Submitted by Meri Gibson.
Betty Solley is retiring from her dragon boat administrative responsibilities as IBCPC USA's Regional Coordinator. Betty will also step away from her role as Special Interests person on the USA Dragon Boat Federation. After many years of focusing on our sport, she will turn her full attention to her first loves: a still growing family, good friends and her dragon boat team, Philadelphia Flying Phoenix Against the Wind.
As Annette Johnson says, “We, in the USA breast cancer paddling community, are grateful for her many contributions to IBCPC over the years as Membership Director and USA Regional Coordinator and Breast Cancer Paddler representative to USA Dragon Boat Federation.”
We at IBCPC have been immensely grateful for all that Betty has brought to the board table. She was a founding member of the IBCPC Steering Committee and transitioned to the Board of Directors. She has been a fount of knowledge and valuable support to me in all things dragon boat related and a kind friend with an ever-ready ear to listen and to add excellent advice. At 80 she is still a vital paddler and team member and adds energy to all she does, we will deeply miss her wise counsel but know that she has passed the baton in the best conceivable way.
Annette Johnson will be stepping into the USA Regional Coordinator role. Annette is a member of Pink Phoenix in Portland Oregon. In 2020, Annette was appointed National Representative for the USA Pacific/Western region, where she has played a key role in fostering collaboration among regional teams. She has worked to develop innovative programs, strengthen team connections, and share best practices across USA Breast Cancer Paddling teams.
In addition to her national representative role in the west, for the last 18 months Annette served as Marketing Director on IBCPC's Board of Directors. She will be leaving this role to focus fully on the job of USA Regional Coordinator. This is Annette’s choice as she wants to add real value to all she will be undertaking. We will miss Annette’s energy and ideas that she has brought to the board role but acknowledge her commitment to her USA roles and the time and effort that will require. We will be submitting an expression of interest paper for a new role created to in part fill Annette’s role and to add further to the IBCPC board structure. Watch out for this in the coming month.
Joining the USA National Rep leadership team as Western/Pacific Representative is Valerie Hamm. Since 2014, Valerie has been an integral part of the Los Angeles Pink Dragons (Long Beach, CA). Her journey began just months after completing breast cancer treatment. A seasoned paddler and steer with international experience, she has navigated the waters of global competition and camaraderie for a decade. Valerie devoted 5 years in leadership roles on her team’s Board of Directors, including Manager, Captain, and President. In addition to her roles in leadership, she has also served on various team committees: fitness, apparel, website, travel & community outreach to name a few, We welcome Valerie to the role and know that she will add much value and initiative to those she serves.
