Board of Directors Election Candidates
Welcome to the Gotham Volleyball Candidate Forum for the Board of Directors!
During this election you will be selecting candidates for President, Secretary and Treasurer. Below each candidate provided answers for 5 questions regarding their candidacy. Please be sure to scroll to the end of the page to read each candidate’s responses.
The End of Spring 2026 Elections will be held from Wed. May 6th (you will receive your ballot between 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM) through Sun. May 10th at 11:59 PM.
President
There are 3 candidates in this year’s election for President: Dan Butsko, Joshua Christensen, and Brendan McCullagh
Dan Butsko
Dan has been a member of Gotham for 5+ years.
Q: Describe your prior/current Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience
A: I was a captain in D2 for one season. I was a volunteer coach a few times. I have been on the Activities and Outreach committee for a couple years.
Q: Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
A: I care a lot about this organization and I want it to be as successful as possible. I have been involved in all aspects of the league as a player, and have a couple years of leadership experience now, so I want to take on more responsibility and channel my efforts to making Gotham more efficient and enjoyable for everyone.
Q: What qualities would you bring to the Gotham Board of Directors?
A: I have a lot of free time when I’m not working, so I can accomplish tasks that need to be done. I am an effective communicator and don’t shy away from conflict or difficult discussions, so I think that is important in collaborative situations. Because I participate in so much of the league, I feel I have a good understanding of areas for opportunity and growth.
Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?
A: One of my goals is to make Gotham as efficient as possible. I think there are easy operational fixes we can make to streamline our scheduling and communication processes. I also want to make Gotham enjoyable for everyone, and part of that is making sure there is equitable opportunities for everyone to be involved and minimizing cancellations of programming. I think just maintaining a certain level of communication across the organization is important for getting things done, no matter how big or small.
Q: What do you think should be included in a 5-year plan for Gotham?
A: A certain monetary savings amount should be established and worked towards. The acquisition of a proprietary gym space to alleviate some facilities issues and dependence. The creation of a template or standardized transition plan for leadership positions to ensure seamless changes from term to term. The creation of a Gotham donation fund that people can contribute to.
Josh Christensen
Josh has been a member of Gotham for 10+ years.
Q: Describe your prior/current Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience
A: I am currently on the Board of Directors as a Past President, and I am the Tournament Director for Big, Golden, and Green Apple NAGVA Tournaments. In the past have been Fire Island Tournament Director, Big Apple Tournament Director, Treasurer, Vice Commissioner, and Commissioner of Gotham (in the change of organizational structure, “Commissioner” became “President”)
Q: Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
A: While I’ve been in charge of Gotham before (back in 2013), I haven’t had a chance to be at the helm since we’ve become a registered charity. I think there are a few things we can do to leverage our status as a charity (fundraising and strategic financial partnerships) to help ensure Gotham’s longevity and further our mission to “improve the quality of life for LQBTQ+ individuals through the sport of volleyball.” Ultimately my goal is always to give back to the organization that has truly become my family.
Q: What qualities would you bring to the Gotham Board of Directors?
A: I have an attention to detail that is well-suited to governing Gotham by distilling ideas from different folks and merging those ideas into solutions that everyone can support. My experience on the Board of Directors gives me insight into how most aspects of Gotham currently function and gives me ideas for how we can improve moving forward. Also, I have a deep respect for Gotham’s history and roots. We as an organization stand on the shoulders of many people, and the understanding of our origins and our resiliency is a great asset when it comes to moving forward.
Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?
A: I would like to see the Gotham Board move further away from an operational board and towards a strategic board. That will require some work to mature the structure and expectations of the Leadership Groups. I would also love to see Gotham host NAGVA Championships in NYC. Lastly, I would like to get our archived historical documents digitized, preserved, and shared on the website.
Q: What do you think should be included in a 5-year plan for Gotham?
A: Development of charitable fundraising and an endowment. Plans for scaling in terms of gym space and workload of the Leadership Groups.
Brendan McCullagh
Brendan has been a member of Gotham for 5+ years.
Q: Describe your prior/current Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience
A: I have been the Division 1 representative in Gotham for two terms now and I’ve been able to make some wonderful changes to our division operations! I’ve also coached a Division 9 team for two years and have enjoyed interacting with tons of divisions and power play leagues! I’ve volunteered for many a division and power play tryout each season and my favorite part of giving any extra time to Gotham was all of the incredible people I’ve met through all of the different channels we offer! Additionally, I’ve had the pleasure of being a Division 1 captain for the past five seasons and have cultivated some incredible teams on and off the court!
Q: Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
A: I’m interested in serving at President of Gotham to keep the competitive spirit of the league alive while also changing our methodology when it comes to bringing new people in the league. The majority of our offerings as a league should not be strictly tryout based. We should have ample offerings for equal registration leagues where if people want to join, they can as long as they secure a spot. I also believe that adding a Women/Trans/Non-Binary (WTNB) registration window would serve Gotham well in our overall goal – bringing the entirety of the queer community together over a sport we love.
Q: What qualities would you bring to the Gotham Board of Directors?
A: I would bring an organized, definitive, and detail-oriented perspective to the board. I’m no stranger to making hard decisions when it comes to it, and will also encourage inclusive dialogue from the board and league on any and all final decisions being made for the league. I was one of the biggest supporters in the substitution rule for the league and personally was able to implement it successfully in our division. Having a leader that is able to make a decision and stick to it is an important quality that I embody and will lend itself well to the entire league. At the same time, I’m extremely open to dialogue, different perspectives, and input from not just leadership, but all members of the league in any key decisions being made for Gotham.
Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?
A: I want to continue this culture of progress we’ve been making from a rule perspective in Gotham while encouraging new ideas to be brought up by any member of the league for consideration. Understanding that gym space is often the most limiting factor in our league operations, I want to take a wide-lens look at our current offerings and see how we can improve on non-tryout based playing time for new members to join the Gotham community. I don’t feel that we currently have a strong pipeline for people new to the sport to join the league and rather than losing many of those members to not being selected for division play, I think we can offer opportunities for them to learn beyond power play. The best way to do this is for time-based registration for this league and support by dedicated coaches to train these league members for eventual division play tryouts.
Q: What do you think should be included in a 5-year plan for Gotham?
A: In addition to all the tangible steps mentioned above, I think that Gotham’s goal should be to increase our WTNB presence in the league substantially (two fold+), add another league offering for players completely new to volleyball outside of power play, and to allow different divisions to have more autonomy over their style of play. I firmly believe in the “pay to play” methodology of Gotham which I think sets us apart from so many other leagues nationally. At the same time, I think changes to individual divisions can be considered and tested at the very least. I think we sell ourselves short as a league by not trying new things in all of our offerings on the court – in 5 years I want to see general membership having more of a say in their week to week play and what that looks like on the court. I think there is a happy medium we can hit as a unified league when it comes to making change while also adhering to the values that started this league that gave us all so much. As president, I want to give back to the league that personally developed me into the person and player I am today!
Secretary
There are 2 candidates in this year’s election for Secretary: Andy Hensley and Alan Jean
Andy Hensley
Andy has been a member of Gotham for 5+ years.
Q: Describe your prior/current Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience
A: Division 11 coach, Division 12 coach, Yearly volunteer for Fire Island Tournament/Gotham Weekend, Yearly volunteer for Big Apple Tournament
Q: Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
A: I have always loved Gotham and feel my talents would be best served working as secretary in order to give back to the organization that has been there for me since the moment I moved to New York. Now that I am entering a new decade of life, I think the time is right for me to help the league provide the same opportunities and experiences for others in our community as it did for me.
Q: What qualities would you bring to the Gotham Board of Directors?
A: I would bring an immense attention to detail, team spirit, and an eagerness to learn and grow as a volunteer and as a person.
Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?
A: I would like to complete the work of my predecessor and also continue to cultivate the new Gotham website.
Q: What do you think should be included in a 5-year plan for Gotham?
A: Provide more opportunities for play in other boroughs, expand the D12 season to a full season twice a year, and continue the endless search for more gym space.
Alan Jean
Alan has been a member of Gotham for 2+ years.
Q: Describe your prior/current Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience
A: Have been the power G rep since Spring 2025, former D11 captain Fall 2025, and been a member of grievance for 2 years.
Q: Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
A: Greg inspired me to run. Seeing all the work he brought and being the first welcoming face for me in Gotham really made me want to give back to the organization with everything I have!
Q: What qualities would you bring to the Gotham Board of Directors?
A: I would bring a LOT of energy, a lot of skill and tact, and a surprising level of levelheadedness and capacity to see all sides of any situation.
Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?
A: The one thing I would love to accomplish would be working towards expanding what Gotham stands for and encouraging more growth for current league members as well and growth to new members as well.
Q: What do you think should be included in a 5-year plan for Gotham?
A: A good five year plan would be investing in locating and acquiring new spaces and more spaces that we can utilize, growing Division 11 and 12, offering more opportunities for training, and spreading more outreach.
Treasurer
There is 1 candidates in this year’s election for Treasurer: Ricardo Matsumoto
Ricardo Matsumoto
Ricardo has been a member of Gotham for 10+ years.
Q: Describe your prior/current Gotham volunteer and/or leadership experience
A: I did a year of volunteer in T&OP Committee a while ago. I’ve been captain for a few years, and power representative. And I’ve been around trying to help wherever I can.
Q: Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
A: I’ve been in Gotham for a long time now, and just feel like it’s time to really pay back to the community. In addition, I’m at a point in my life that I feel that I can take on the challenge to be part of the leadership team.
Q: What qualities would you bring to the Gotham Board of Directors?
A: I’m a very logical person, and have a lot of experience with data analytics. For the role of Treasurer, I think those skills can be very useful to manage the finances of Gotham.
Q: What do you wish to accomplish if elected?
A: I would like to leverage all the work that has been done so far in the Treasury department, while bringing a different perspective. I believe that having a new set of eyes can bring new ideas, and hopefully improve on the processes.
Q: What do you think should be included in a 5-year plan for Gotham?
A: Honestly, I’m not 100% sure. From my perspective, the league has been doing a good job. From a Treasury perspective, just guidelines to make sure the league can keep running for years to come.