photo by Javier Ortiz

The Winter 2025 USPA Board of Directors’ Meeting concluded Monday, March 17, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Following a wild week which included the Parachute Industry Association Symposium, Skydiving Technology Advancement Roundup (STAR) Awards and USPA Drop Zone Operators’ Conference, the 2025-2027 board began its first meeting of the term, discussing ways to best serve members. 

First, board members elected the officers who will serve for this three-year term: 

President: Sherry Butcher 

Vice President: Josh Hall 

Treasurer: Jack Pyland 

Chairman of the Board: Randy Allison 

Secretary: Ray Lallo 

Member at Large: Brandon Radcliff 

International Skydiving Commission Delegate: Jim Rees 

Hall of Fame Representative: Mike McGowan 

While the full report of the meeting will be available in coming weeks at uspa.org/bod, here are some highlights from this weekend, organized by committee: 

Executive Committee

Chaired by Sherry Butcher 

• Awarded the 2026 USPA National Skydiving Championships to Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida (canopy piloting) and Skydive Perris in California (all other disciplines). 

• Awarded the title of “Executive Director Emeritus” to former USPA Executive Director Ed Scott. 

Membership Services 

Chaired by Melissa Nelson 

• Discussed plans for improving the functionality of uspa.org. 

• Awarded the USPA Lifetime Achievement Award to Willard “Jay” Stokes, D-6528. 

• Awarded the USPA Gold Medal for Meritorious Service to Tamara Koyn, D-10940; Connie Krusi, D-18905; and Maxine Tate, D-31547. 

• Awarded the USPA Regional Achievement Award to: 

• Anthony Ebel, D-30074 (Central Region) 

• John King, D-5567 (Eastern) 

• Jesse Magana, D-12628 (Central) 

• Samantha Styles, C-46027 (Western) 

• Thomas Wells, D-29323 (Eastern) 

Governance 

Chaired by Ray Lallo 

• Drafted a board policy related to confidentiality of investigations and disciplinary actions. 

• Continued discussions regarding the creation of international representatives or liaisons to better serve and communicate with members located outside the United States.  

Finance and Budget 

Chaired by Jack Pyland 

• Reviewed and approved the 2023 USPA independent audit. 

• Reviewed and approved the 2025 USPA budget. 

• Explored and discussed opportunities for new non-dues revenue sources. 

Group Membership 

Chaired by Brian Naiman 

• Discussed and approved plans for a USPA International Drop Zone Operators’ Conference to be held in Spain alongside the 2026 European Skydiving Symposium. 

• Discussed, but took no action regarding a proposal to add further requirements for group membership. 

• Made plans to work with and support general aviation industry associations to eliminate the use of ADS-B data by airport authorities to levy landing fees, as this use may become widespread, adversely affecting drop zones. 

Safety and Training 

Chaired by Michael Wadkins 

• Approved an update to the tandem instructor medical requirements, allowing a Department of Transportation medical certification to serve as an alternative to the Federal Aviation Administration Third-Class Medical Certificate, after extensive research and collaboration with the FAA to ensure the DOT medical meets or exceeds existing standards. Moving forward, tandem instructors must hold one of these two medicals. 

• Added a new Basic Safety Requirement (BSR), mandating that all USPA Tandem Instructors reconnect the lower lateral attachment hooks to the tandem container before landing—to be effective immediately, with compliance enforcement beginning July 1, 2025. This requirement, which has always been mandated by manufacturers, mitigates multiple safety concerns, including entanglement risks, complications during cutaways and severe landing injuries. 

• Approved the new version of the Instructional Rating Manual (IRM) and the Examiner and Evaluator Manual, allowing USPA staff to finalize formatting, editing and printing under the guidance of the SIM/IRM Rewrite Task Force, led by Brandon Radcliff. 

• Changed tandem instructor rating requirements to require TIs to add a manufacturer’s rating to their USPA account within 60 days of issuance—a change strongly recommended by industry experts. 

Competition 

Chaired by Jim Rees 

• Added clarifying language to SCM Chapter 1 § 7.1-7.2 regarding when training must end, and a competition begins. 

• Modified competition requirements so that an O-1A visa is sufficient for eligibility to participate in USPA National Skydiving Championships. 

• Discussed the possibility for future remote judging, as appropriate, at USPA National Skydiving Championships in order to improve efficiency and lower costs for competitors. 

A full report of the Winter 2025 Board of Directors Meeting will appear in the May 2025 Parachutist.