USA Badminton (USAB) is guided by a volunteer Board of Directors. The directors are elected/selected in accordance with Section 7.6 of the USAB bylaws.

As detailed in the bylaws, independent directors on the USAB board volunteer for rolling four-year terms starting January 1 of each calendar year. Please consider volunteering for a board position at any time by submitting your resume/bio to the chair of the nominating and governance committee at ngchair@usabadminton.org. More details about board director roles and terms, including for independent directors, may be found in Section 7.6 of the USAB bylaws.

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.

Ken Wong

Chair
Financial Audit Committee
Independent Director

Philadelphia, PA

Tenure Start: 2019

Chair Term: 2024
Term: 2024-2027 (2nd)

Pavan Vedere

At-Large Director, Secretary

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

Nibu Paul

Coaching Director

Audit

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

Richard Alcaraz

Para Athlete Director

USOPC AAC Primary Representative

Audit

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

Eva Lee

Athlete Director,

USOPC AAC Alternate Representative

Tenure Start: 2024
Term: 2021-2024 (1st)
2017 World Championships

Paula Lynn O. Cao Hok OLY

Athlete Director

Audit

Tenure Start: 2024
Term: 2024-2027 (1st)
2019 Pan American Games

Iris Wang, OLY

Athlete Director

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

Patty Pflaging

Independent Director

Audit

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

Philip Varghese

Independent Director

Audit

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

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.

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.

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.

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.