USA Badminton is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The directors are elected for four year terms.

The Board of Directors represents the interests of USAB’s memberships, the United States Badminton community and Badminton athletes by providing USAB with policy, guidance and strategic direction.

Please reach out to any of our Board Directors at ContactUs@usabadminton.org.

Board meeting minutes can be found here.

Individuals comprising the current Board of Directors are as follows. Click on their image to learn more about them.

Fred Teng

Chair, Independent Director, International Federation Delegate, Audit

New York City, N.Y.
Tenure Start: 2020
Term: 2021-2024 (1st)

Pavan Vedere

At-Large Director, Secretary

San Francisco, Calif.
Tenure Start: 2021
Term: 2023-2026 (1st)

Richard Alcaraz

Para Athlete Director, USOPC AAC Primary Representative, Audit

Arizona
Tenure Start: 2022
Term: 2021-2024 (1st)
2023 Parapan American Games

Patty Pflaging

Independent Director

San Francisco, Calif.
Tenure Start: 2018
Term: 2023-2026 (2nd)

Independent Director

Paula Lynn Obanana-Cao Hok

Athlete Director

Tenure Start:
Term:
2019 Pan American Games

Eva Lee

Athlete Director, USOPC AAC Alternate Representative


Tenure Start:
Term:
2017 World Championships

Nibu Paul

Coaching Director, Audit

Plano, Texas
Tenure Start: 2019
Term: 2021-2024 (1st)

Iris Wang, OLY

Athlete Director

Tenure Start: 2022
Term: 2022-2025 (1st)
2023 World Championships

Philip Varghese

Independent Director, Audit

Dallas, Texas
Tenure Start: 2021
Term: 2022-2025 (1st)

Fred S. Teng

Chair, Independent Director

Mr. Fred Teng is Chairman of USA Badminton, the national governing body for the sport of badminton in the United States. In addition, he is President of the America China Public Affairs Institute (AmericaChina) an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, with the mission of building Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership between the United States and China, as well as the empowerment of the Chinese American communities in the U.S.

Mr. Teng has served over four decades as senior management in the financial, telecommunications, technology, and media industries, including Merrill Lynch, Oppenheimer & Co, AT&T, DVS New York, Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc., and China Newsweek Corporation.

Mr. Teng also plays an active role in the community and has served in a variety of leadership positions. He is a Fellow of the Foreign Policy Association; a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; an advisor of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations; and a Centennial Society member of the Economic Club of New York.

In 1991, Fred Teng was a candidate for City Council in New York City’s First District covering lower Manhattan. He was appointed to the New York City Community Planning Board 1 by the Manhattan Borough President; he was appointed to the New York City Minority Business Advisory Board by the Mayor of New York City, which he also served as the Chairman of the Certification Committee; on the Federal level, Mr. Teng was appointed by the President of United States to serve on the National Advisory Board of the Small
Business Development Centers.

Mr. Teng was the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the New York State Governor’s award for Community Leadership. He was also honored by WNET/Thirteen, the One Hundred Black Men of New York, and the Tri-State Law Enforcement Foundation.
Mr. Teng is an amateur badminton player, and a four-time marathon runner; he has completed races in New York, Hartford, Connecticut, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in Shanghai, China; raised in Hong Kong; and immigrated to the United States, Mr. Teng is a resident of New York City.

Pavan Vedere
Independent Director

Pavan Vedere is a Software Director from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has two-plus decades of sports administration experience. Vedere is the President of Indus Cricket Club, which he helped transform from a recreational club to a sought-after club for aspiring junior cricketers, many of whom have made it to the regional and USA National U19 teams. He has decades of experience working with local cities and school districts to develop sports infrastructure. As the City of Fremont Recreation Commission chair, Vedere was instrumental in developing multiple sports facilities and parks, including a skate park, water park, batting cages, and the country’s first lighted Astroturf cricket field. Vedere has been volunteering for USAB for many years in various roles: Umpire, club parent representative, Junior Advisory Group representative, Junior Review Panel member, Regional Director and was the recipient of USAB’s Debbie Brown volunteer award. Vedere enjoys playing badminton in local clubs, and his two children play in USAB junior tournaments.

Patty Pflaging

Independent Director

Patty Pflaging is a technology marketing and business development executive from the San Francisco Bay Area. A native of Texas, Patty holds degrees in computer science and managerial studies from Rice University. She and her husband have three children, one of whom previously played competitive badminton.

Nibu Paul

Coaching Director, Audit Chair

Nibu Paul is a certified HP-1 coach who has served as a coach for more than 15 years, serving multiple badminton gyms in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Currently, Paul is a Technology Manager at a large financial institution in Plano, Texas, where he oversees more than 15 developers on multiple technology platforms.

Philip Varghese

Independent Director

After 35+ years in local government (cities and counties) in the USA and public accounting overseas, Philip Varghese retired in May 2022 from full-time work in auditing, accounting, and finance, even though he maintains his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and credentials as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Government Finance Officer (CGFO). Philip holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mumbai and was licensed as a Chartered Accountant (CA) by the Institute of CA of India (ICAI). He is a member of the AICPA, its Not-for-profit section, the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT), the ACFE, the Dallas Chapter of the ICAI, and other clubs and organizations. He is volunteering as a Board and Audit Committee member of USA Badminton, Precinct Chair of his political party, Election Judge (Dallas County Elections), local community affairs, etc. Philip was a recreational badminton player until injuries a few years ago sidelined him. He is married to his physician wife of 35 years. They have two sons, the older in radiology residency training and the younger in graduate school in healthcare.