Meet the candidates standing for NIRSA leadership positions

NIRSA membership votes annually, via electronic elections, to fill positions on the NIRSA Board of Directors and on the Member Network. The 2025 NIRSA Elections for Board of Directors candidates and Member Network regional representatives will launch on Friday, January 17 and close on Tuesday, January 28.

The NIRSA Nominations & Appointments Committee reviewed many qualified applications and, with the endorsement of the 2024–2025 NIRSA Board of Directors, present the following slates for the 2025 NIRSA Board of Directors elections.

Board of Directors Presidential Track

• Adam Burke, Ed.D., Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life, University of Minnesota Duluth
• April Flint, PhD, NBC-HWC, Senior Director, Recreation & Wellness, Emory University

Board of Directors At Large Director

• Marc Iturriaga, Executive Director, Mohawk Students’ Association
• Sheldon Tate, Executive Director of Recreation, George Mason University

All individuals whose NIRSA membership is current as of 5:00am Eastern/8:00am Pacific on Thursday, January 16 are eligible to vote for Board of Directors candidates.

Additionally, NIRSA’s regional nominations & appointments committees reviewed the Member Network applications and, with the support of the overarching NIRSA Nominations & Appointments Committee and the endorsement of the 2024–2025 Board of Directors, present the following slate of candidates for available Member Network positions.

Member Network Region I Representative

• Brian Kabel, Assistant Director of Facilities & Events, Fairfield University

Member Network Region III Representative

• Aaron Mowen, Director of Recreation and Wellness, Grand Valley State University
• Corrine Pruett, Assistant Director of Operations, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Member Network Region V Representative

• Lauren Brown, Director, Student Recreation, Red Rocks Community College

Member Network Canadian Region Representative

• Matt Edmonds, Camps & Aquatics Coordinator, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Mike McMahon, Fitness Coordinator, University of Windsor

The NIRSA Member Network expands the regional network of the Association and focuses on recruitment and retention, creating opportunities for member involvement and leadership development. All individuals whose NIRSA membership is current as of 11:00am Eastern/8:00am Pacific on Thursday, January 16 are eligible to vote for Member Network candidates in their own region. Regions II, IV, and VI hold elections in even-numbered years and regions I, III, V, and Canada hold elections during odd-numbered years.

Student Leadership Team

Applications are currently being accepted for eight positions (one NIRSA Student Leader and seven regional student leaders) on the Student Leadership Team. The Student Leadership Team is a subset of the Member Network which focuses on student-driven issues, recruitment and retention, student advocacy, and student development. Applications will be accepted through Friday, January 31 with student elections launching on Tuesday, March 4 and concluding on Friday, March 7.

NIRSA members stand for office

As a reminder to all members, candidates for the NIRSA Board of Directors and the Member Network do not “run for office.” Instead, they “stand for office.” All candidates have agreed to serve the Association, and it is an honor to have any one of them represent NIRSA’s membership. Therefore, it is not appropriate for members to campaign on behalf of individual candidates.

NIRSA uses an electronic voting platform for elections. Please make sure that your member profile is up to date and lists your current email address so you’re able to exercise your opportunity to vote!