This new web page has been set up to provide information on GSCA elections and balloting, and to explain the e-balloting process.
Current
Voting September-October 2024
2025-26
GSCA Officers, Directors, & AKC Delegate Voting
Greetings
GSCA Members:
Voting for
the GSCA Board and AKC Delegate for the two-year 2025 & 2026 term
is now open. A 30-day nomination period which was open to the
membership this past summer closed on August 31
st
.
A robust slate of candidates was nominated and there were multiple
nominees for each position, except Secretary and Treasurer. All of
those nominated accepted the chance to serve the GSCA should a
majority of members vote for them.
To inform
members when casting their votes, the candidates provided statements
in support of their nominations, including personal background
information and a discussion of their goals for the next board.
Candidates’ statements are presented below as submitted without
edits.
PRESIDENT
- CANDIDATES
Kim
Demchak
I
have been nominated and have accepted the nomination to run for the
position of President of the Giant Schnauzer Club of America
(“GSCA”).
For
those of you who do not know me, I have been an active member of the
club for 31 years. I have had the privilege to have held the
positions of Eastern Director, Western Director, Vice-President for 2
terms, and President for 2 terms. I have bred and personally handled
several Giants to various levels of success in multiple venues
throughout my time in the breed. On a personal note, I am a career
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in Pediatric
Gastroenterology. I have enjoyed serving vulnerable children at some
of the most critical time in their lives.
Much
like in my career, I believe it is incumbent on the leadership of the
GSCA to apply practical leadership elements such as treating all
members fairly and respectfully, no matter someone's personal
opinion. I am wholeheartedly dedicated to the preservation of our
breed. I intend to adhere to the breed standard.
Our
club was founded by individuals much like you and me. Founders who
set out to ensure critical governance and infrastructure that have
driven and maintained the road map to ensure the success and
preservation of the GSCA. These founders were thoughtful in
developing governing documents such as the GSCA Constitution and
By-Laws. I will work diligently on your behalf to uphold and apply
decisions as outlined in these documents. We cannot and should not
arbitrarily lead without the guidance of these documents. We must
listen to our members and make the best decisions we can for the
benefit of all.
Our
members are the very pulse of our club. I will exercise my
obligations and duties as president without the influence of personal
or individual member benefit. I will support all club members with
strong encouragement to succeed in any path they select with their
Giants.
Our
members are our ambassadors for this breed and should be recognized
for all their hard work in any venue they choose. During my previous
term as president, I worked with the support of membership, to revise
and reform the Annual Awards program to ensure recognition for all of
our members. It took focused and thoughtful guidance to move from a
“conformation and obedience only” concept of member
recognition to a broader more inclusive awards program. Under the
revisions, we included awards for the preferred classes. We achieved
significant growth in member participation.
I
passionately, support our NOHS participants. Through the strong and
personal connection between owners and their Giants, I have seen
Giants excel to the top of their ability.
Additionally,
when I previously served as President, I lobbied the AKC to allow
GSCA to hold scent work trials. I also requested that AKC formally
add separate classes for Pepper Salts and Black, then when I learned
this was not possible, I reached out to individual clubs to separate
the colors for the open class.
With
your support, I will do my best to hear the wants and needs of all
club members. Leadership must serve to the highest level of
integrity, utilizing all sources of communication, including social
media, to deliver relevant and timely information to our membership
that is void of personal bias or interest.
Some
say I am a “Tell it like it is” person, and I agree. If I
were asked to describe my leadership style, it would be fair,
consistent, inclusive, and equitable. I have great respect for the
history of our club, and I believe we have a bright future. I am open
to listening and willing to support the membership in their endeavors
which seek to better the club.
I
respectfully request your support to serve as the GSCA president.
Chris
Reed
While serving as
President of GSCA for the 2023-24 term, much has been achieved thanks
to the dedicated work of our Board members, chairpersons, committees,
coordinators, and volunteers. I am seeking your support for a second
term so that together we can continue this work and add to a growing
list of accomplishments:
-
We have welcomed applicants from
diverse backgrounds into the club and purposefully included newer
members in committees and projects based on their skills, talents,
and interests. A New Member Network and its associated Steering
Committee were established to help integrate and retain new members.
And we created a New Member of the Year award to recognize the most
outstanding of these individuals.
-
We are hosting a wider variety of
events including the club’s first Scent Work trial and Trick
Dog and Fetch competitions at the 2024 National Specialty and its
first FastCAT competitions at both the 2023 and 2024 Nationals.
Conformation and Obedience will always be the foundational sports of
our club, but as AKC has also learned, we must embrace new events to
attract new participants and remain relevant in the evolving world
of dog sports.
-
We have offered education to our
members and to the public. Online and in person seminars have been
held on the subjects of Grooming, Breeding, Activities/Sports, and
Breed History, all under the framework of Giant Schnauzer
University. There is a strong demand for knowledge and accurate
information about our breed and who better than its parent club to
provide it.
-
We are more transparent and have
increased content sharing in the newsletter and on social media. We
have created a venue for two-way communications between Board
members and membership with the quarterly member forums. It is
essential that members are engaged with the club, but this can only
happen if members are aware of the challenges and opportunities that
we face and given an opportunity to express their ideas, questions,
and concerns.
We are
collaborating more with other organizations who are similarly vested
in our breed, working with WRSF to petition AKC to recognize dozens
of new working dog titles and to help promote each other’s
events. We are developing connections with rescue organizations to
help address the challenges caused by our breed’s increasing
popularity, but there is still so much work to be done in this area.
-
We are
promoting responsible breeding through not only our breeder
education efforts but other projects such as the new GSCA Breeder
Listing and its accompanying educational materials (breed health,
breeder interview questions, etc.), all designed to help prospective
puppy buyers. And we created a Breeder of the Year award to
highlight the best of our breeders in the club.
-
We
support those too often overlooked by the majority. The annual owner
handled award had not been presented by the club for years. This
award requirements were revised to align with the AKC NOHS system
and was awarded recently for the 2023 competition period. The Open
class in conformation has historically been divided by color (Black
and Pepper & Salt) only at specialties. But to help “level
the playing field” for Pepper & Salt giants, we contacted
every all-breed and working group club in the country (over 700) to
ask that they always separate the Open class by color at every show
– and many have done so.
-
We
know the vital role that Juniors play in our future and now offer a
Junior Membership category in the club. The Junior Coordinator
position was also established to provide a focal point for all
related initiatives. And we created Junior of the Year awards for
both conformation and performance to encourage their involvement.
-
We honor our long-time members by
awarding Lifetime memberships for everyone with 40 or more years of
service to the club. This recognition was codified in our Bylaws,
approved via membership vote and AKC review, so that it cannot be
too easily undone in the future.
-
We updated our Standing Rules,
many of which were out of date and some too often were not being
followed, by first soliciting input from all members on the proposed
changes. The revised Standing Rules were overwhelmingly approved (>
90%) by membership vote, are being strictly followed by the Board.
-
We are creating administrative
systems (role descriptions, policies, and procedures) where none
existed before so that what, who, how, and when things are done will
not depend on memory, opinions, and personalities of who happens to
be on the Board at any given time.
-
We continue to develop online
tools to make routine activities (membership applications, health &
welfare applications, ordering awards, signing up for seminars,
etc.) easier for all involved.
The 2025-26 election of
officers and Directors presents a clear choice between those who want
to keep moving the club forward and delivering results versus those
who want to return to a past, one in which the status quo was
acceptable and anything requiring significant effort was too often
avoided. If I am re-elected, key initiatives for the Board will
include implementing the new website, expanding offerings from Giant
Schnauzer University, establishing Puppy Junior College for
prospective puppy buyers and new puppy owners, developing a breed
specific course for AKC Canine College, and creating a digital
archive of GSCA’s historical documents. I respectfully ask that
you support me and the other candidates who will continue our
progress, undertake these initiatives, and lead our club into the
future.
I have owned Giants
with my wife Holly for almost 35 years and have been a member of GSCA
since 1997. We live in south Louisiana on the banks of the
Mississippi River with 6 Giants, 9 cats, and a blind beagle mix who
showed up one day and has never left. We have bred Giants under
the Lagniappe kennel name since 2006. Other dog club experience
includes being a member of the Baton Rouge Kennel Club for 15 years,
including terms as President and Vice-President, and a member of the
Mississippi Gulf Coast Working Group Club since its inception. I also
serve as the cluster chair for a multi-day show involving multiple
all-breed and specialty clubs. Previous club affiliations include the
Brazoria County Kennel Club and the Louisiana Capitol City Obedience
Club.
VICE
PRESIDENT - CANDIDATES
Robin
Henderson
My name is Robin Henderson and I am running
for the Office of Vice President of the Giant Schnauzer Club of
America.
I am a
second-generation Giant Schnauzer breeder. My mother started in
Giants in 1972 and bred under the SpiceRack Kennel name. When I began
breeding, with my love of the breed, it was only natural that I take
over the SpiceRack name.
I enjoy assisting and
encouraging new people in the breed with grooming and/or learning to
groom. I am a mentor on a Giant Schnauzer grooming page and have
mentored several people. I also mentor new people interested in
Giants, teaching them about temperament, structure and health. I am
willing to share my knowledge of the breed, always assisting new
puppy owners, including ones from other kennels.
I have chaired and/or
organized several successful Specialties, including 2024’s
National Specialty. Our hardworking National specialty committee made
it their mission to provide a variety of events so that anyone can
participate with their dogs! I am also currently mentoring Andrea
Fergerson Defibaugh as she is a first-time specialty chair of the
Southern Region in December.
I have been assisting
in providing member education at the National Specialties for the
last 3 years, where Chris Reed and I presented information on History
and Structure at the Giant Schnauzer Seminar 101. In 2023, I
coordinated the education at the 2023 National, where Dr. Carmen
Battaglia presented his seminar on Breeding Better Dogs.
While on the current
Board of the GSCA, I have served two terms as the Southern Regional
Director. I was appointed as Judges Education Chair and created the
New Giant Schnauzer At A Glance cards to bring awareness of proper
type and structure in our beloved breed. Currently, I am heading a
committee of breed experts, where we are working with the AKC and the
AKC Canine College to develop education for current and future
judges.
I am active in my local
kennel club and have served as the past recording secretary for the
all-breed and also Working Clubs.
Professionally, I am a
Registered Nurse and have been active in professional organizations,
serving as an officer for a local chapter of The Association of
Operating Room Nurses.
If elected as Vice
President, I will continue to advocate for the best interest of the
breed, encourage all Giant lovers to take an active role in the GSCA
and continue to help and mentor all Giant Schnauzer enthusiasts.
Rebecca
“Becky” Heubi
Dogs have been my
lifelong passion. After owning several different breeds, I was
introduced to the Giant Schnauzer approximately 14 years ago and my
love of this magnificent breed was ignited. Since that time, I have
owned 6 Giants, and have studied and learned from some of the best
breeders.
I joined the GSCA to
learn even more and have not been disappointed. Breed standard,
proper grooming, health and showing have been my main areas of
interest. I have enjoyed attending National and Regional
Specialties, having great fun, and meeting members of the Club, who
share my same love of the Breed.
I served as Secretary
for the GSCA two consecutive terms, 2019-2020, 2021–2022. I am
currently Vice-President. In 2017, I co-chaired the silent auction
at the National Specialty in Harrisburg, PA and chaired the GSCA
Eastern Regional Specialty in Fredericksburg, VA in 2018, 2019, 2020,
2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as the GSCA Regional Specialty for
Morris & Essex in 2021. I was a member of the National Specialty
committee for the 2020 National. I also worked as co-chair with Doug
Hill on the 2021 National for the East at Meadow Event Park in
Doswell and chairman of the GSCA National Specialty in Doswell in
2023. I am currently chairman of the Eastern Regional Specialty to
be held in October 2024. A Regional Specialty with Morris &
Essex for 2025 has also been approved, and I look forward to working
on that event.
I am also a member of
the Greater Fredericksburg Kennel Club, having served as Secretary,
Past President, and a member of the Governor’s Board.
Currently I am dog show chair for our club, having served in this
capacity as either co-chair or chair since 2015. I had the honor of
receiving the AKC Sportsman of the Year Award from GFKC in 2017.
If elected
Vice-President, I will continue to work for the preservation of the
breed and work with the Board to do what is best for the breed and
our membership. Thank you for your vote.
SECRETARY
- CANDIDATE
Laurie
Mason
I am pleased to accept
the nomination as candidate for Secretary of the Giant Schnauzer Club
of America for a second term.
Mike and I have owned
Giants since 1998 and have been members of GSCA since 1999. Over the
years, we have been blessed to share our home with 9 Giants. I
finished seven of our Giants owner-handled with "Obie”,
achieving 2011 GSCA Owner Handled Dog of the Year. I am presently
competing in AKC Detective and NACSW Elite scent work trials with my
boy, “Moses” and just starting our young girl, Emmy Lou,
on her scent work journey.
I have served the GSCA
in multiple positions since 2001 including Western Regional Director,
Vice President, President, Secretary, National Specialty/Regional
show chair or mentor /coordinator ten times over the years. I will be
assisting Howard as Show Coordinator with the 2025 National in
Colorado. I am a member of the Standing Rules, Specialty and Trophy
committees. We recently updated and revised the Standing Rules with
member approval and introduced a new and expanded trophy program that
includes club medallions for the next five years.
My goals, if elected to
a 2nd term, include continuing to update our administrative
processes, timely communication of Board Meeting Minutes, Financial
Reports and club information to our members, completing the Specialty
Guidelines Manual, ensuring the new Trophy Program is executed
properly, supporting the GSCA website upgrade and supporting our
Specialties in a coordinator/mentoring role.
I am proud to serve on
this Board; one that values transparency, member communication and
feedback and focuses on public and member education and the effective
execution of GSCA business as dictated by our Constitution and Bylaws
and Standing Rules. A Board that operates in a fiscally responsible
manner and one that welcomes new ideas, implements change, develops
programs and processes with member input and executes. Recruiting new
members, recognizing their skills, listening to their feedback and
mentoring them to take on the important roles in their Parent Club is
the key to the future of our club and breed.
Thank you for your
consideration.
TREASURER
- CANDIDATE
Howard
Postovit
Greetings GSCA Members:
Giants have been a part of our home since 1986 and I've been a GSCA
member since 2008. I'm honored to be nominated again to be the GSCA
Treasurer for the 2025-26 Board term. I’ve been privileged to
serve as club Treasurer a few times including from December 2010
through December 2015; February 2017 through December 2018; and most
recently from January 2023 to the present. I also served as GSCA Vice
President from January 2015 until February 2017 when I resumed the
Treasurer position.
After eight years on
the GSCA Board I thought a break would be good for me and the Club,
but remained involved with club activities. I’ve handled
electronic voting since the club adopted that practice in 2017 and
because some members still want paper ballots, I send those out too.
I was show chair for the 2018 and 2022 National specialties; I also
chaired the 2014 National as a real novice. This past May I chaired a
Western Regional Specialty. Last year I was Treasurer for the
National and filled that role again for the 2024 National.
I’d appreciate
your vote of confidence by selecting me as GSCA Treasurer for the
2025-26 Board term.
EASTERN
REGIONAL DIRECTOR - CANDIDATES
Luis
Delatorre
Thank you for
considering my nomination for the position of Eastern Regional
Director. My name is Luis Delatorre, and I reside in New York with my
wife, Melissa. Together, we are deeply committed to the preservation
and advancement of the Giant and Miniature Schnauzer breeds. We
conduct ourselves as ambassadors of the breed and the club,
dedicating ourselves to educating the public about Giant Schnauzers
and keeping the spirit of dog sports alive. I have been a proud
member of the GSCA for over eight years.
I am actively involved
in several local all-breed, group, and parent clubs, including the
Suffolk County Kennel Club (SCKC), Westbury Kennel Association (WKA),
Big Apple Working Group (BAWG), and the American Miniature Schnauzer
Club (AMSC). Over the past four years, I have had the honor of
serving as the show chairman for SCKC and for one year with WKA.
I have also completed a
term as Eastern Regional Director and Board member for the GSCA.
During my tenure, I actively contributed to multiple committees,
including the website, merchandise, and hosting the Breeder’s
Education Happy Hour meetings. Additionally, I have represented our
breed at the AKC Meet the Breeds event at the Jacob Javits Center for
the past two years.
Through my extensive
involvement and dedication, I aim to uphold the integrity of the
club, support decisions that are in the best interest of the breed,
the club, and its members, and promote new opportunities for both new
and current members to engage in activities that will enhance our
club. I look forward to further contributing to the success and
progress achieved by this Board during the past term.
Thank you for
considering my commitment and experience.
Robin
Greenslade
I accept the nomination
for the 2-year term of Eastern Regional Director for the Giant
Schnauzer Club of America.
This is a position I
have held in the past as well as Secretary, Delegate to the AKC, and
President. It has always given me great pleasure to serve the
members of the GSCA and to be a guardian of this breed that is a part
of my soul. I have been a member of the GSCA for 34 years and an
owner, owner handler and breeder for 37 years which include 2
National Specialty winners, numerous sweeps winners, both WD and WB
winners and 6 All breed Best In Show winning Giant Schnauzers, 2 of
those out of the same litter. I was also voted on by the membership
to judge the 2023 National Specialty, an honor unequaled.
I
would be honored to continue to serve the Eastern Region Membership
and the breed I love on the 2025/26 Board of Directors. Thank
You.
SOUTHERN
REGIONAL DIRECTOR - CANDIDATES
Andrea
Fergerson
First – thank you
to everyone who supported the 2024 National Specialty – it was
an honor and a pleasure to serve as Performance Chair this year and I
hope everyone had a great time!
I
have been a member of GCSA since 2018 when I brought home my first
Giant, Rebel. Since then, we have participated in 3 national
specialties, accumulated over 60 performance titles, a championship,
multiple top 10 awards, and qualified for 3 levels of versatility –
taking advantage of all the programs GSCA has to offer. I have also
had the pleasure and privilege to be mentored in breeding, competing,
and showing by some of club’s incredible members. I’ve
contributed to 2 issues of GiantSTEPS, volunteered for the National,
pushed for more opportunity, and am in regular contact with
supportive members to organize future events to grow our club’s
membership base and funds for events. I have been invited to
memberships in all-breed kennel clubs, performance specific clubs,
and promoted the excellence the GSCA has to offer to
other parent breed clubs – leading by example.
For
20 years I have participated in clubs of all varieties and served on
local, regional, and state level Boards as everything from district
liaison to state president. My business is providing trial secretary
services for Scent Work trials for national breed clubs, all breed
and breed specific local clubs, and cluster events – our
National marks 138 trials. I am thrilled to also create and provide
rosettes for specialties all over the country – most recently
our own National, and by the time this is published I will have also
sent out my first full all breed cluster week order to California.
I
will be chairing a supported and specialty week at Royal Canin this
year for our breed and have some super plans for 2025 already in the
works for the South for more performance and wonderful conformation
support and specialties.
I’m
running for Southern Regional Director to grow enthusiasm,
participation, accessibility, and innovation to the Giant Schnauzer
Club of America, and I appreciate your support and look forward to
making this membership proud to be part of GSCA. I am thankful to
every member who supports this club, and I will continue to support
any and all efforts for our club to be one to envy.
Beverly
Murray
Allow
me to introduce myself. I am Beverly Murray of Giant Strides Giants,
Inc. of Florida. I have been graciously nominated to become your next
Southern Regional Chairperson. Currently my husband John (of 38 yrs)
and I reside just outside of Crystal River Florida in the North
Central region of Florida about an hour north of Tampa and an hour
and 20 minutes northwest of Orlando. I have had dogs all my life,
growing up in a house of true dog lovers, and having been raised as a
child with Standard Schnauzers followed by purchasing a mini when I
was an adult living in a small apartment. I have been involved with
Giants since 2000 and absolutely love the breed!
Our
first giants were shown from 2004 to 2008. Both were German imports
one being from the Hatzbachtal Kennel and the others from the Vom
Kossover Land Kennel. My husband John and I currently own 3 giants
which we have bred, and I am proud to say that we now have Giants all
over the world from our breedings. Since becoming involved with GSCA,
my husband and I have done the Meet the Breed booth two years in a
row at Eukanuba (now known as Royal Canin).
I
have been involved with HTZ under the direction of now departed
Caroline Janak taking in over 15 dogs at our former home in Fort
Lauderdale. In 2007 I took the lead for the 2007 GSCA Regional held
in Palm Beach, Florida in conjunction with the Palm Beach Dog
Fanciers. It was rather unfortunate that the day before the show my
mother passed away and I was not able to attend a show I mastered
from start to finish single handedly. (Marcia Adler stood in for me
on the day of the show).
My
heart is in these giants! In 2018, I took the position of Show Chair
for the 2020 National. I worked diligently for those next two years
to make it a wonderful event. Unfortunately, COVID came into play
for the Nation and I expressed my fears of holding an event that
would possibly endanger our dogs and their owners, so I passed the
reins at the urging of the President at that time. I made sure that
when donations were received thank you cards were immediately sent
out thank those who graciously donated, letting them know their
donations meant so very much to this great club. I have ideas already
as to what shows hold the possibilities of making a great location.
I will submit detailed reports to GSCA of my findings and will do my
very best to promote and maintain a positive image for this wonderful
club. In closing,
I hope
you will consider me as your next Southern Regional Chairperson. I
will give my promise that I will make next year’s Southern
Regional an event that will be remembered for years to come! I have
ideas and locations in mind already!
Anna
Strömberg
Giant schnauzer owner
since 2002, and we have been Breeding Giants since 2019 and have had
great success in the ring and with our new puppy homes.
I am a huge
spokesperson for public and continuous education within a breed. We
try to hold classes and grooming days and I want to implement
noncompetitive activity days to see if we can bring in a few from the
91 percent of owners not being a member of GSCA.
I live on the west
coast of Florida in a very Giant strong population and we have a very
active community of owners and breeders. We held the national in 2020
during the height of Covid and will strive to bring the national back
to Florida in the near future.
I have been active on
several breed club Boards in the past and held the position of
Southern Regional Director for GSCA a few years back when someone
else stepped down. I have zero tolerance for bad behavior among
members and I am going to work towards unifying and making things
stronger within the Giant community.
At home I share my life
with husband Ben and our pets, on our 5-acre farm dedicated
completely to the wellbeing of the dogs, as well as my client’s
show dogs and the Boarding dogs in our Boarding kennel.
I would very much like
to serve the GSCA as Southern Regional Director.
MIDWEST
REGIONAL DIRECTOR - CANDIDATES
Frank
Lavoie
My
name is Frank Lavoie. I am running for the Midwest Regional
Director. I have been an active member of the GSCA since 2022. Since
then, I have helped with the Giant Schnauzer University grooming
department, was on the 2024 National specialty committee, and hosted
breeders sweeps.
I
have owned Giant Schnauzers since 2013 and have been fascinated with
the breed since a young child, seeing my first Giant at a dog show
one of our boxers was in. I grew up showing horses, cattle, and many
other types of livestock. I took the first steps of becoming an Owner
handler in 2019 learning and going to as many shows and seminars as I
could. My first time in the ring was in 2020 with a Standard
Schnauzer my mentor owed. Since then, I have become the President of
the Ozarks Kennel Club, and recently was reelected for my second
term.
As
your Midwest Regional Director, I would be devoted to new member
growth and education, through mentorship and public engagement. I am
ready to mentor, grow our sport, and protect our breed from the
growing interest of breeders. I am wanting to create outreach
programs to educate on the purpose of well-bred vs purebred and the
purpose of our sport. In my region we have many back yard and
commercial breeders. My goal would be to help educate them on the
breed, the problems within it, and promote responsible breeding.
As a
Director of the GSCA I vow to serve and do our breed justice within
our communities, as well as educate and mentor newcomers. I am an
advocate of responsible breeding and will advocate for our beloved
breed.
Mike
Rutkas
Thank
you for your consideration. I've been involved in Giants since
1989 and have enjoyed our breed ever since and have bred/shown under
the kennel name "Histyle". Like most of us once you
get a Giant you just can't imagine another breed. Now watching
my children grow up with them, the preservation of this breed is very
important to me. Having served on 7 previous Boards, assisted
on many National / Regional Specialties, and other GSCA events I have
a lot of institutional knowledge from being involved in this breed
for the past 35 years. I look forward to continue helping our
breed, our members, and new people entering our sport.
WESTERN
REGIONAL DIRECTOR - CANDIDATE
Kathi
Seaman
My name is Kathi
Seaman, and I am honored to be nominated for the Western Regions
Director position on the next GSCA Board.
My husband Frank and I
currently split our time in Washington state and Arizona. I got my
first Giant in 1988. My Giants have earned titles in conformation,
obedience, rally, tracking, drafting, agility, herding, scent-work
and fast cat. We owned and operated a Boarding and training facility
for 15 years. I have taught classes in obedience, rally and agility
both privately and for a local training club.
I joined GSCA in 2003.
Even though I usually put a championship on my dogs, performance has
been my main focus. That said, in 2023 I showed my girl in NOHS
events and finished in the #1 spot and, in so doing, earned an even
bigger respect for professional handers!
I have attended and
participated at several GSCA National and Regional shows. I currently
belong to the Canadian National Giant Schnauzer club and have been a
member of my local training club (Chuckanut Dog Training Association)
since the 1980’s serving as President, Treasurer and Board
member I also instructed obedience classes for the club for several
years. I work annually on the obedience, rally and scent work trials.
I am also an AKC GCG evaluator.
While I have never held
a Board position with the GSCA, I did serve on an obedience / rally
committee and have worked on the awards committee for GSCA
specialties, and my local club. I have tons of experience with dogs
and the interactions of clubs. I am a hard and good worker, honest,
and pride myself on having excellent common sense. I almost always
work well with others. With a little guidance I am confident I will
make the club proud as Western Regional Director. Thank you for your
consideration.
AKC
DELEGATE - CANDIDATES
Chris
Reed
I have served as the
AKC Delegate for GSCA since retiring as a Technology Fellow from a
Fortune 100 materials manufacturing company in 2019. Since becoming
your Delegate, I have attended 19 of 20 quarterly Delegate meetings,
traveling at my own expense to either Newark or Orlando, and have
focused on three objectives:
-
Ensuring the voice of GSCA is
conveyed through my votes as a member of the Delegate body and
during discussions in key committee sessions (Parent Club, Canine
Health, etc.)
-
Sharing important information
(pending rules changes, forthcoming legislation, AKC registration
and event participation data, etc.)
-
Bringing ideas back to our club
for consideration and implementation.
Some examples of the
latter include creating our
AKC
Parent Club Breed Flyer
, updating our CHIC certification
requirements and
Breed
Club Health Statement
, publishing the Heritage Semen Catalog,
initiating the Breed at a Glance card project, ensuring GSCA
participation in
AKC
Meet the Breeds
events, developing breed specific guidelines for
the
AKC Purebred
Preservation Bank
, securing GSCA contributions to the
DPCA
Crop Externship Program
, expanding our breeder education efforts,
and establishing a Juniors Coordinator role.
The AKC Delegate is
unique among the GSCA elected positions given its prerequisite of 5
years of club membership and by not having term limits. Continuity
and longevity in the position are essential to establishing effective
relationships within the Delegate body, which has representatives
from hundreds of AKC member clubs, as well as with AKC Staff who
participate in the quarterly meetings. My voting record within the
Delegate body has always reflected the will of the GSCA Board and
club members, whether it be for revisions to AKC rules and policies
or for election of AKC Board members. I am and always will be there
solely to represent you and the interests of GSCA.
I have owned Giants
with my wife Holly for almost 35 years and have been a member of GSCA
since 1997. We live in south Louisiana on the banks of the
Mississippi River with 6 Giants, 9 cats, and a blind beagle mix who
showed up one day and has never left. We have bred Giants under
the Lagniappe kennel name since 2006. Other dog club experience
includes being a member of the Baton Rouge Kennel Club for 15 years,
including terms as President and Vice-President, and a member of the
Mississippi Gulf Coast Working Group Club since its inception. I also
serve as the cluster chair for a multi-day show involving multiple
all-breed and specialty clubs. Previous club affiliations include the
Brazoria County Kennel Club and the Louisiana Capitol City Obedience
Club.
Steve
Sansone
It is with honor that I
submit this correspondence and accept the nomination as candidate for
the position of AKC Delegate.
My wife Cynthia and I
have owned Giant Schnauzers for nearly 20 years. The breed is the
only breed that we have owned. We have been members of the Giant
Schnauzer Club of America for nearly the same amount of time.
Throughout the years we have successfully showed our dogs in
conformation. In addition, we have achieved titles for our dogs such
as CGC, RN, and TKN.
While being a proud
owner of Giants and a member of our club I have been involved with
two additional pure bred kennel clubs. They are the Kennel Club of
Philadelphia (KCP) and Morris & Essex Kennel Club (M&E). I
have been a member of the KCP for 11 years. My position with the KCP
is one as a Director where I serve as the Vendor Chair and Sponsor
Co-Chair for The National Dog Show. I have been a member of M&E
for 10 years and hold the position Vendor Chair.
While the above
provides you with a brief overview of my canine experience, I think I
am uniquely qualified to be the GSCA’s AKC Delegate. The
following are points for you.
As the GSCA’s AKC
Delegate I want to be our voice to the AKC.
-
I live near New York City and
Newark, New Jersey where the AKC Delegate meetings are held each
quarter.
-
I have a desire to be a member in
the Delegate Standing Committees of Parent Clubs Committee or Canine
Health. My involvement in one of these committees will benefit the
GSCA.
-
I possess experience in business
as an executive and sole proprietor.
-
I am goal orientated and
energetic.
I look forward to
serving the GSCA as its AKC Delegate.
If you
opted for e-balloting, you will be voting
through
surveymethods.com
and
should have received an e-mailing from “Christine Savolainen
GSCA Elections
<ChristineSavolainen@gmail.com@surveys.surveymethods.com>"
announcing the voting. If you have not chosen e-balloting, a paper
ballot has been sent to you via USPS mail.
If you
have not received an e-mail or paper ballot by September 30, 2024,
contact Christine Savolainen at 469-644-3421, e-mail
ChristineSavolainen@gmail.com
;
or Howard Postovit at 541-786-5687, e-mail
hrpostovit@gmail.com