Damien Lehfeldt, USA Fencing Board Chair, on the Difference Between Governance and Operations

<p><strong>Season 2, Episode 9</strong><br /><strong>Guest:</strong> <strong>Damien Lehfeldt</strong> — Chair, USA Fencing Board of Directors; Coach, Nova Fencing Club</p><p><strong>What we cover</strong></p><ul><li>Origin story: three decades in fencing—community first, results second</li><li>Coaching during the Great Recession; mentoring as purpose</li><li>Making fencing simpler: free articles, open-source resources, data tools</li><li>Why run for the Board? Giving back and building on post-Tokyo momentum</li><li>Being elected chair: peers’ trust and the responsibility that comes with it</li><li>Governance vs. operations, in plain English:</li><li>Board = GPS (strategy, oversight, risk)</li><li>Staff/CEO = Driver (events, execution, day-to-day)</li><li>Concrete example (Summer Nationals): board sets KPIs; staff builds the experience (merch, flow, logistics)</li><li>The 2024–28 Strategic Plan: membership, clubs, brand, referees—and a clear push for parafencing</li><li>Parafencing pipe...