The PDGA Global Board of Directors Nominating Committee completed a comprehensive assessment of self-nominated candidates for the 2025 PDGA Elections, which included detailed reviews of cover letters, resumes, referral letters, background checks, and for the most qualified candidates, video interviews.

More information about the Nominating Committee can be found here.

The process culminated in five candidates from different backgrounds appearing on the ballot for the upcoming PDGA Global Board of Directors elections. These five candidates will be vying for two open positions on the board.

The PDGA Global Board of Directors is required for nonprofit status and mandated by the PDGA bylaws. In addition to semi-annual summit meetings, the board conducts monthly teleconferences with staff to accomplish its varied goals, such as setting PDGA policies; hiring and supervising of the executive director, who is responsible for headquarters, staff and ongoing operations; financial managements, including an annual budget; identification of responsible future board members; and representing the membership's visions for the future of the sport and the association.

Two at-large board member positions will be elected this year during a month-long election from July 1-31, 2025.

The two candidates who receive the most votes will serve three-year terms from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028. For additional information, please see the PDGA Elections page.

Here are the five candidates who have stepped up and are ready to help take the sport of disc golf to the next level, along with their background information and statements of intent.

Stay tuned to PDGA.com and the PDGA on social media throughout the month of June as we get to know these candidates even more. 

2025 Global Board Candidates

• Charlie Mead #1980
• Conrad Damon #2450
• Laura Nagtegaal #44969
• Matthew Rothstein #51515
• Dustin Schrieber #210792

GET TO KNOW THE PDGA GLOBAL BOARD OF DIRECTOR CANDIDATES

Charlie Mead — #1980

Location: Holsworthy / Devon, United Kingdom

Candidate Biography: In the past 45 years Charlie has played, contributed and organised over a thousand Disc sport events. He has been fortunate to have remained fit and healthy throughout (until the broken arm of the last two months) which has allowed him to continuosly learn and develop as the sport has grown. He has been TD for 14 World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Championships; including the last 4 World Team Disc Golf Champonships. He holds 6 European Disc Golf Championship titles - the first was MPO in 1982 and the last was MP65 in 2021.  His ability to manage large groups of players and staff has matched his playing career and the experience of those 45 years has alllowed him to develop and build relationships across the world. This will be a crucial element in aspects of the way the PDGA Board and membership will develop in coming years; where experience and engagement with national leadership meets international success.

Since 1993 he has been a child psychologist specialising in trauma and attachment difficulties in young people. Previously he was Headteacher and development manager of a large group of schools housing 400 children and 400 staff. He was elected President of WFDF in 1985 and was Chair of the Disc Golf Committee from 2016 to 2024. He introduced Mixed Ultimate Divisions to World Ultimate Championships in 1996 and the compulsory introduction of two women to each WFDF Disc Golf Team in 2017 - both produced an increase in women players worldwide. He also introduced a World Disc Golf Ranking system for national teams alongside PDGA. This enabled the IOC and IWGA to recognise that Disc Golf had met all the criteria to be included in the World Games. This was achieved in 2023 and Disc Golf will be at TWG, Chengdu China in August 2025. He resigned from WFDF in 2024 and now looks to increase and improve the opportunity of all PDGA affiliated countries and their members to play for their country.

Introduction: The PDGA Global Board of Directors guides the staff and officials, members and volunteers to participate in Disc Golf at every level of ability and achievement. PDGA is set to become a globally inclusive sport. If it is to continue to grow and offer more people a chance to play the sport then it needs a principled and dynamic Board. The Board should be made up of people who are respected world wide and can influence change through the relationships they have with key individuals in every country. Charlie Mead has a track record of success here and is an ideal candidate for the job.

Background/Professional Experience: Having been elected to the World Disc Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and awarded the Steady ‘Ed’ Memorial Award in 2013,  these deserved and recognised accolades enable Charlie to influence and persuade others to take on the challenges that they face. His negotiating skills in bringing disperate groups togethr and resolving issues are also the hallmark of his career in Education and Psychology. The concept of Spirit of the Game fits with his purpose of getting things done well. As a Consultant Child Psychologist he combines his work with his love of the sport - both inform each other.

Goals as a PDGA member: 

• To double the number of countries that host PDGA World Championships.
• To double the number of countries who have 10 or more PDGA Women members and 50+ PDGA Masters
• To reach 75 countries who have PDGA members and are affiliated to PDGA
• To develop an outreach resource for members who need support for their mental health - both personal and professional
• To further develop and support PDGA Continental DGA’s, with a focus on Africa and Central and South America.

Conrad Damon — #2450

Location: San Carlos, California, United States

Candidate Biography: I began playing disc golf in the early 1980's in Huntington Beach and Kansas City and quickly became hooked. Eventually I decided to devote some time and energy to helping develop the sport I loved and began filling volunteer roles, first as a member of the Technical Standards and Rules committees, then in a Board role as Oversight Director 1999-2002. That was followed by a Volunteer of the Year award in 2005 for contributing code to Tournament Manager, chairing the Rules Committee 2008-2019, and then another stint on the Board beginning in fall of 2022. Time marches on, and I am now competing in the MP60 division.

Introduction: My goal is to be a voice of reason in any discussion that includes me, and to form my position based on evidence, logic, and cogent analysis for the betterment of the PDGA and disc golf in general.

Background/Professional Experience: After earning a BA in English at Stanford I veered into tech, and my career has been as a software engineer, including management roles. I am currently a Staff Software Engineer at SentinelOne, an AI-driven cybersecurity company.

Goals as a PDGA member:

1. Clubs: I am very excited about the recent club initiative. A healthy and vibrant network of PDGA-affiliated disc golf clubs offers a foundation for addressing both issues and opportunities.
2. Membership: We need to find ways to reach a wider audience, especially among women players. Beyond that, we should look into expanding our reach to casual, non-tournament players.
3. Technology: We should continue to invest heavily in technology, especially in personalization.

Laura Nagtegaal — #44969

Location: Utrecht, Netherlands

Candidate Biography: Laura is a self-made woman with a can-do attitude. She's a solar, inspirational, strong, and empathic human.

She speaks four languages, has lived in two different countries, and travels the world for her job; rather than considering herself a Dutch or European woman, she considers herself a global citizen.

She is a proud parent of an amazingly talented and headstrong kid.

Life has taught, and still teaches her, that she will continuously need to rebuild herself; rise from her own ashes like a Phoenix. A better version of herself each time,

Introduction: Campaign key points Laura is advocating for are:

• More diversity, equity & inclusion on the fairway*
• Further professionalisation of the sport*
• Focus more on globalisation*

Almost at the start of her career, she was awarded a PDGA Europe Volunteer of the Year award, which she reluctantly but proudly accepted as "prematurely handed-out lifetime achievement award". during her next term as a PDGA global Board of Directors member, she aims to get a bit closer again to earning that award.

Background/Professional Experience: Laura's working career across various industries and branches, in paid and unpaid positions. The connecting factor between each of these is "dedicating her hard and soft skills for the greater good".

Working in the live music industry, as a tour manager and backline technician, is her paid occupation. It's a self-employed position she has held for 30 years.

Between 2014 and 2018, she worked as PDGA Europe’s EuroTour Manager and as Interim Administrator. In the latter position, she laid the foundations for what is currently PDGA Europe.

In her EuroTour Manager position, she has been a core staff member for many of Europe's biggest disc golf events; including several Majors And 2017 Pro Worlds.

Since 2010, she has held many unpaid volunteer positions in disc golf governance, on national (for the Nederlandse Frisbee Bond as Board of Directors and Chair of Disc Golf), and global level (for PDGA and World Flying Disc Federation).

For the PDGA, she has been a member of the global Board of Directors between 2015 and 2017, and again since 2019. In that capacity, she is, and has been, a Committee member for many of PDGA’s Committees. Currently, she is Board Liaison for the Diversity & Outreach Committee, and a member of the Women’s Committee.

Volunteer positions outside of disc golf range from working as a counsellor for a patient self-help organisation to being socially engaged in local environmental and sustainability initiatives, to being engaged in various diversity workgroups across several industries and aspects of life, ranging from the live music industry, to a political party.

Goals as a PDGA member: As a Board of Directors member Laura aims to fulfil her campaign key points, whilst also making sure the PDGA be and remain the best organisation it can be for its members.

*More diversity, equity & inclusion on the fairway*

Disc golf is still very homogenous when we look at who our PDGA members are.

More efforts need to be made to attract, engage, and retain under-served, under-represented, and under-highlighted groups of people, most notably women, BIPOC, and people outside of the USA.

Disc golf claims to be for all, and we need to move from "action" to "deed", to follow through on our words.

In any case, the time to passively tolerate ”others” should be behind us, we should be actively making space.

*Further professionalisation of the sport*

In order for the sport to grow even more at the grass roots level, the elite level of the sport needs to be elevated more, made more elite, so that more will see the what makes the sport so appealing to all players of all levels.

Tour Standards, Competition Manual, qualification methods and thresholds are powerful dials in helping achieve this.

Ways to reach this would be:

• Raising the event standards & qualification thresholds, which means catering to fewer, but objectively better, competitors.
• Standardising the competition calendar, allowing competitors, hosts, and sponsors, to structurally and dependably deliver their best for the spectators and fans.
• Obtaining (more) mainstream sponsoring from outside our disc golf community is crucial in this. Without it, outside money, entropy within the closed sport bubble increases.

*Focus more on globalisation*

That means explicitly keeping our global community in mind in our branding, imaging, and policymaking.

Being the global disc golf association, too often, the sport focuses a lot on the USA and its reality. Granted, almost 80% of PDGA members are USA-based, but the disc golf community is global.

In messaging, policies, and marketing, the global appeal and reach, and international standard needs to be a base level where to depart from, not a special feature that is added.

Just like there's not any single reason why more women or BIPOC don't play disc golf, there's no reason why the same proportion of the global population wouldn't play (associated) disc golf.

The PDGA have the tools and means to help enable or achieve this.

Matthew Rothstein — #51515

Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Candidate Biography: ​​​​​​​Location: Fort Collins, CO

Education: B.A. Music, Colorado State University

Occupation: Writer, Media Producer

30-year disc golfer and 12-year PDGA member

PDGA Media Manager (2020–2024) during era of historic growth

Co-writer and Executive Producer, The Holy Shot documentary

Executive Producer and Co-creator, PDGA Rules School and TD School video series

Former Contributing Editor, DiscGolfer Magazine (2019–2020)

Global Director, Discmania Game of Throws league program (2019)

Member, PDGA Majors & Elite Series Committee (helped launch Champions Cup)

Member, PDGA Women’s Committee (Women’s Global Event support)

Board member of Kingfish DGC (LA) and Northern Colorado DGC (CO)

Directed inclusive leagues for new players and families

Advocate for transparency and member empowerment through the PDGA Members’ Bill of Rights - https://tinyurl.com/pdgabill

Introduction: Disc golf has shaped who I am—for over 30 years as a player, a parent, a volunteer, and a professional. I’m running for the PDGA Board because I believe our leaders should uphold the same values we expect on the course: fair play, transparency, and accountability.

As a 12-year member and former PDGA Media Manager during a time of explosive growth, I’ve had the rare opportunity to see the PDGA from the inside. I’ve seen what works—and where we can do better. That’s why I’m running: to help return the PDGA to its founding principles and ensure it remains a member-first organization.

My campaign is centered on the PDGA Members’ Bill of Rights—a constructive, forward-looking proposal to make the PDGA more transparent, more accountable, and more responsive to its members. This platform has earned support from both everyday players and respected leaders across the sport.

Background/Professional Experience: As Media Manager for the PDGA (2020–2024), I oversaw a six-figure annual budget, led national media teams at PDGA Major and DGPT Elite Series events, and helped shape the PDGA’s communications during a critical growth phase. I produced more than 30 PDGA ads, co-wrote and executive produced The Holy Shot documentary, and led the creation of the PDGA Rules School and TD School video series—core educational tools that continue to serve members and tournament directors worldwide.

My professional background also includes work in public education and youth sports. I’ve worked in public school classrooms and, as the father of two young disc golfers, I’m personally invested in the success of the PDGA’s Youth and Education program.

I’ve directed beginner-friendly leagues for new players and families in Colorado and Louisiana, and produced inclusive content that amplified the voices of women, juniors, seniors, and international competitors.

I’ve served on the PDGA Majors & Elite Series Committee—helping to launch the PDGA Champions Cup—and the PDGA Women’s Committee, supporting the Women’s Global Event. I’ve also held board positions in local disc golf clubs and contributed to planning and policy at the local, national, and global levels.

Goals as a PDGA member: If elected, my top priority will be to implement the PDGA Members’ Bill of Rights—a set of reforms designed to bring transparency, accountability, and member empowerment back to PDGA governance. These aren’t radical ideas. They reflect the founding principles of our sport and our organization: fair play, equal rules, and accountable leadership.

Disc golfers are required to follow the rules—and when they don’t, they’re held accountable by fellow competitors and tournament officials. I believe the same standard should apply to our leaders. That means open meetings, accessible information, and decisions made in the light—not behind closed doors. I will work to ensure that PDGA Board meetings are visible to the membership and that members can understand how and why key decisions are made.

I will also advocate for greater financial clarity—clear breakdowns of how member dues are used, open publication of budgets and contracts, executive salaries, and tools that help members track the association’s priorities. We owe it to our members to show that their investment is managed wisely.

I support the creation of an independent Oversight Committee to provide checks and balances on the Board. This would help prevent conflicts of interest, strengthen accountability, and deepen trust between PDGA leadership and the members it represents.

Members also deserve a stronger voice in Board elections and major decisions—especially when it comes to changes to the PDGA Bylaws, which define the foundational structure of the sport and how decisions get made.

These reforms have earned the support of seasoned PDGA leaders, world champions, and Hall of Fame members because they reflect what disc golf is at its best: a fair, inclusive, and member-powered sport. They’re not about fixing a broken organization, but about fortifying a good one—ensuring that the PDGA’s remarkable growth is matched by equally strong governance. It’s a promise to lead with the same fairness, transparency, and shared responsibility that live at the heart of the spirit of the game.

Dustin Schrieber — #210792

Location: Saint Charles, Missouri, United States

Candidate Biography: Dustin is a hard working engineer who is always on the move. Born and raised in Southern Illinois by two engineers who are always on the go, Dustin learned from a young age to stay active and keep moving. Now living in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, Dustin has kept moving in work and hobbies. As an engineer, Dustin has worked across automotive and industrial segments in a variety of roles ranging from technical engineering, to project management, and people management. In disc golf, Dustin has found a hobby that physically keeps him moving and exercising, but also lets him give back by helping the community. Dustin first found disc golf in 2020, but didn’t really start playing until 2021. Since then, he has grown from a new player who didn’t understand what the sport was about to a member of the community who wants to give back to and grow the sport as much as he wants to compete in it. While he finds the thrill of competition exciting, he understands that where his skills is at is helping the sport to grow and reach new levels through contributions as small as introducing a new player and as large as being a leader in disc golf organizations.

Introduction: My name is Dustin Schrieber. I've been playing disc golf since late 2020 and competing as part of the PDGA since 2022. I try to get out to play or practice nearly every day, even if it's just upshot practice over my house.  I've been volunteering in minor ways for the last several years, but have stepped up my game over the last year, joining the St. Louis Disc Golf Club Board and taking over as course captain for multiple courses. My hobbies outside of disc golf include riding motorcycles, camping, hiking, playing piano, and reading.

My favorite type of disc golf competition is a two round, single day tournament, but I also really enjoy random doubles where I get to meet new people and learn how they experience the game. The sense of community I get from all types of disc golf events keeps bringing me back to the sport. I'm excited about this chance to help to give back to the sport on a wider scale.

Background/Professional Experience: I currently serve as an Engineering Department Manager for Watlow, a company which produces heater systems for a variety of global markets. In this role, I manage teams which design manufacturing systems for those heaters across all global areas. This role is heavily focused on the standardization and implementation of effective processes across a global enterprise to help those teams efficiently meet their goals.

Prior to this role, I've served in a number of other engineering functions working in the automotive industry on suspension and engines. Throughout those roles I've lead teams and projects, worked heavily with cross functional teams, and learned a lot about what it takes to set a goal and achieve it.

I am a 2017 graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a 2021 graduate of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in project management.

Goals as a PDGA member: My primary goals as a PDGA BOD Member is based around accessibility. I believe that disc golf continues to have a wonderful opportunity to grow, but the community at large needs to be enabled to help it do so. A few examples of this include:

Improving accessibility of running tournaments in under serviced areas. Methods like helping volunteers understand how easy (and rewarding!) running a tournament can be by advertising the tools available to them and helping to navigate regulations with parks departments are two things the PDGA can do to help tournament organizers.

Helping people who want to put in courses to have access to standards for course design that allows for safe, cost effective courses to be put into places that don't currently have disc golf courses. This can help us to develop disc golf in new areas while pooling knowledge together to take the guess work out. While tools like this are already available, the understanding and available of those tools can be improved and I hope to do so rather quickly!

Increasing awareness of disc golf in education centers. Some methods for this might include aiding in acquiring baskets through strategic partnerships, providing literature and lesson plans on disc golf topics, and even enhancing the capability to utilize campus space for pop up courses to be used during lessons. These lessons could include throwing instructions, information about rules, and local course information. Long term goals for this could include schools to have small courses on campus, where viable, as well as having school teams or activity groups.

Furthering the ongoing efforts to open the sport up to a large diversity of people. Driving a sense of inclusion for ALL people by creating fun, safe environments where they can form a community that keeps them coming back can be a driver to bringing wider groups to the sport. A change like this will take time and I’m hopeful to build on the ground work that has already been started to build momentum in this area!