s and region politics. He served as the first President of a new club in Region 4 the North / South Racing Association (NSRA) which helped to revive racing in Region 4. More recently, John has served on the SORC for much of the past twenty years, is currently a Referee, the latest recipient of the “Pop Augustine Award” for his work at all Carolina-Virginia Racing Association (CVRA) races as well as being a recent and future recipient of the prestigious “Norm Brewington” award. He is also serving on the Race Committee for CVRA, the host club of the 2016 Stock, Mod & J National Championships. John has represented his Region (both Region 3 & Region 4) in nearly twenty APBA Annual Meetings, and attended many in no official capacity.
John’s wife Robin, always supportive of boat racing, has worked often as a scorer and is active in CVRA social events. Son Ryan has been racing for the last twenty years and has earned the respect of his competition. Oldest daughter Stacy raced for four years and is now a chief scorer. Daughters Brittany and Allie have also been active at the races as volunteer officials and social elites.
John’s success on the race course in his 45 year career include: Three National Championships (1980, 1983 & 2005), four National Hi-point Championships, two North American Championships, multiple N.E. and S.E. Divisional Championships as well as many Region 3 and Region 4 honors and awards.
In his spare time over the last forty years and to this day, aside from spending quality time with his wife and four children, John has designed and built more than 100 Stock and Modified hydroplanes and runabouts for himself, his son and many boat racers throughout the country under the banner “Runnecraft Custom Race Boats”
A fifty year member of the American Power Boat Association John would be proud to serve on the APBA Board of Directors.
R.SCOTT SCHATZ- Scott is one of three generations of family members that have participated in the APBA. As a full participating member since 1981 he has raced in most every Inboard Hydroplane and Flat Bottom class. He has won 3 National Points Titles, 4 Divisional Titles, 3 Summer National titles, set 6 World Records, 1 World Championship, 2 North American Championships and has been inducted into the Hall of Champions.
Wanting to do more for the sport and help in it's growth he became an active board member of the Southern California Speed Boat Club in 1990 and began actively promoting and conducting events as a race director and those efforts continue today. He has served in the past as a member of the Inboard technical committee and as an inboard commissioner. He currently is a member of the inboard racing commission, an approved inboard inspector, the Chairman of Special Events and Commodore of SCOA/ SBRA the only remaining active APBA club in region 12.
Scott is currently the owner of S & S Performance and Marine Inc. and has spent the past 10 years focused on the performance advancement and safety of the marine industry. Prior to following his aspirations to work in the performance and Marine industries he spent 20 years as the Director of Decontamination for the largest Environmental Company in the United States. Projects include the first decommissioning of an Army Ammunition's Plant in Joliet Illinois where 54 square miles of land was returned to the Illinois department of forestry and tall grass prairie preservation society.
Scott's goal if elected to the BOD would be to work with the members and the BOD on a fresh perspective and apply sensible solutions to the current decline of our sport.
BILL THOMPSON - Bill has been an active member of APBA since the late 1970s. Prior to this, Bill got his start and interest in boat racing when his folks took him and his siblings to the boat races on a small lake back in the late 50’s. Bill became involved with APBA by helping crew in the 145 class of the Inboard division. He got the real bug a year later by purchasing his own hull from a local builder. It wasn’t the fastest thing out there but it gave him valuable experience.
Bill quickly moved on to other classes. A Crackerbox team needed a rider so he thought “what the heck” and ride for one race. That move lasted for several years. He even bought a hull but never raced it and sold it to a team in California. Bill was then asked if he could help out another team in the Comp Jet class, and he did by purchasing another hull. That move lasted for several years also but the class died because of the capsule rule. Later Bill also joined the OPC division and drove for a couple of owners when they couldn’t make the races mostly in Sport C and in Mod C.
Bill sold his boat and stayed out of racing for a year although he still joined APBA but didn’t do anything. He came back into racing because he still had the bug and it was in his blood and couldn’t get rid of it and couldn’t stand not doing anything. Bill joined up with the same Crackerbox team as before and stayed with them for a couple more years until the owner sold that hull because of an illness and couldn’t drive anymore. Along the way he was very fortunate to have won a few championships and National titles in both the Crackerbox and Comp Jet classes. Bill even set a world record which was soon shattered by another competitor.
Along the way early in his racing, Bill began his desire of helping out with inspections. Bill helped out at National events and wherever he could if for nothing else but to learn. Bill eventually was asked to become the head inspector at various events and that led to becoming the Chief Inboard inspector of APBA for several years under several leaderships. Bill has served on the Inboard safety committee, Inboard Racing commission representing Region 10 for several terms and is currently serving on the APBA Inboard technical committee. Bill is also currently one of the APBA BOD members and is looking to continue serving proudly in that role.
MATT YARNO - Matt has been involved with boat racing nearly all of his 45 years. Matt was born into an inboard family and started racing JSH at a young age with Seattle Outboard Association. While driving different Stock Outboard classes through the years he has also raced various Inboard and OPC classes.
Currently he is the Sergeant of Arms for SOA along with the J Activity Chairman for Region 10, APBA Council at Large Member, Stock Outboard Commissioner, Inboard Safety Committee Member, SOA/HARM J Hydro Project Coordinator, Referee at SO, MO, PRO, J, INB, IE and OPC events within Region 10 along with a Race Director. He is also the Co-Race Director for the 2018 Stock and J Nationals hosted by SOA in Moses Lake, WA.
Matt has been instrumental in working with the Inboard clubs within Region 10 and bringing the inboard’s and outboard’s together with more cross category events, which has been a huge success. It is not uncommon to see Matt as part of the race committee, coordinating the J Classes or helping out a new family at any event.
Previously, Matt has served on the BOD for inboard clubs throughout the years. He has also been served on the APBA J Committee along with various committees within the clubs and in Region 10.
Boat racing is his passion and after a decision to stop racing he has committed to dedicate time in helping the sport grow on the local and national level. He is very involved in the J Category within Region 10 and has helped build 23 boats for the SOA/HARM J Hydro Project in the past 3 years. He was part of the team that supported the Qatar J Hydro Program. Teaching kids about boat racing and how to race J Hydro’s prior to the 2014 J Hydro World Championship in Moses Lake.
Matt would be a great addition to the APBA BOD and is willing to listen openly to the members for input for what they think will be the best for the organization!