Somerville Road Runners Annual Elections

SRR's 2023 annual elections will take place at our Annual Meeting on Monday, March 6, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. The elected officers will then appoint several additional positions critical to club leadership. Final results will be posted to SRR social media following the meeting.

Elected Positions

Appointed Positions

Meet the Candidates

 

Elected Positions

The following positions are elected each year by members the club:

  • President

  • Vice President

  • Treasurer

  • Secretary

  • Members-at-Large

Click here to see detailed descriptions of the positions

Appointed Positions

The following positions are appointed each year by the elected officers:

  • Webmaster

  • Membership Director

  • Marketing Coordinator

  • Community Involvement Coordinator

  • IDEA Coordinator

  • Volunteer Coordinator

  • Merchandise Coordinator

  • Long-Run Coordinator

  • Marathon Coordinator

  • Grand Prix Coordinator

  • SRR Kids Coordinator

  • Casey's Coordinator

  • Bur-run Coordinator

  • Squirrel Scramble Coordinator

  • Wednesday Morning Run Coordinator

  • Race Committees

Click here to see detailed descriptions of the positions

Are there other opportunities to get involved?
There are many other ways to become involved with SRR, beyond elected and appointed positions. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Join the committee of one of the club's annual races

  • Help organize the club's weekly runs

  • Host a long run

  • Participate in track workouts

  • Attend a board meeting and learn about our several initiatives, or help plan non-running related activities

  • Race in SRR's Grand Prix, New England Runner's Pub Series Races, or USATF's Grand Prix Series

Meet the Candidates

The 2024 Election Candidates details will be posted here on February 25. Please consider running for a position or nominating someone else to run by contacting srrboard@srr.org by February 25! No application materials are required, but most candidates will provide a photo and a description of their history with the club, why they’re running, and what they want to bring to the Board.

President

Ben Spaulding

 
 

Hello SRR.  My name is Ben Spaulding and I am running for President of the Somerville Road Runners.

I have been on the board for the past three years, first as a member at large, and then for the past two years as the Vice President. I have also served the club as the Bur-Run coordinator since April 2021, founded the WMRC, been a Mill Cities co-captain, and have been a co-assistant race director for the Gobble the past two years.

I feel that over the past three years SRR has elevated itself into one of the top running clubs in New England.  Not only have we grown membership year over year, we have expanded our offers to the running community with new running events, new volunteer opportunities, and new community events.  And we have done that while making sure our staples, including our weekly runs and annual races, are some of the best around.  We have been a growing presence in not only local running, but also regional races. The black and yellow of SRR is running proudly throughout Somerville, Boston, and all of New England.

I am running for President in 2024, and if elected as President I will to work with the board and the club on ways we can continuously improve the club and local running community for all types of runners including:

  • Help the club be really good at what we do - be a top notch community running group that has something for everyone and that is welcoming to all. I believe that this is our greatest asset.  Generations of SRR have made this possible, and it will be our responsibility to make sure it continues.

  • Continuing to grow participation in club activities that are welcoming and exciting for all types of runners, and work with the board to expand membership value for SRR club members.

  • Expanding our presence in the larger New England running community as a leading club, working with club members to have large teams at USATF NE events, club events (Mill Cities, 26x1, etc), and putting on top-notch running events in the region. 

  • Finally, work with the board and SRR community to provide events and running opportunities for all levels of runners, and demonstrate that the club is open and welcome to runners of all types and from all communities.

I can’t tell all of you how much I have loved being a part of this club and community. It has been an honor to help carry on the traditions of SRR and help make new ones with all of you. As President of SRR, I will work my hardest to continue to make our running community one that welcomes all, and is one that we are all proud to be a part of.  

Thank you for your consideration.

Vice President

Jess Petersen

 
 

Hi SRR, I’m Jess Petersen, and I’m running for Vice President or Member at Large. I served on the board as Member at Large for the first time last year, and I’m looking forward to continuing to serve on the board this year. 

You might know me from the 3-hr marathon crew’s long runs and Tempo Thursdays, the Wednesday Morning runs, USATF races, the occasional Bur-run, as the creator of PRBQ Sauce, my reputation as “that crazy lady that ran 8 marathons last year”... or more likely from all the emails I send to the club about the fun stuff we’ve got going on. 

My vision for the club is pretty simple: I want SRR to be a place where everyone feels welcome and supported in their running goals, whatever they are. I want to make it easy and fun for you to find and connect with “your people” – your tribe-within-the-tribe at SRR – to help you get inspired, stay motivated, reach your goals, enjoy being part of an amazing, supportive team, and make awesome friends along the way. 

I have gotten so much out of being part of SRR these past 4 years, and I want nothing more than to help you benefit from the club as much as I have. (Or even more!!)   

Here's some of what I did for the club in 2023: 

  • Served on the board as Member at Large

  • Served as race director of the Gobble 2023, working with co-directors Bradley, Ben and the rest of the Gobble Race Committee to put on the largest-ever Gobble in terms of participation, donations granted to local charities and proceeds to the club.

  • Updated our website and automated our new member onboarding process to make sure people who are new to SRR or new members of SRR got the resources and support they needed to check out the club (which helped contribute to the ~40% increase in membership this year.)

  • Rallied the women of SRR to show up and kick ass in the NE Grand Prix race series as captain of SRR’s USATF F Masters team

  • Volunteered with SRR kids

  • Filled in as 3hr marathon crew long run organizer as needed / got us slightly lost in many adjacent towns  

  • Instigated a bunch of shenanigans, including this fun prank on Ben (in 2022) and this other fun prank on Ben (in 2023… and yes, there is a theme, here)

  • Planned the Jan 2023 Holiday party, the SRR Bowling outing at Flatbread / Saccos, potluck get-togethers, the post-race celebration at the Cape Cod marathon and other fun stuff

  • Hosted the Holiday Lights run

  • Received the Don Malloy Unsung Hero award in 2023 and the Fortitudine Vincimus award in 2024 for my service to the club and kick-ass running results in 2023.

Here's some of what I plan to do for the club this year: 

  • Help represent your ideas and interests to the board. Let’s make fun stuff happen!

  • Continue to serve as co-Race Director of the Gobble with Bradley and Ben in 2024.

  • Continue to serve as the F Masters division coordinator for USATF races 

  • Continue to volunteer with SRR kids, host the Boo-run, the holiday lights run

  • Continue to do my best to make everyone feel welcome at SRR, help you connect with your new best running buddies AND find ways to make sure we support members through good times and bad times (aka, injuries, bouts of Covid, etc.)

  • Plan more social events and keep making more fun / awesome stuff happen, like getting us a bus out to Newton to train on the Newton Hills.

  • Keep doing that thankless behind-the-scenes stuff that somehow translates into everyone having more fun and cooler experiences
      

So please vote for me for Vice President / Member at Large, and feel free to reach out if there’s any feedback you’d like to share about events, activities, changes, etc. that you’d like to see in the club. I’d love to hear your great ideas and work together to make them happen!

Dennis Shay

 
 

Dennis has been a member of SRR since 2016, when he decided to pick up running to impress club veteran (and Dennis' partner) Victor Gonzalez. During his time with SRR, he has been Membership Coordinator (2016 - 2018), hosted several SRR IDEA discussions and cookouts, and volunteered at numerous SRR-hosted events. If elected to the SRR Board, Dennis would love to work towards establishing an ambassador / mentorship program for new members and those wishing to improve their running and fitness, streamline board meeting agendas to maximize the voices of all who want to be heard, and grow our membership even further with fun new events and ideas! In his non-running life, Dennis holds an executive position at a medical device company and is the Co-Chair of a local biomedical discussion group, so he has some experience in this kind of stuff.  

Secretary

Dustin Counsell

I started attending Casey’s runs in December 2017 and joined the club shortly after that. Since then, I’ve been a regular attendee at Thursday night runs and a volunteer at many of our club events. In 2020, I joined the SRR Board as a member at large and continued as Secretary in 2021 and 2022. As a board member and volunteer, I’ve gained experience and appreciation for many aspects of the club’s operation, events, and activities. I’m proud of our club’s accomplishments and positive outcomes achieved in the past few years. In the coming year, I intend to continue in the Secretary role and I look forward to assisting the other board members and our club’s volunteers in support of our running community.

Treasurer

Ewa Zaborowska

Member-At-Large (2-3 positions)

Jess Petersen

See bio above.

Dennis Shay

See bio above.

Brian Minahan

History with SRR:

  • Joined SRR in 2014

  • My activity was on/off in the early years; but much more active in the last few years.

  • The weekly run I enjoy and join the most is Casey’s on Thursdays.

  • I started running with various weekend groups a couple years ago à mostly the 10ish and No Expectations.

  • I have volunteered most every year at the Gobble-Gobble…and occasionally at other events.

Intent for Positive Impact:

  • As a runner in the senior age bracket, I would like to boost the membership in the 50+, 60+ and 70+ groups within SRR.

  • There may be more, but among the active senior runners, I only know about Vitto and Liz as regular runners and competitors.

  • I think it would be more fun, and certainly more diverse, if we had more older runners.

  • And I know sometimes SRR as a Club would have more scoring opportunities in various USATF races if we could fill the upper age brackets with members.

Doug Lipinski

 
 

Hi SRR! I've had a great time being your President for the past 3 years, but it’s time for me to step down and let someone else run the show. However, I would like to continue to serve on the board as a Member-at-Large. If elected I want to focus on enabling newer members to take on more club leadership, ensure that the board continues to operate with our core values in mind, and make sure to support a welcoming environment for all runners. I believe I have the experience and knowledge to make sure we’re always acting in the best interest of the club and to continue helping the club thrive in 2024. See you on election day!