All four officer positions are contested. All 110 postal (mail-in) and 302 Election Buddy (email) ballots will have been sent out by Monday, August 8, 2022. Any qualified TCA voting members (TCA member as of July 31, 2022, 16 years of age, and a resident of Texas) who have not received a ballot by Friday, August 12th, need to contact the Election Committee Co-Chairs, Barbara Swafford (email: barbrounds@gmail.com) and Jim Hollingsworth (email: txchessfacebook@gmail.com), immediately.
No late ballots will be accepted. All Election Buddy (email) ballots must be received by Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at 10:00 PM (CST). All postal (mail-in) ballots must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
If you have a family membership, you will receive multiple ballots to the same email. Children under 16 on the family membership are not eligible to vote.
NOTE: Election Buddy (email) ballots may rejected as spam by some servers.
Our experience has been that email addresses with “sbcglobal.net” and university email addresses may reject Election Buddy ballots as spam. Election Buddy nor TCA have any control over the spam and security protections of outside organizations.
If you do not receive a ballot in your email by Wednesday, August 10th, please check your other folders such as spam, junk, or promotions.
If you don’t find it in any of those places, please contact the TCA Treasurer (barbrounds@gmail.com) and CC the TCA VP (txchessfacebook@gmail.com). You will be sent a paper ballot. You must return the paper ballot postmarked no later than August 24, 2022. Make sure you include a good mailing address in your communication.
THE CANDIDATES:
- Franc Guadalupe for President (Incumbent). Nominated by Eddie Rios. Endorsed by Jim Hollingsworth.
- David Ortiz for President (Region X Director). Nominated by Fausto Vasquez.
- Rogelio Cabello for Vice President. Nominated by David Ortiz.
- Darryl West for Vice President. Nominated by Jim Hollingsworth.
- Osiel Castillo for Secretary. Nominated by David Ortiz.
- Richard Garcia for Secretary. Nominated by Jim Hollingsworth.
- Manuel Gonzalez for Treasurer. Nominated by Annalisa Alvarez.
- Barbara Swafford for Treasurer (Incumbent). Nominated by Franc Guadalupe. Endorsed by Jim Hollingsworth.
HOW THE BALLOTS WILL BE COUNTED:
On Sunday, September 4, 2022, starting at 8:00 AM (CST), the Ballot Counting Committee (Region III Director Rob Jones and Waco-area TD Caleb Brown) will begin counting all postal (mail-in) ballots in a public forum and in the back of the room designated for the Annual TCA Membership Meeting (Doubletree by Hilton DFW Airport North, 4441 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, TX 75063).
Franc Guadalupe, TCA President, will call the membership meeting to order at 8:30 AM (CST) and make opening remarks. This will be a Zoom-accessible meeting. Zoom invitation details will be published on this TCA website as September 4th draws closer. Officer and committee reports will be conducted followed by an Intermission.
During Intermission, Acting Elections Co-Chair and TCA Vice President Jim Hollingsworth, Rob Jones, and Caleb Brown will certify the combined totals for the Election Buddy (email) and Postal (mail-in) ballots. Jim Hollingsworth will then announce the election results.
Conduct of the rest of the Meeting:
The elected TCA President will then call the meeting to order and all newly elected officers will immediately assume their duties. All new business on the agenda will be accomplished.
All speakers are limited to five minutes, in accordance with the latest Bylaws changes. Advance motions, previously published on this website, will be addressed before Floor motions. Advance motions received too late for processing and publication will become floor motions. Floor motions are limited to one typed page, plus attachments, in 20 copies. Any motions affecting the Bylaws must follow the “Change From” and “Change To” format.
Any outgoing officers will be given an opportunity to speak near the end of the meeting.
THE CANDIDATES HAVE A LOT TO SAY:
Franc Guadalupe, for President (Incumbent). Nominated by Eddie Rios. Endorsed by Jim Hollingsworth.
Francisco (Franc) Guadalupe is the current Texas Chess Association President and a TCA Lifetime Member. He is seeking re-election as the TCA President. His chess accomplishments include:
- US Chess National Tournament Director
- FIDE International Arbiter, the only Category A IA in the U.S.
- FIDE International Organizer
- Former Zonal President for the U.S. under the International Chess Federation (FIDE)
- Former US Chess Executive Director
- Former US Chess Director of Events
- Former member of the US Chess Scholastic Committee, Tournament Director Certification Committee, and FIDE Events Committee
- Deputy Chief Arbiter of the 2016 World Championship Match (Carlsen vs. Karjakin)
- Chief Arbiter of four U.S. Championships and Deputy Chief Arbiter in two others. Selected to be the Chief Arbiter for the 2022 U.S. Championship
- Chief TD in over 50 other National events, including three U.S. Opens and two SuperNationals.
- Organizer of many National Championships, including the largest chess event ever held in the U.S., SuperNationals VI (5,575 players)
- Organizer or Chief TD of 17 National Championships held in Texas
- Organizer or Chief TD of many Texas State events
- Traveled to many countries, representing the U.S. at FIDE Congresses and as US Chess representative accompanying U.S. Youth delegations, to Istanbul, Turkey; Krakow, Poland; Tallin, Estonia; Tromsø, Norway; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Durban, South Africa; and Santiago, Chile.
- In 2009, on behalf of US Chess and at the request of the Belize Chess Federation, traveled to Belize, Central America to train their chess organizers and tournament directors
- Recipient of the following:
- 2009 US Chess Tournament Director of the Year Award
- 2018 Frank J. Marshall Award (for contributions to US Chess at International level)
- 2019 US Chess Distinguished Service Award
- 2021 US Chess Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award
As TCA President, during the last two years, here are some of Franc’s contributions to the organization:
- Contributed to the current financial posture of the organization. On the day of the 2020 Annual Meeting, prior to Franc’s election as TCA President, TCA had $10,031 and now has over $41,000. This additional income is and will be used to promote and support additional TCA programs and events for the benefit of the Texas players. To that end, the TCA President will ask the membership for input and suggestions on additional programs.
- With the assistance of the other TCA officers, implemented a TCA Chess Clubs program to include free chess sets for new school clubs. While this program was somewhat in existence, it was formalized.
- Also formalized the TCA stipend program for US Chess Delegates and Texas participants at the US Chess Invitational events. Prior to this, some stipends were given to Delegates, subject to them asking, and players selected to represent Texas were given stipends only if they submitted articles to Texas Knights. Now our representatives who earned the right to represent us will get the stipend without conditions, and it is up to the TCA President and the Texas Knights Editor to solicit input about these events.
- Personally organized online events during 2021 and 2022 which temporarily replaced those over-the-board events that were not organized because of the pandemic. Those events resulted in over $20,000 in revenue for the organization.
- Started a TCA scholarship program in conjunction with our Texas State Scholastic Championships. For the March 2022 event, TCA awarded $3,000 in scholarships. This amount has been doubled to $6,000 for the 2023 event, to take place in person, with other scholarship programs that will be implemented.
- To minimize financial issues due to the pandemic, waived fees of 2021 Regional Championships and other TCA events that were awarded to organizers who had successful bids.
Prior to his involvement in chess, Franc served on active duty in the U.S. Army for over 23 years.
Franc Guadalupe is endorsed by outgoing TCA Vice President Jim Hollingsworth, “TCA is much healthier financially because of Franc Guadalupe. His knowledge of organizing and directing are second to none. He ensured TCA remains solvent and can support many programs, such as stipends for TCA representatives at national tournaments. As opportunities surfaced, he submitted TCA bids for National tournaments, such as the 2021 US Amateur South as well as the U.S. Class Chess Championships which he organized under his own affiliate in Texas. At the statewide level, he ensured championships and major events happened when no bidders came forward. He looked at our finances and determined some hotels and vendors had not delivered pandemic cancellation refunds and vendor commissions. His quick actions resulted in speedy recovery of funds owed to TCA.
An even more significant contribution is his development of tomorrow’s organizers, arbiters, and directors. His arbiter services are in great demand, yet he often passes up attractive opportunities so a younger arbiter can gain valuable experience and increased certification levels.”
David Ortiz for President (Region X Director). Nominated by Fausto Vasquez.
My name is David Ortiz and I am running for TCA President. I am a Marine Corps Veteran and proudly served this country for eight years. I am also the Regional Director for Region X and former President of the UTRGV Chess Club.
My father taught me how to play chess at a very young age. I couldn’t thrive in school because they didn’t have the funds to start a club or hire a coach. I went to some tournaments on my own, but I stopped playing after high school when I joined the Marine Corps. After returning to Texas in 2012, I picked up the game again and started to go to local tournaments and coach at schools. In time, I fell love with chess.
During my undergraduate term at UTRGV, I saw a need for scholastic players at the university level. I founded its first ever chess club for students. During my tenure, we traveled to collegiate tournaments, hosted scholastic events, volunteered at a local school, hosted summer camps, and supported the 2017 Texas Scholastic State Championships at UTRGV. In 2021, I returned as a graduate student and became President again. I saw that we needed to rebuild our club from the devastation COVID-19 had inflicted. By assembling a successful team, we rebuilt our club and are now able to offer our members many more benefits, such as weekly classes, opportunities to travel for competition, and weekly tournaments.
I am running with a team of fellow chess enthusiasts: Rogelio Cabello for Vice-President, Osiel Castillo for Secretary, and Manuel Gonzalez for Treasurer. Together, I believe we can take our non-profit organization to the next level. Our mission is a simple one. We endeavor to:
- Create new opportunities for scholastic players;
- Expand the benefits of TCA membership;
- Institute new programs to broaden the educational reach of TCA; and
- Nurture organizational reform to meet the needs of our growing membership.
To accomplish this mission, we seek to:
- Provide new scholarship opportunities for our junior members.
- Establish a Travel Program to give our competitive scholastic players a chance to compete at Nationals regardless of insufficient school funding.
- Form an After School League where students can face off against a different school/club each week. Schools and clubs who make it to the playoffs can compete for division titles each semester.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include simultaneous expeditions and monthly online lessons hosted by a Grandmaster or International Master.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include supplemental training materials to help our members increase their skills.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include branded chess merchandise.
- Develop a Coach’s Course to train parents, sponsors, and players to teach the game of chess to students in their local communities.
- Institute a Training Program to equip new tournament directors with the skills and know-how they need to direct successful tournaments in their local communities.
- Establish a program to help tournament directors move up to higher levels of certification.
- Increase organizational revenue by employing new fundraising methods that will further the growth of chess in our local communities.
I see tremendous potential and growth for our future. Chess has been a valuable part of my life and I seek to translate my passion into progress for our organization. I have the time and dedication to make it happen. Most importantly, I have a team with great strengths and experiences that are just as committed as I am to bring about our future progress. We understand what needs to be done, and as TCA President, I will do everything in my power to ensure we open up new opportunities for our members.
Experience:
- Regional Director for Region X
- Club Tournament Director
- President, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Chess Club (2015-2017; 2021-2022)
- Program Coordinator, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Chess Club (2019-2020; 2022-Present)
- After School Site Administrator for IDEA Toros (2022-Present)
Education:
- B.S. Psychology
- M.S. Criminal Justice (est. graduation: Fall 2022)
Rogelio Cabello for Vice President. Nominated by David Ortiz.
My name is Rogelio Cabello and I am running for the position of Vice-president of TCA. I recently graduated from UTRGV and I served as an officer for the UTRGV Chess Club in my last semester and became heavily involved as soon as I joined.
A friend of mine about 2 years ago grabbed a chess board while we were having coffee at the daily grind. I had already been taught how to play once by this point, but I had forgotten most of it. My friend Jordan went over all the rules again and we began to play. While he helped me at first, I began to play independently mid game, and managed to beat him which gave me the biggest rush. I really haven’t stopped playing this beautiful game ever since.
I am very active locally in our community. We were able to be one of the most active clubs at UTRGV, having our members travel for nationals, among many other tournaments out of Region and locally. I was a member of several clubs, and the Chess club was the most active one in terms of our members in competitions. We understand things have slowed down since COVID, but I believe it is time to go back to normality and bring back a lively Chess Scene to our local communities.
I am running with a team of fellow chess enthusiasts; David Ortiz as President, Osiel Castillo as Secretary, and Manuel Gonzalez as Treasurer. Together I believe we can take our non-profit organization to the next level.
Under my guidance as Vice-President, I would help to establish:
- Establish new Scholarship opportunities for our junior members
- Establish a Travel Program to ensure our competitive scholastic players get a chance to compete at Nationals and not miss out due to lack of school funding.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include monthly online lessons hosted by a Grandmaster or International Master.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include supplemental training materials to help our members increase their skills.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include branded chess merchandise.
- Establish an After School League where students can face off a different school each week. Schools who make the playoffs can compete for their respective division titles each semester.
- Establish a Coach’s Course to help parents, sponsors, and players learn how to teach the game of chess to students in their local communities
- Establish a Training Program to help train new Tournament Directors run tournaments in their local communities.
- Establish a program to help Tournament Directors move up to the next level of certification.
- Increase organizational revenue by establishing new fundraising methods that will help grow chess in our local communities
I truly believe that If I get elected, along with my fellow chess enthusiasts, we can truly make a difference in the chess community locally. We have big dreams and aspirations and if we do not qualify this time, you can rest assured we will keep coming back until we get it. We want to take TCA to new levels, and for that, a new set of eyes are required.
Experience: Served as an Officer for the UTRGV Chess Club for a year and continue to be active
Education: Bachelors in Economics
Darryl West for Vice President. Nominated by Jim Hollingsworth.
I accept the nomination to serve as Texas Chess Association Vice President. I have traveled around a lot and been a member of many chess clubs and chess teams. I have played chess since I was six years old. I am from Maryland originally as a member of The Delmarva Chess Club. There, we mostly played tournaments in Delaware because I lived closer to Wilmington than the Baltimore/DC corridor. Inside the beltway in Washington, DC, I lived in the same neighborhood of the famous “Big Chair” Chess Club. This chess club was the subject of the movie “Life of a King”. While I was stationed overseas, I was a guest member of the Panama City Chess Club. This club was a chess club/restaurant that was dedicated to chess. I learned some Spanish, too! What I know is that each chess club has its own personality and way of doing things that are unique to its members and geographical location.
Chess here in Texas is special to me. From the military tournaments that Jim Hollingworth directs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and the Brazos tournament in Hillsboro, to the chess clubs in Georgetown, Waco, Austin, Killeen, San Angelo and to my hometown of Temple, Texas chess players have become my extended family. Again, I humbly ask for your vote and support to serve Texas chess players as Vice President of The Texas Chess Association.
Signed,
Darryl L West, US Chess and TCA Life Member
Osiel Castillo for Secretary. Nominated by David Ortiz.
My name is Osiel Castillo and I am running for TCA Secretary. I am an Army veteran and proudly served this country for six years. I am also a former Vice-President of the UTRGV Chess Club and a student in electrical engineering researching biomedical devices for heart valves.
My older brother taught me how to play as a kid to pass time while my mother was working before we moved to the United States. I lived in a single parent household, and being in a new country, I didn’t get to play until fifth grade. I didn’t have a school coach until I attended high school. I did my best to grow the chess program in my neighborhood and schools, but retired from playing when I joined the military to serve my country and pay for school. I returned to the chess scene in 2020 after leaving the Army and soon became Vice-President of the UTRGV Chess Club. I also coached kids for free so they could learn and get better at the game.
I am running with a team of fellow chess enthusiasts: David Ortiz for President, Rogelio Cabello for Vice-President, and Manuel Gonzalez for Treasurer. Together I believe we can take our non-profit organization to the next level. We endeavor to:
- Create new opportunities for scholastic players;
- Expand the benefits of TCA membership;
- Institute new programs to broaden the educational reach of TCA; and
- Nurture organizational reform to meet the needs of our growing membership.
To accomplish this mission, we seek to:
- Provide new scholarship opportunities for our junior members.
- Establish a Travel Program to give our competitive scholastic players a chance to compete at Nationals regardless of insufficient school funding.
- Form an After School League where students can face off against a different school/club each week. Schools and clubs who make it to the playoffs can compete for division titles each semester.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include simultaneous expeditions and monthly online lessons hosted by a Grandmaster or International Master.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include supplemental training materials to help our members increase their skills.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include branded chess merchandise.
- Develop a Coach’s Course to train parents, sponsors, and players to teach the game of chess to students in their local communities.
- Institute a Training Program to equip new tournament directors with the skills and know-how they need to direct successful tournaments in their local communities.
- Establish a program to help tournament directors move up to higher levels of certification.
- Increase organizational revenue by employing new fundraising methods that will further the growth of chess in our local communities.
As the growth of our community continues, the potential of what we can accomplish as an organization is unimaginable. Chess will always be the greatest skill of my life and I will do my utmost best to improve our organization. I have the dedication and discipline to do what needs to be done. Most importantly, I have the trust of my teammates and I trust that they can, and will, help me with in this endeavor.
Richard Garcia for Secretary. Nominated by Jim Hollingsworth.
I’ve been nominated for TCA Secretary and accepted the nomination
I would like to serve the upcoming term as TCA Secretary. I believe my skill set and experience makes me an excellent candidate to fill the position.
I believe in the role as Secretary, I can continue to be an advocate to promote chess in my city (San Antonio) and throughout the state. I believe chess teaches great life skills to children and acts as a defense against Alzheimer’s the more often the game is studied and played.
There are a considerable number of skills necessary to perform the duties as Secretary. I believe I have acquired those skills as a long time self-employed Certified Public Accountant with staff. In my interactions with clients, prospective clients, local, state and federal tax agencies, I have developed advanced communication skills in written and verbal correspondence. I remain current with the technologies necessary to run an office and manage daily tasks. I have acquired over multiple decades a certain level of professionalism necessary to maintain faith in services I provide. Running a successful business requires good organization skills, time management, ability to problem solve, plan, be proactive and have discretion. I believe all the mentioned skills I have acquired would make me an ideal TCA Secretary at this time.
I have a longstanding love for chess since I was introduced to the game around the age of six by my father. I played in organized non rated tournaments from middle school through my sophomore year of high school. Raising a family and a career took me away from playing chess until nearly six years ago. I have been active in my local chess scene for more than a decade through the following:
- I ran a non-rated scholastic chess tournament for ten years for kids in kindergarten through high school.
- My first tournament had 73 players and my last tournament was nearly 180.
- In early 2022 I was a co-organizer and co-tournament director for a non-rated scholastic chess tournament. We had 120 registrants. My co-organizer and I plan to have more in the future.
- I am organizing a non-rated chess tournament for adults 50 years or older in San Antonio on August 13, 2022. If we are successful, I plan to make this tournament an annual event.
- I started an annual chess book swap meet in San Antonio. We had our second one in 2022.
- I played in the Texas Amateur Class Tournament this past May. It was my first tournament played in over 30 years. I did not perform well but it did whet my appetite for playing in more events.
- I have been self-training daily in chess going on nearly six years.
- I am a weekly blogger on chess for my local community. My biogs appear in two chess related Facebook pages.
- I am a collector of chess books (slightly over a hundred books), chess sets (more than two dozen sets), chess clocks (four and I ran a non-rated scholastic chess tournament for ten years for kids in kindergarten through high school. My first tournament had 73 players and my last tournament was nearly 180.
I am looking to make a difference. It’s my way of giving back to the community.
I realize members are scattered throughout the state. I’m willing to bet the same is true with the TCA officers. I am hopeful we can utilize technology to meet. My firm uses Zoom for meetings which I would like to suggest for TCA meetings (should I be selected).
In the times of reviews to reach an opinion for restaurants and such, it’s nice to read what someone else has to say about a candidate. Mr. Jim Hollingsworth writes:
“It is my greatest honor to nominate Richard Garcia for TCA Secretary. I’ve known Richard for three years. He is our May 2020 Player of the Month. He is a chess parent. He coached scholastic chess for ten years. He organized and directed chess tournaments, first as a floor TD then as a Chief TD, for eight years. He collects chess books and runs a chess book traders club. He continually promotes chess in the San Antonio area. He is active on many social media chess platforms. He runs a chess blog. He volunteers on the TCA Membership Committee.
Richard Garcia is a professional CPA with many 501(C)(3) clients. Such experience will prove useful as he can advise the four elected officers about nuances in any tax laws. Additionally, his accounting skills are extremely transferable to the Secretary position. An example is his ability to maintain records. His clients are protected from any IRS audit because of his extensive record keeping. For TCA, most custodial records are maintained by our Treasurer (going back decades). Should the need arise, his professional experience will help greatly if he needs to transition to TCA records custodian. Publishing all minutes within 30 days, in accordance with TCA Bylaws, will never be an issue if he is elected. He knows how to meet deadlines, prepare reports, and write correspondence. He puts his clients first, likewise he will put TCA members first.
Growing up, Richard Garcia had many temptations to be led astray. He resisted because of a wonderful chess mentor and friend, the late Roy Mendoza, Sr., a San Antonio teacher and school principal. Richard stayed the course. He finished high school. He graduated from college. He worked hard. He became a CPA. He married. He raised a family. Today, Richard Garcia serves as a role model for others. He does all this because the thoughts of his friend are always with him. ‘If he could do all he did for me, surely I can do the same for others.'”
I await the decision of my fellow TCA members.
Manuel Gonzalez for Treasurer. Nominated by Annalisa Alvarez.
My name is Manuel Gonzalez and I am running for TCA Treasurer. I am the President of the UTRGV Chess Club and an Idea Chess Instructor at IDEA Toros.
My love of the game stems from my years in high school where I picked up the game from one of my teachers. My teacher would play his students in off-periods and incite creativity and problem-solving with the game that I aspired to grab ahold of. While my school was new and so a chess club was difficult to come by, I got together with a couple of friends and created my own “unofficial club.” After I left high school, I went to work in Midland and lost touch with the game. It was not until Covid that I picked up the game once again. I joined the club at UTRGV but there was limited interaction due to Covid. A year later I applied for a position as a historian and did my utmost best to record new events going on and get in touch with various alumni to welcome them back to the university for casual games. I worked with many of my fellow officers to improve our club, encouraging recruitment and tournament play. After all of our hard work, I found myself nominated to be club President, an honor that I now hold and do my best to uphold. I am planning to recruit more members and take involved people to more tournaments.
I am running with a team of fellow chess enthusiasts: David Ortiz for President, Rogelio Cabello for Vice-President, and Osiel Castillo for Secretary. Together I believe we can take our non-profit organization to the next level. We endeavor to:
- Create new opportunities for scholastic players;
- Expand the benefits of TCA membership;
- Institute new programs to broaden the educational reach of TCA; and
- Nurture organizational reform to meet the needs of our growing membership.
To accomplish this mission, we seek to:
- Provide new scholarship opportunities for our junior members.
- Establish a Travel Program to give our competitive scholastic players a chance to compete at Nationals regardless of insufficient school funding.
- Form an After School League where students can face off against a different school/club each week. Schools and clubs who make it to the playoffs can compete for division titles each semester.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include simultaneous expeditions and monthly online lessons hosted by a Grandmaster or International Master.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include supplemental training materials to help our members increase their skills.
- Expand TCA membership benefits to include branded chess merchandise.
- Develop a Coach’s Course to train parents, sponsors, and players to teach the game of chess to students in their local communities.
- Institute a Training Program to equip new tournament directors with the skills and know-how they need to direct successful tournaments in their local communities.
- Establish a program to help tournament directors move up to higher levels of certification.
- Increase organizational revenue by employing new fundraising methods that will further the growth of chess in our local communities.
I believe that TCA would benefit from my oversight of its finances due to my business background. Above all, however, I just want to give back to the chess community that has done so much for me in both my professional and personal life. As a chess instructor, I understand the benefits that come from younger generations learning the game and gaining an understanding of the wonder behind it that will help them succeed in life. With your vote, I hope to make this wonder a reality for as many of our students as possible, and in so doing, to take our organization to heights beyond the wildest of our dreams.
Experience:
- President, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Chess Club (Present)
- Historian, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Chess Club (2021-2022)
- Chess Instructor for IDEA Toros (2021-Present)
Education:
- A.S. Interdisciplinary Studies
- B.S Business Management (est. graduation: Fall 2024)
Barbara Swafford for Treasurer (Incumbent). Nominated by Franc Guadalupe. Endorsed by Jim Hollingsworth.
I have enjoyed being Treasurer for TCA these past years. The bylaws say keep the finances in order through banks and reports, update the membership records and work with the other board members to move TCA forward promoting chess in Texas.
I am humbled by so many friends encouraging me to run again, like outgoing TCA Vice President Jim Hollingsworth, “Barbara Swafford is TCA’s bedrock. Day after day she works quietly and tirelessly on her duties. She provides wise counsel to the TCA Board of Directors. During the Women’s Banquet, held in conjunction with the 2018 Texas Women’s Chess Championship (TXWCC), she was recognized with TCA’s first ever ‘Heart of Texas Award’ for her many years of selfless service. She accepted her honor with humility and graciousness.”
As Treasurer for this next term 2022-2024, I would like to continue to help move TCA forward promoting chess in Texas. We have accumulated a lot of money this past year and need to find more ways to use it. Suggestions are always welcome. We also need input from members on new directions to go. Talk to your Regional Director and Board members about possibilities.
And thank you for your support in the past. It’s fun being part of this chess family. I look forward to more.
