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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.

 

Ken Wong

Chair, Independent Director

Philadelphia, Pa.
Term: 2019-2023

Dean Schoppe

At-Large Director

Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Term: 2021-2024

Nancy Hogshead-Makar, JD, OLY

Independent Director, Congressional Liaison

Jacksonville, Fla.
Term: 2020-2024

Patty Pflaging

Independent Director

San Francisco, Calif.
Term: 2018-2022

Fred Teng

Independent Director

New York City, N.Y.
Term: 2020-2024

Rena Wang, OLY

Athlete Director, International Federation Delegate

Arcadia, Calif.
Term: 2021-2024

Beth Sopka

Technical Official Director

Boston, Mass.
Term: 2020-2024

Nibu Paul

Coaching Director, Audit Chair

Plano, Texas
Term: 2021-2024

Amy Burnett

Para Athlete Director, Secretary

Nashville, Tenn.
Term: 2019-2023

James Young

Athlete Director

Palo Alto, Calif.
Term: 2021-2024

Tatia Mays-Russell

Independent Director

New York, N.Y.
Term: 2021-2025

Philip Varghese

Independent Director

Dallas, Texas
Term: 2021-2025

Ken Wong

Chair, Independent Director

Ken Wong is a seasoned and experienced executive in running and leading many not for profit organizations. He is also well connected in the sports industry and has a sound track record in obtaining corporate funding and sponsorship in sports. Wong will play an important role in assisting the Board, Nominating and Governance Committees as we address succession planning. Mr. Wong established CIG Asia Ltd., a property & casualty insurance brokerage firm and NavPac Advisors, LLC. Wong’s commitment to full inclusion of Asian Americans and new Americans living, working and doing business in the United States has landed him in numerous leadership positions. He served on the President’s Commission for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in the White House under President George W. Bush and from 2004-2007, was chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Commission for Asian American Affairs for Pennsylvania 2012-2014 and is a recipient of the U.S. Army Citizen’s Service Award. Currently a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, Mr. Wong resides in Philadelphia.

Dean Schoppe

At-Large Director

Dean Schoppe has been a player, coach, tournament director, teacher and badminton enthusiast for the past 50 years. He has conducted hundreds of badminton camps and clinics throughout the U.S. He currently serves on the Rules Advisory Committee and the Court Official and Sponsor Committees of the California Community College Athletic Association. Schoppe is also an adjunct faculty member in the kinesiology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he teaches badminton to undergraduate students. Schoppe is also the author of “Badminton for Physical Education and Beyond.” He has previously served USAB as the junior development chair and as the U.S. representative and treasurer for the Badminton Pan Am Confederation (BPAC). The 1993 recipient of the Ken Davidson sportsmanship award, Schoppe has competed in the U.S. Thomas Cup, World Championships and Pan American Championships. Schoppe is an honorary life member of the Manhattan Beach Badminton Club and the president of HL Badminton.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar

Independent Director, Congressional Liaison

Nancy Hogshead-Makar is a decorated American Swimmer and Olympian who represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she won three gold medals and one silver medal. Hogshead-Makar is now a civil rights lawyer and CEO of Champion Women, an organization providing legal advocacy for girls and women in sports. She is a well-known expert in sports issues; she has been teaching sports law courses for 20 years. USAB sought out her expertise in its continued effort to embrace an “athlete first” culture and decision making. Hogshead-Makar will fulfill USA Badminton’s need for expertise in SafeSport, Title IX, and diversity equity & inclusion initiatives. Ms. Hogshead-Makar will also serve as USAB’s Congressional Liaison.

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 plays competitive badminton.

Fred Teng

Independent Director

Fred Teng is the current President of the America China Public Affairs Institute, an independent nonpartisan U.S. based nonprofit organization. He also serves as the Senior U.S. Representative of the China-United States Exchange Foundation. Fred is an Executive Council Member of the Center for China and Globalization, as well as a visiting Professor at the Sichuan University. He was the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the New York State Governor’s Award for Community Leadership. Fred was named by PR Week as one of the top professionals in the Asian American public relations industry. 

Rena Wang

Athlete Director, International Federation Delegate

Rena started playing badminton at the age of 11, but with passion and persistence, she quickly developed into an elite player, winning back-to-back singles and doubles titles at the 2008 and 2009 Junior Pan American Championships. She gradually became one of America’s top players, first competing on the National team and in 2012, becoming the youngest U.S. badminton player to compete at the Olympics. Since then, Rena has dedicated time towards adaptive badminton and community outreach programs through SCOPE and Ready Set Gold. Currently, she is pursuing a masters in public health and interested in applying her MPH training to improve athlete policy and rights. As your new USOC AAC Rep, she plans to serve the best interests of players and aims to promote inclusion and equity within the sport.

Beth Sopka

Technical Official Director

Beth Sopka has been involved in the badminton community for more than 25 years, starting her journey in the sport building the junior program at the Gut ‘n Feathers Club in Marblehead, Mass. Sopka was one of the original organizers of the New England Junior Open and has been a long-time member of the Boston Open organizing committee. As a technical official, Sopka began in 1997 at the Junior Nationals. She worked her way up to National 1 status within a few years and is now a National 3 umpire and umpire trainer. Additionally, Sopka began her career as a referee in the early 2000’s and continues to work as a National Referee at events throughout the United States.

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. He currently serves as a coach at Frisco Badminton, a badminton consultant and a tournament director. 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.

Amy Burnett

Para Athlete Director, Secretary

Amy Burnett is currently a Para Athlete on Team USA’s Para Badminton team and plays in the Wheelchair I Division. She is the first wheelchair athlete on Team USA and has represented the USA in many countries.Her career high, as an athlete, is being selected to represent her country in the 2019 Para Pan Am Games.She is also the Para Badminton Athlete Representative on the USA’s Badminton High Performance Advisory Group (HPAG). Through this volunteer position she is helping ensure that USAB and the United States Olympic Committee decisions and rules are fair and safe for the Para athletes. As the newly appointed Para Athlete Representative Board Member for USAB, she represents the first time USAB has a Para Athlete on the Board. When not playing badminton, Amy volunteers her time to Permobil Inc, Fashion is for Every Body, Empower Tennessee’s Special Event Advisory Committee, United Spinal Association, Challenged Athlete Foundation and the Kelly Brush Foundation.  Demonstrated by her involvement with different organizations, Amy loves giving back to others by talking about living with disability and overcoming adversity.

James Young

Athlete Director

Throughout his life, James Young was heavily involved in badminton. He played, coached, trained, competed and even managed a badminton club at one point. He co-founded a company and published a magazine called Badminton Monthly, a print and digital magazine that focuses on the U.S. badminton community (it ran for 10 issues from 2013-2015). He is the USA Badminton 2019 Kenneth R. Davidson Award recipient, for his contributions to badminton through sportsmanship, attitude, and achievement. For Young, badminton serves as a reminder of all the life lessons his father taught him. Currently, Young is a full-time interpreter and tester at Language Line Solutions, a Cantonese-radio show host, a Canto-rapper, songwriter, and music producer. He proudly professes his love for badminton wherever he goes and his motto in life is, “embrace our differences and celebrate our similarities.”

Tatia Mays-Russell

Independent Director

Tatia Mays-Russell (New York, NY) is the current Chief Financial Officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association where she provides financial stewardship, leadership, and vision and is responsible for developing, monitoring, and evaluating the overall financial strategy of the Association. Mays-Russell has previously held positions with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, as Deputy Chief, Strategic Initiatives, the National Lacrosse League as Chief Financial Officer, and the NBA as Senior Director, WNBA League Business & Financial Operations, with responsibility for budgeting and forecasting, reporting, strategic planning, deal analysis and partnership negotiations. Mays-Russell holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Materials Science Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Operations from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mays-Russell is also involved in many volunteer activities including Board Member of Studio in a School and the President’s Council of Cornell Women.

Philip Varghese

Independent Director

Philip Varghese is the current Compliance Auditor for Dallas County, Texas, in the Auditor’s office. He has previously served as the Assistant Finance Director for the Texas cities of Duncanville and Big Spring and as the Senior Accountant for Lubbock. Varghese previously worked internationally as Senior Accounting Supervisor at Michael Hepburn & Company and Auditor at Arthur Young. He started his career at Deloitte Haskins and Sells asan Auditor (ArticledClerk) for the Chartered Accountancy (C.A.) program with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Varghese holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Mumbai and a C.A. (MBA) from the ICAI. He is certified as a Public Accountant (CPA) in Texas, Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Government Finance Officer (CGFO) in Texas. Varghese was a badminton player until sidelined by an injury.