Board of Director Election Information

Andy Bassitt (2015 Blue): I have been involved with CAHA for 11 years. I am excited to express my interest in a board position at CAHA. Having experienced firsthand the value of CAHA’s programming for my family, I am passionate about ensuring that its tradition of fostering hockey development and community engagement continues to thrive in Columbus. As a board member, my primary goal would be to preserve and enhance the opportunities CAHA provides to young athletes and families. I am eager to bring my dedication, experience, and enthusiasm to this role. I have extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising, having provided leadership at events for organizations such as the Columbus Zoo, Christmas to Cure Cancer, Make-A-Wish, Hunt for Hope, and others. I look forward to bringing this expertise to CAHA, helping to guide and strengthen its fundraising efforts for the future. I have been playing hockey in Columbus for the past 15 years and coaching for the last four. I believe hockey development should be fun, engaging, and highly competitive. With my experience in leadership, I hope to help shape programming that meets the needs of all families participating in CAHA.

Amanda Bowers (2010Blue & 2012TT): I have been involved with CAHA for 7 years. I would love to continue my work on the board. I have been a part of the CAHA board for the past 4 years and have enjoyed my experience. I work hard to make sure we are supporting kids at every level of play to have a memorable CAHA experience. I currently serve as the Executive Administrator as well as the Travel and Tournament Coordinator supporting a large portion of the administration side of CAHA while also supporting players, parents, managers and coaches. I help to coordinate tryouts, apparel, picture days. I participate on the programming committee, send frequent parent communication etc. I look forward to hopefully continuing to support the kids and the organization.

Chris Elliott (2012Blue): My name is Chris Elliott and I have been on the board with CAHA for 6 years. The first two years I served as the Mite House Coordinator, followed by the last four years serving as your President. During my time as President, I helped the organization with many transitions including (1) collaboration with the newly formed BJHL (2) implementation of the Crossbar web platform (3) collaboration with Chill Pre-Post (4) and more. I have 8 years of non profit experience professionally as well as 8-10 years of board experience. My goals are to continue to lead this organization and help all of Central Ohio Hockey through our continued growth and development. Thank you for your support and commitment to CAHA!



Anthony Fisic (2016White): I have been involved with CAHA for 1 year. I want to help make CAHA better, to mature as an organization. During my brief association with CAHA, I have noticed an inconsistent approach regarding the scheduling and conduct of training. This is most evident in the non-standardized approach to training curriculum for coaches, and parents. I know ice time is hard to come by so I want to help fix what I can by working to develop a standardized curriculum for all team levels. I have experience leading large and small organizations from my time in the military and in the private sector. I am a retired Army officer and have served as a senior leader and executive at two local not-for-profits. I currently serve as the Chief Information Security Officer at Battelle Memorial Institute, a not-for-profit. I have not been able to find much regarding committee functions, but based on title, it may be the Programming Committee. Thanks!

Bill Graver (Non CAHA Candidate Currently): I have been involved with CAHA on the Board for over 20 years and in CAHA for about 30 years, my children all 3 boys played CAHA, Travel, Select and with The Ohio Blue Jackets AAA Program. They have either finished or are finishing college and have played at those Universities in their Club Programs, Bowling Green and Miami. I have an interest in the development of the children to encourage the love of the sport. The people we have to guide these children are paramount to their success, so I am interested in making sure we have the best people we can, providing the best opportunities for skills and continued development without an agenda. I am and have been the current Registrar for the past decade or so for CAHA and USA Hockey. I am also the SafeSport Representative from MidAm Hockey to CAHA. I offer very direct and at times critical comments to the board and at times spark very healthy conversations. But at the end the goal should be about the kids! I hope that I can continue helping these children experience the joys of this sport with CAHA and beyond. 

Jason Job (2012TT): I have a 12 year old son and a 4 year old daughter, who has expressed interest in hockey, so my time with a child participating in CAHA may be longer than some. For my background, I am in the last year of an 11 year board term with the First Tee - Central Ohio, which is a youth leadership organization that uses golf as the medium. Over that time, we've been able to provide life changing experiences to the youth in our community. For the past 7 years, I served as the board president. I don't play hockey or know how to skate, but I appreciate all of the good things that youth sports provide to our society and young people. I'd like to continue to be involved in making a difference. This past year I served as the team manager for the 2012 TT and have that perspective to bring to the board. Committee wise, I'd probably be best served on programming and fundraising.



Brett Letestu (2011Red & 2013White): I have been involved with CAHA for 6 years. We are a big hockey family, clearly. After growing up in Canada and playing female hockey myself and also where we are all basically born with hockey skates on our feet the decision to join a team to help support and help grow an organization that focuses on the best sport in the world is a no brainer. My boys have been a part of CAHA for a few years and I have watched them grow as both athletes and great young gentlemen. Where I believe CAHA not only focuses on growth in hockey but also their personal development as well. I plan to help bring some new ideas to the table to continue to lead CAHA to great success! While I have not had much experience being on a non-profit board I have been a part of non-profit organizations such as The Ronald McDonald House and I understand the importance of these positions and roles within an organization. I am willing to help out in whatever area of the organization needs attention. Thank you!

Colleen Brown Merril (2014 TT): I have been involved with CAHA for 2 years. I am interested in being a part of the CAHA Board of Directors because I have seen first hand what a positive impact the implementations that were put into practice by the current Board Members has had on the CAHA players. To see these players develop athletically, as well as personally has been incredible. For myself, to be able to be a part of an organization that is positively shaping the youth of Columbus would be an honor and privilege. My experience with leadership on a Nonprofit Boards is as follows: CAHA 2014 Tournament Team- Fundraising, Heart Hope Heroes Foundation- Vice President , Worthington United Soccer Association- Club Administration, Hope for Hearts Gala- 2022 Chair, Kinder Key of Nationwide Children’s Hospital- President, Kinder Key of Nationwide Children’s Hospital- Vice President, Denim & Diamonds Ball- 2019-2021 Chair, and the Woman’s Auxiliary Council Representative. If given the opportunity to serve on the CAHA Board of Directors, I would enjoy any committee that needs help; however, personally I am interested in Programming and Fundraising. 



Michael Parente (2016TT): Being a board member would allow me the opportunity and privilege to work to enhance the experience of each CAHA player and family member. Hockey has given me so much and I cannot think of a better way to give back and that is what interests me the most. While I do not sit on any non-profit boards, my experience as an attorney advising boards provides me with unique experience into boards. I am most interested in doing whatever I can to add value to the organization with emphasis on fundraising and programming.



Slate Ribic (Non CAHA Candidate Currently): I am seeking re-election to the CAHA board to both continue working on several inflight initiatives/projects with the travel programs and to promote a positive hockey experience for future Capitals players and families. I believe my past 10+ years of experience and volunteering with the CAHA program will offer insight and guidance as to how to best continue to develop the Capitals travel programing and organization. It is important to me that CAHA continues to provide the best hockey programming in central Ohio to our families and solidify our organizational strength in the coming years. With my background I am interested in helping build the future programming for our travel teams, looking at ways to help develop our players through additional skills and programming resources. I want to find ways to make a foundational impact on our players that will carry them through their time playing with CAHA giving them the right on-ramp to play for our local High School programs

I have been volunteering for the Capitals Hockey program for over 10 years and for the last 4 years I have served as an elected board member. On the Capitals board I have worked to help promote player development by expanding our travel programming. Over my past 4 years I have been on several different committees supporting the Executive Committee helping to expand and grow our travel hockey organization. Over the past year I have helped our Executive Committee focus on redeveloping/expanding our travel program with a focus on coaching and skills development for our players. The Capitals organization has truly been a great place for our boys and family to learn the sport of Hockey, develop as players and make lifelong friendships. I appreciate and also help promote the value that Capitals Hockey places on sportsmanship, leadership and encouraging kids to develop in the sport. I feel that kids and families must have the right hockey experience at a young age and enjoy their first travel experiences as a team. I find it highly rewarding watching our players who start in the Capitals program at a young age and develop as players into young adults and ultimately go on to play hockey past CAHA into High School and beyond.



Caitlin Sirois (2015Blue): I have been involved with CAHA for four years; my son previously played for 2012White and my daughter just completed her first season on 2105Blue. As a hockey mom, I am deeply invested and I see the dedication from our players and their families. I want to channel that passion into making a real difference on the board, shaping the experience for all the players, and ensuring that every child has a positive and enriching hockey journey. While I lack formal board experience, my team manager role last season gave me valuable insight into team operations and player needs. I'm eager to focus on community engagement, getting more people involved, and strengthening our programming to continue to improve player development. I'm ready to advocate for improvements, work alongside other passionate parents, and contribute to the long-term health of our hockey community. I believe my dedication and on-the-ground experience will be a valuable asset to the board. 



Kyle Takavitz (2015Blue): Why are you interested in being a part of the CAHA Board of Directors? I played hockey in the early 1990’s. I am excited about the opportunity to join the CAHA Board of Directors to give back to the community and support my children. My son, Marcos, started in the CAHA organization at age six and I coached him from ages 6-8 (CAHA/BJHL). Last year he joined the 2015 (9u) Capitals Blue, and I was unable to coach due to the travel associated with my role at Worthington Enterprises (formerly Worthington Industries). I have been looking for a way to give back to the Central Ohio athletics community and I believe serving on the CAHA BOD will be a great way to stay involved with my son's sports while using my life/career experiences. My youngest son, Micah (2020 birth year), has begun his 'learn to skate' journey and will likely begin BJHL in 2026.

While I haven't had any Non-Profit BOD experience, my current role at Worthington Enterprises includes P&L ownership of a manufacturing facility that employs 450 people. Additionally, through Worthington, I hold an advisory board seat on a For-Profit start-up company focused on clean water technologies. What Facets of the Board are you most interested in? I am willing to contribute wherever I am needed on the Board of Directors.



Robert VanSickle (2015White): I have been involved with CAHA for 1 year. My son Christian is a die hard hockey kid and he plays for CAHA. The experience with CAHA this year was so good that we want to stay affiliated with the program. I am self employed and have owned my own company for over 15 years. I have the time to dedicate to CAHA. I want to see hockey continue to grow and I’m willing to do what it takes to help. Although I’ve never sat on a non-profit board, I have been a business owner for over 15 years and feel I can help in any area needed. I really don’t have a preference of position, I would really just love to help CAHA in any area needed.

Beau Zaremski (2013Blue): Our family has been blessed to be part of the CAHA family for six years, with our child playing for the '13 AA Blue team for the past three years. We have gained so much from the opportunities that youth sports programs have provided us. Our daughter, Natalie, is a member of the Columbus Force Soccer Club (formerly Barca), and Blake has been part of the Ohio Thunder Baseball Club for the past five years, where I have also had the privilege of coaching. I believe serving on the Board is a meaningful way for me to give back and invest in the continued growth and success of the program, ensuring it provides a great experience for our children. While advancing in skills is important to our family, we also believe that this program serves as a valuable tool for personal development. Our family has extensive experience in community service and fundraising, both of which are passions of ours. Ultimately, I am eager to contribute in any way needed to support the Board and its mission. Thank you for your consideration, and Go Caps!