The American Saddlebred Horse Association’s (ASHA) 2006 Saddlebred Summit and Annual Meeting business concluded on February 18 prior to a sold-out Saddlebred Ball, with the first meeting of the newly elected board of directors.

The board seated the following new directors-elect, who began three-year terms of service:
William Blacklaw of Oregon, Louise Gilliland of Oklahoma and Jim Ruwoldt of Georgia. Returning directors elected to begin another three-year term are Mary Anne Cronan of Kentucky, Nelson Green of Kentucky and Kay Richardson of Illinois. Following a report of the Nominating Committee for Officers, Fred Sarver was elected to serve as president, Misdee Wrigley as first vice president, Mary Anne Cronan as second vice president, Mary Ann Pardieck as Secretary and David Howard as Treasurer.

The board also elected nine Association members to be the directors of the American Saddlebred Registry, which will meet shortly to elect their own officers. Registry directors will be Joan Hamilton of Kentucky, David Howard of Tennessee, Rick Luft of Wisconsin, Spencer Mains of North Carolina, Mary Ann Pardieck of Indiana, Alan Raun of Iowa, Jim Ruwoldt of Georgia, Fred Sarver of Kentucky and Anne Stafford of Tennessee.

Per the ASHA bylaws, following several nominations from the floor members present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting voted for two members of the new Nominating Committee to select directors to stand for election to terms beginning in February 2007. Betsy Boone of North Carolina and Carson Kressley of New York were elected. Completing the five-member Nominating Committee, the board elected members Kay Richardson (Illinois) and Art Zubrod (Kentucky) to join Boone and Kressley, and the president appointed Mary Anne Cronan to chair the committee. The board also urged that all possible means of outreach to the entire membership be used to solicit qualified candidates from around the country for consideration.

Finally, to fill the one vacancy on the Association’s 18-member board opened with the resignation of Carter Cox in January, for a term ending in January 2007, the board held an open secret-ballot election among three candidates, and Scott Matton of Wisconsin was elected to the unexpired term.


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