NYRC is having its Annual General Meeting (AGM) of members on Wed Feb 26 this year. This is a critical event for all NYRC members to attend; a new year of officers and new class of directors will be elected to operate the club, and changes to by-laws will be voted on. The event will be hosted at NYRC sponsor The Liberty at 29 W 35th St.

Don't forget to mark you're coming at the Facebook event!

Do you care about playing rugby in NYC?

Do you care about what fields are available for trainings and games? How much dues cost?
Youth rugby in NYC? Club sponsorships and socials and events? More swag? These are decisions made by the leaders of the club, and this is where you pick them!

The club runs on volunteers just like you; put your hand up to ask how to help out!

Request additional information, nominate yourself to run for a position, or register a topic of discussion, you must fill out this form.

Candidates will be requested to provide additional information via email before the AGM, and their information is available below.

Agenda
Read the agenda here. It contains the order of events, the candidate lists, and a list of the by-laws being voted on.

Voting
All current members of NYRC are eligible to vote at the AGM. To be a current member, you must be in good standing with the club and be a dues-paying member. You can pay your dues by coordinating with your team treasurer/dues captain/VP.

If you are unable to attend the AGM in person, you can vote by proxy by 1) being a current member, 2) selecting a proxy who can attend in person and who is a current member, and 3) by filling out this form: online.

Candidates

If you would like to contact a candidate, please reach out to secretary@newyorkrugby.com to get their information.

There are 4 positions available for Director 2020-2023 ("class of 2023"), and one for Director 2020-2021 ("class of 2021"). The 4 candidates with the most votes will be elected to the class of 2023; the candidate with the 5th most votes will be elected to the class of 2021.

• Chad Hansen (incumbent vice-chairman)
• Clarke Smith (incumbent chairman)
• Graeme Braidwood: NRYC has shaped my life in New York and has given me so much over the years. I have always been a club man on the pitch and I am now passionate about repaying this club beyond my efforts as a player.
• Melanie Pastuck (exiting president): I've been a proud member of New York Rugby Club for eight years. As a two year President and NYRC, and a former VP for the club (2 years), I also think I bring a wealth of experience to the table for continued administration and stewardship of the club. However, in looking to take a back seat from day to day club leadership and am no longer playing, I am hoping to transition into a role on the Board of Directors that will allow me to take on and focus on longer-term strategic projects. Additionally, I also participate in Boards across other alumni groups (including my college's rugby team, and another alumni organization), which have given me a set of experiences and examples to draw from as we look to continue building our fundraising efforts, improving our club's discoverability, and further engaging our players and alumni.
• Rick Damaso (incumbent): I have been an active Board Member and player for NYRC since 2018. Since joining, I’ve made it a point to contribute my time and efforts into growing our club as well as bringing our existing members together through social events.
• Skylar Neil (exiting assistant director): I've been with the club for 8 years, and as I start to transition away from playing, I'd love to take more responsibility on the administrative side. This club has given me so much, and I want to give back. I've enjoyed filling in the assistant director position, and I'd love to step up into a permanent directorship.

Running for President:

• Pablo Pinedo: Rugby has been a big part of my life and I am looking to give back and further develop an amazing club such as NYRC. I started playing rugby in high school in 2002. I got my first job during college through rugby, joined the Mexico National team, I was the captain and manager of my Mexico club (Jaguares for 4 years) and in my last season made it to the national final. When I applied to business school 2 out of three essays were about rugby, one of those about my plan to be Rugby club president which I accomplished. I have been part of NYRC for the past 6 years, get to play with amazing people and have built great friendships. Looking forward to contributing and to keep building the club.

Running for Treasurer:

• Caoimhe O'Sullivan Roche (incumbent): After 7 years playing rugby and a year-and-a-half with this club, playing for NYRC and alongside incredibly talented players has been a true privilege. After my first season in Fall 2018, I quickly became involved in women's side admin and events, as a combination of social and fundraising chair. In the Fall of 2019, I took over the vacant treasurer position and worked hard to make sense of the accounts as well as how each team operates. With reelection, I hope to establish standards and best practices that will help the club thrive financially, providing opportunities for great rugby and creating greater unity within the club.

Running for Secretary:

• Andrea Villanova (incumbent): Having served as club secretary for the last three years and seeing the immense growth over that time, I would be excited to continue in this role for another term and continue to contribute towards this great momentum that the board and directors have established. I have been with this club for the last 5 years with the women's premier league side and in that time have really adapted a FTC (for the club) mentality.

Running for Gentleman's "Old Boys" President:

• No candidates yet

Running for High School Vice President:

• Lisa Roselin (incumbent): I have been with the club since 2013. Over the last 7 years, I have helped the club out filling a number of positions on the women's side including 7s captain, 7s VP, and serving on the women's leadership team. In 2019, I took over as high school VP. Last year we had a number of notable accomplishments including over 100 students coming through the program, a state championship on the U-19s girls' side, and a number of our players receiving scholarships and going on to play at the collegiate level. We are always looking for more of the club to get involved! Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you're interested in supporting our kids!

Running for Men's Vice President:

• Lee Harrison: Rugby has been a staple of my life for 20 years. I have been blessed to have played in 5 continents for countless teams and NYRC is the place I now call home. Rugby is more than just a sport, its a family and I always planned as my body fell apart to help make sure I can grow it further. My aim will be to help grow the club both socially and on the field. Learning from the positives and negatives of clubs past to help this great club.

Running for Women's Vice President:

• Frankie Sands

By-laws Votes
Motions to update the NYRC by-laws are listed on the agenda; you can read about our current by-laws here. This represents the organization's contract with the state of NY as to how we operate with the state and with our members.