Elections for the 2020 NER Board of Directors will occur at this year’s Annual Meeting on January 4. The following 5 candidates have been nominated for a seat on the board. Please take a moment to read their statements in consideration for your vote.
Jerry Papenhausen
Gerald (Jerry) Papenhausen: I was born and raised in central CT and after a stint down South to get my education, I moved back to New England to the Boston area in 2000 to join my college girlfriend while she attended law school. We are now raising our family in Winchester, MA. Though I am a software developer by training, I have spent the last 8 years as a stay-at-home dad for my 3 young children. I am the Troop Leader for both my daughters’ Girl Scout Troops, and I help manage my son’s Cub Scout den as well. I am also working hard to help raise the next generation of NER members as I just purchased a turn-key, used Solo Junior A kart from another NER member, since my oldest daughter turns 12 next year. I’ve still got a ton of work to do on the Junior B kart to make sure it is ready for my son to try out his first autocross next spring as well.
While I’ve always had a love for cars, I more recently joined the SCCA in 2015 after realizing I was spending most of my time in the presence of irrational toddlers. So, I decided that I needed some adults in my life and a friend on a Subaru forum led me to Starting Line and the Solo program. For the past 2 years, I have been Chief of Timing for NER Solo, where I implemented numerous upgrades to the timing systems and procedures. While my SCCA background is heavily weighted toward autocross, I care about and am committed to the club as a whole, including all the disciplines. I hope to find an opportunity to experience all of the different ways to have #funwithcars as part of NER.
This is my first time running for the Board of Directors, where I hope to use my passion for the club to help support NER SCCA endeavors and ensure that we continue to be able to drive our cars as fast we can go. One of the issues facing our Solo and Rallycross programs is that of site acquisition, and I hope to help solve those issues to ensure a place for all of us in the SCCA here in New England for the foreseeable future.
Bob Anderson
Hello members,
My name is Bob Anderson and I am a current member of the Board of Directors. I am running for re-election. I have been an SCCA member for over 30 years and NER member for 10 years. I am a steward for Road Racing and the current Secretary of the Board. The region has come a long way in the past few years and I want to keep going in the right direction.
Thank you,
Bob Anderson
George Farrar
Wiley Cox
Hello, my name is Wiley Cox, and I’m a previous NER Board of Directors member, as well as having served as the New England Region Regional Executive. I am running as a candidate for the board for the upcoming 2-year term starting in 2020.
I have been involved with the SCCA, primarily in autocross, for 15 years. I have also competed in Road Rally, as well as serving as an SCCA flagger in regional and divisional events, as well as helping out in Emergency services where needed. In the Solo group, I have held a number of positions, including worker chief, timing chief, equipment chief, novice co-chief, and youth steward. I was first elected for the board of directors at the end of 2012, accepted the nomination and was voted into a position on the board at the Annual Meeting in 2013. After serving for a year on the board, I was honored to be voted in by the board to become the Regional Executive starting in 2014, a position which concluded at the end of my term in early 2018.
In my time as a board member, the region spent significant time and effort in helping to bring the region’s racing to new locations, including both Thompson and Palmer road courses. The Rallycross and Solo groups both saw increasing attendance at their events, and we held entertaining events across all our disciplines. We also began the long process of identifying and cataloging our archival materials, a project I’d be excited to rejoin and help continue.
I am asking for your vote for another 2-year term as a board member, to be able to serve the club and help guide us into the next decade. I’m excited to be able to continue my work for you all on behalf of the club. Thank you.
James Ray
I am a 65 year old Upton, MA resident, father of two adult age children, husband to my college sweetheart, retired business executive and IT consultant with expertise in retail business information systems and customer loyalty marketing. From the time when I began driving at age 15 I have always had #FunWithCars. Even in my retirement I enjoy working part-time as a delivery driver for an auto parts retail chain store.
In my fifteen years as a member with the New England Region SCCA I have participated as a driver in autocross, road rally, road racing, flagger for Track Night in America, coach for the Tire Rack Street Survival teen driving school, and assistant Chief Instructor for the Club Racing Experience. I have also participated for many years attending Club Racing board meetings and have gained much experience outside the club as an instructor with several HPDE track day operators. Many members may recognize my name best as an amateur photographer and frequent contributor to the region’s Facebook social media and Pit Talk publications.
I am running for a third term as NER board member position. I want to use my experience and expertise to provide leadership and assist fellow club members however possible. If re-elected I will use my years of business experience, knowledge of customer loyalty and direct marketing, information technology skills, and many competitive driving experiences to help make decisions about program and policy to the best of my ability.
