Tournament Committee

Oversees: Competition Integrity Team

Charge:

  • Chaired by the 1st Vice President.
  • Select and organize the World Series event.
  • Designate members for event roles, including MC and banquet lead.

View Tournament Committee members

Members: Richie Flores, Stephen Guerra, John Lykowski, Jason Price, Jamie Sibson, David Smith

Competition & Integrity Project

Ensure game integrity through reinforcing good sportsmanship, and policy development.

  • Email: integrity@nbba.org
  • Jason Price & his choice of Officials

Public Relations Committee

  • Oversees: Social Media, Live Stream, Web projects
    Email: pr@nbba.org
  • Chair: Second Vice President, David Benney,

Charge:

  • Chaired by the 2nd Vice President.
  • Handle media inquiries and promote NBBA across all formats.
  • Sustain social media presence and develop creative content.

Social Media Project Leads 

  • Co-chair: Darren Keepers (Social Media Coordinator), Christina Smerz (Executive Assistant, visual interpreting)

View Public Relations Committee members

Members: John Lykowski Jr (Social Media Specialist), Cassie Hopkins, Tournament Director, (Social Media assistant), Graham Mathenia (Audio/Video Specialist) –Stream Team Producer,  Cody Jeffares (Instagram/X Specialist), Richie Flores, President: (Podcast Coordinator), Mike Curtis (Graphic/image Captioning Specialist) MindsEye Liaison, Darnell Booker: (Radio/television liaison), Justin Romack (Web Team Liaison)

Live Stream Project Lead: David Benney

View Live Stream Project members

Members: Cassie Hopkins, Rosina Foster, Richie Flores

Web Team Lead: Justin Romack

View Web Team Project members

Members: Cassie Hopkins, Stephen Guerra, Darren Keepers, Richie Krussel.

Budget & Finance Committee

Oversees: Fund-raising and Grants Projects

Charge:

  • Chaired by the Treasurer and CFO.
  • Collaborate with the Fundraising Committee to support NBBA growth.
  • Monitor budgets, investments, and expenditures.
  • Manage Nubson grants to ensure efficient use.
  • Research cost-saving strategies.

View Budget and Finance Committee members

Members: Jerry Wendell, Dave Smolka, Mark Ivy, Chad Dillon, John Parker, Joe Q, Heather Mathenia, Kathy Quinn, board@nbba.org

Fund Raising Project-lead: John Lykowski—Chair in Training Chad Dillon

Email: funding@nbba.org

All Board Members are expected to participate.

Charge:

Outreach Committee

Oversees: Kids of our League (Youth), Blind and Visually Impaired Player (Adults), & Volunteer Recruitment/Development Teams

Charge:

  • Assist in the growth of new players, volunteers, and teams.
  • Serve as a global contact for NBBA support.
  • Kids of our League Project: Develop a youth program at the World Series.
  • Blind and Visually Impaired Player Recruitment project: Promote beep baseball and collaborate with adaptive athletic initiatives.
  • Volunteer Recruitment project: Present beep baseball and collaborate with organizations to recruit volunteers.

Project Leads: Kalari Jackson (Youth/KOOL), Brandon Chesser & Darnel Booker (Blind/VI general recruitment), Christina Smerz & Bre Taylor (Volunteer recruitment).

Member Engagement

  • Email: membership@nbba.org
  • Chairs: Jamie Sibson & David Smith
    • All Board Members are expected to participate.

Charge:

  • Involve all board members in member engagement.
  • Develop non-game activities during the World Series week.
  • Manage hospitality, exhibitions, vendor expos, and guide dog care.

View Member Engagement Committee members

Members: board@nbba.org, Alex Marositz, Jason Esterhuizen, Faith Penn, Chris Jackson, Ashley Melero, Crystal Melero, Neal McDonnald.

Ethics Committee

  • Email: ethics@nbba.org
  • Chair: Faith Penn

    • Charge:

    • Implement a code of conduct to maintain high ethical standards.
    • Review incident reports and develop policies against unethical practices.
    • Address cheating, substance abuse, and illegal activities at NBBA events.

    View Ethics Committee members

    Members: Pat Cody and Richard Schultz.

    Vision Committee

    Email: vision@nbba.org

    Chair: Melissa Lykowski

    Charge:

    • Manage player eligibility based on vision criteria.
    • Collect medical reports and ensure compliance with HIPAA laws.
    • Explore participation options for those not meeting NBBA criteria.

    View Vision Committee members

    Members: Page De Cosa, David Smith, Randy George, Richard Schultz, Andrew Bernet.

    WOOL Committee

    Email: wool@nbba.org

    Chair: Kim Blumenthal

    Charge:

    • Promote female athlete participation.
    • Organize the annual WOOL game during the World Series.
    • Grow WOOL game participation, awards, and publicity with board support.

    View WOOL Committee members

    Members: Wynter Pingel, Kalari Jackson, Tori Andres

    Statistical and Research Committee

    Charge:

    • Develop strategies for team seeding, storing, promoting, and managing statistical data.
    • Create an efficient scoring system to reduce errors.

    View Statistical and Research Committee members

    Members: David Benney, Neal McDonald, Rob Weisman, Jerry Wendell

    Awards Committee

    Oversees: Hall of Fame, Jim Quinn, and Old Timers Projects

    Charge:

    • Manage awards including the NBBA Hall of Fame, Jim Quinn Award, and the NBBA Memorial Plaque.
    • Develop new awards for individuals/groups not covered by existing recognitions, such as
    • Hall of Fame Project: Research and recognize eligibility for players, coaches, and volunteers; collaborate on museum exhibitions.
    • Jim Quinn project: Evaluate applications and referrals for the Jim Quinn Award for World Series recognition.
    • Old Timers Project: Engage retired players and volunteers to preserve history and honor pioneers of the league.
    • “Rookie of the Year” or “Outstanding Outfielder”.

    View Awards Committee members

    Members: Kevin Barret, Neal McDonald, Kathy Quin, Bob Bigger.

    Nominations and Elections Committee

    Charge:

    • Manage nominations and oversee the election process at the World Series.
    • Ensure voting accessibility and develop efficient election solutions.

    View Nominations and Elections Committee members

    Members: Cassie Hopkins, Justin Romack, Jamie Sibson, Blake Boudreaux, Kathy Quin.

    Equipment Committee

    Charge:

    • Oversee procurement, maintenance, and development of equipment.
    • Focus on improving beep baseballs, bases, and blindfolds.
    • Serve as contact for equipment-related inquiries.

    View Equipment Committee members

    Members: Cassie Hopkins.

    Rules Committee

    Charge:

    • Update and clarify existing rules.
    • Manage rule proposals and serve as experts on rule-related inquiries.

    Bylaws Committee

    Charge:

    • Update and develop bylaws for positive organizational impact.
    • Guide bylaw proposals submitted by NBBA members.
    • Serve as experts on bylaw-related inquiries.