VOTE FEB. 28TH – MAR. 29TH
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VOTE FEB. 28TH – MAR. 29TH 🌸 🌸 🌸
THE VOTING PROCESS:
Voting will last for one month, opening this Saturday, February 28th and closing on Sunday, March 29th. The election will occur through the ElectionBuddy software, where every eligible voter will receive a unique link to vote at the same email address that I am sending this email to. There is no general link to vote, so please do not share any links around. Voting is very quick, only requiring you to select your preferred candidates and submit!
Kei Tsukamaki – Renshi
President (Incumbent)
38-YRS OLD
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The duties of the President shall include: Represent and supervise the operation of the Federation, appoint committees as required with the assistance and approval of the Board, be an ex-officio member of all committees, handle other matters that may require the attention of the President, preside at all regular and special Federation meetings, represent the Federation at the INF General Assembly.
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Kei Tsukamaki (she/her) is the current President of the USNF and has served as Vice President of the USNF and Executive Secretary and Board Representative for PNNF. She began training in Naginata as a freshman in high school in 2001, has competed nationally and internationally on Team USA, and earned the shogo title of Renshi in May 2025.
Outside of Naginata, her leadership roles include being the President of the Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese; 2025 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year; and World Languages Department Chair at the school where she teaches and Curriculum Specialist for her district. She has learned through these experiences how to navigate challenging conversations, communicate effectively across cultures, and push for sustainable, incremental change where needed.
In her various leadership roles and as President, Kei is dedicated to implementing structures and systems that ensure longevity of an organization and clarity and consistency for members. As current President, Kei is committed to promoting increasing collaboration to provide training and opportunities for growth to USNF members at all levels while continuing to uphold Naginata etiquette, values, and tradition.
VOTE KEI TSUKAMAKI FOR PRESIDENT
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VOTE KEI TSUKAMAKI FOR PRESIDENT ⋆ ˚｡🌸⋆ ˚｡
Nigel DaSilva – Nidan
Vice President (Incumbent)
25-YRS OLD
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The duties of the Vice-President shall include: Assume the duties of the President in the President’s absence, in case of death or resignation of the President, become the President for the remainder of the President’s term, communicate with and represent the views of all members not associated with a regional Federation, supervise all USNF National Championship Tournaments, perform such duties as may be delegated by the President
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Nigel DaSilva (he/him) began practicing naginata in 2021 at the Columbia University dojo under the guidance of Roche Sensei. Currently holding the rank of nidan, he is finishing his PhD in experimental plasma physics at Columbia University while serving as assistant coach at the CU dojo and practicing full-time at the Ken-Zen dojo in Manhattan. His recent naginata accolades include 2025 USNF Open Team Champion, 2025 GNYNF Men’s Individual Champion, and 2025 GNYNF Teams Champion. In his free time, he enjoys pampering his cat, cooking, and playing speed-chess.
During his three-year tenure as Vice President of the Greater New York Naginata Federation, Nigel has successfully spearheaded change through his focus on efficient communication, spreading naginata, and improving the quality of events. He has also served as the GNY events committee chair for almost two years, being the primary lead of all seminar and tournament logistics for multi-federation events with invited AJNF sensei. Under his leadership, GNY hosted a successful 2025 taikai without any scheduling changes despite losing an entire court to an unexpected facility leak. He will continue applying his logistical expertise and quick thinking to ensure the success of the upcoming 2026 USNF seminar, taikai, and tryouts.
Through his time as Vice President of the USNF, Nigel has also honed the substantive and administrative experience needed to best serve the naginata community, working closely with President Tsukamaki Sensei in the process. As the USNF has grown and changed over his current term, he has diligently volunteered for almost every opportunity to create and amend policy through writing the USNF misconduct and investigation policies, championing the proper use of Robert’s Rules for more efficient board meetings, and increasing student protection by implementing SafeSport training. He is eager to continue growing and serving the USNF as your Vice President, with upcoming goals of better inter-federation connection, increasing the inclusivity
VOTE NIGEL DaSILVA FOR VP
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VOTE NIGEL DaSILVA FOR VP ⋆ ˚｡🌸⋆ ˚｡
Shannon Rabanal – Godan
Executive Secretary (Incumbent)
34-YRS OLD
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The duties of the Executive Secretary shall include: responsibility for all administrative functions and official correspondence of the Federation; preside over meetings in the absence of the President and Vice-President; maintain a correspondence file; maintain and distribute a current contact list for all Board members; responsibility for all written communications with members, including notifications to the members of upcoming meetings; maintain an inventory of property of the Federation; maintain the official copy of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, including all amendments; maintain the Federation historical record of the following items: Tournaments rosters and results, Training and Ranking records, Service Records, Federation calendar, past, present, and future.
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Shannon began her training in Naginata through a community college credit PE course taught by Helen Nakano Sensei at El Camino College, CA. She has since trained continuously as a member of the United States Naginata Federation for 14 years. Shannon currently holds the rank of 5 Dan (2023) and an INF Shinpan certification (2019).
Shannon has earned multiple USNF Taikai titles across Engi Kyogi, Zen Nihon Kata, and both Individual and Team Shiai. She has represented Team USA at two World Naginata Championships, earning four
medals: two Silver medals in Shiai (2015, 2024), a Silver medal in Zen Nihon Kata (2024), and a Bronze medal in Zen Nihon Kata (2019). She is currently a member of the U.S. National Team and most recently placed 1st in Women’s Individual Shiai, Zen Nihon Kata, and Engi Kyogi, as well as 2nd in Open Team Shiai at the USNF National Championships.
Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a focus on movement analysis and composition. This background has informed her approach to Naginata and led her to choreograph two Rhythm Naginata pieces that were performed at the World Naginata Championships in 2015 and 2019.
Shannon is currently serving as Executive Secretary of USNF and has previously served two terms as Executive Secretary of the Southern California Naginata Federation. In this role, her focus has been on maintaining clear, prompt, and reliable communication between regional federations and the Executive Board. She has also worked to modernize USNF documentation processes by transitioning records and workflows into digital formats, with the goal of improving organization, continuity, and accessibility for both members and future officers.
Outside of Naginata, Shannon has over 16 years of experience teaching movement to athletes ranging in age from 18 months through adults in their 50s and beyond. As a Director of Athletics, she brings extensive administrative experience, including organizational management, long-term planning, and program development. She values the preservation of traditional discipline and aesthetic excellence while also embracing modern research in movement mechanics, mental and physical resilience, injury prevention, and anti-bullying practices. Shannon hopes to continue contributing these values to USNF in support of a community that preserves the strength and beauty of Naginata while fostering the long-term health and sustainability of its practitioners.
VOTE SHANNON RABANAL FOR EXEC. SECRETARY
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VOTE SHANNON RABANAL FOR EXEC. SECRETARY ⋆ ˚｡🌸⋆ ˚｡
Timothy Su – Shodan
Treasurer
24-YRS OLD
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The duties of the Treasurer shall include: Collect all dues, fees, and be responsible for Federation funds. Keep an accurate record of receipts and payments. Pay all bills and normal expenses as authorized by the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors. Submit a financial report at each Board meeting and at any General Meeting of the membership. Provide timely and accurate financial information for the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Maintain and distribute to the Board a current listing of all Federation members in good standing. Prepare tax returns and other fiscal reports on behalf of the Federation.
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Timothy Su is currently the Midwest Naginata Federation’s (MWNF) Treasurer, a position that he has been dutifully serving for over a year. In addition, he served as the University of Southern California’s Shinkendo Swordsmanship Club’s Treasurer for two years. His experience with collecting dues, budgeting finances, making timely payments, and recording transactions makes him a deserving candidate for USNF Treasurer.
Timothy began training in Naginata under Katherine Roche-Sensei at Columbia University’s Naginata Club. After relocating to St. Louis, he immediately became involved with the newly formed Midwest Naginata Federation, and after earning Ikkyū, he started the first Atarashii Naginata Group in St. Louis. This led him to become instrumental in organizing the first MWNF Taikai and Nidan Shinsa.
Earning his Bachelor of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics and a Master of Science in Operations Research, Timothy is more than capable of approaching problems with a quantitative mindset, and with his experience as a Procurement Agent for Boeing Defense, Space and Security, he holds an attention-to-detail that has helped him to negotiate pricing as well as terms & conditions to effectively balance costs and risks imposed to a large organization.
VOTE TIMOTHY SU FOR TREASURER
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VOTE TIMOTHY SU FOR TREASURER ⋆ ˚｡🌸⋆ ˚｡
Vahn Libby – Sandan
Recording Secretary (Incumbent)
35-YRS OLD
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The duties of the Recording Secretary shall include: recording the proceedings of Board and General Membership meetings and distributing drafts of the minutes to the Board in a timely manner; distributing final approved minutes to the Board of Directors.
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Vahn Libby is the current Recording Secretary of the USNF from 2023 and the President of the Northern California Naginata Federation from 2024. Vahn has previously held the treasurer position for NCNF and had also represented NCNF in previous board meetings.
Since Vahn took the position to be in the Executive Committee, they have been working hard to proactively support and assist USNF in many different ways. Vahn adds new perspective and ideas to USNF in the effort to widen the reach of naginata through inclusivity and being open-minded to changes while respecting tradition and the core spirit of naginata alive.