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Podcast: First to 15: The USA Fencing Podcast
Episode: Damien Lehfeldt, USA Fencing Board Chair, on the Difference Between Governance and Operations
Description: Season 2, Episode 9Guest: Damien Lehfeldt — Chair, USA Fencing Board of Directors; Coach, Nova Fencing ClubWhat we coverOrigin story: three decades in fencing—community first, results secondCoaching during the Great Recession; mentoring as purposeMaking fencing simpler: free articles, open-source resources, data toolsWhy run for the Board? Giving back and building on post-Tokyo momentumBeing elected chair: peers’ trust and the responsibility that comes with itGovernance vs. operations, in plain English:Board = GPS (strategy, oversight, risk)Staff/CEO = Driver (events, execution, day-to-day)Concrete example (Summer Nationals): board sets KPIs; staff builds the experience (merch, flow, logistics)The 20...