The North American Gamebird Association (NAGA) has some new leadership, including a new president! Like all nonprofit organizations, NAGA’s governed by a board of directors. However, organizations differ in terms of how board members are chosen. For NAGA, the board’s chosen by the membership. Anyone with at least a Basic Membership is eligible to vote.
Ballots are mailed in the September issue of NAGA News along with candidate biographies. In most years, four of the 12 board positions are on the ballot. Voting’s completed by mid-October with the results announced in the November issue of the magazine. New board terms begin at the NAGA Convention each year.
The NAGA Board of Directors selects the officers who lead the organization, and it’s a system that ensures that the top position – the board president – has learned from previous leaders and is ready on day one to take office and be effective. To accomplish this, the Board elects a second vice president at the board meeting that takes place during the annual convention in even numbered years. Two years later, that person advances to the first vice president position and, two years after, the person advances to the presidency.
On Feb. 2, 2026, at the NAGA Annual Convention in Charleston, South Carolina, two existing board members began new terms (Brian Beavers of Beavers Game Farm in Kansas and Troy Laudenslager of Mahantongo Game Farms of Pennsylvania). Two newly elected NAGA members also began their terms (Tony Smith of MTM Pheasants in Nebraska and John Tuck of Tuck Farms in Alabama).
During the same meeting, the new board then elected Troy Laudenslager as NAGA’s new second vice president. His election as an officer created a vacancy, which the board filled by appointing Chris DeWitt of DeWitt’s Game Farm in North Carolina.
Mike Forsgren of Forsgren’s Pheasant Farm in Minnesota has advanced to the position of first vice president. Sarah Pope, of MacFarlane Pheasants in Wisconsin, has advanced to the presidency and will lead the organization for the next two years.
Mike Martz of Martz’s Game Farm and Martz’s Gap View Preserve in Pennsylvania completed his term as president and will now lead the North American Gamebird Foundation (NAGF) for the next two years. Peg Ballou of Elkhorn Farms and Hatchery and Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club has completed her term leading NAGF, serving as an officer for a total of eight years since first being elected second vice president at the NAGA Annual Convention in Seattle, Washington, in 2018.
NAGA also recognized four board members who completed their terms of service. Brian Beavers of Beavers Game Farm in Kansas, Troy Laudenslager of Pennsylvania’s Mahantongo Game Farms, Bill MacFarlane of MacFarlane Pheasants in Wisconsin and Carrie Wierzba from Lake Elaine Game Farm in Wisconsin. Each completed a three-year term that came to a close on Feb. 2, 2026.
“NAGA Board Members serve in a completely volunteer capacity, taking time away from their gamebird businesses to serve the overall industry,” explained Rob Sexton, NAGA’s executive director. “Our officers devote an even greater amount of time serving our members and the gamebird business. We can’t thank them enough for their commitment to protecting our way of life.”
The NAGA board of directors also appoints a board treasurer who stewards the organization’s finances, prepares the annual budget and provides financial reporting to the board. Brian Beavers, of Beavers Game Farm in Kansas, has been serving in this capacity for several years.
Beginning in 2026, Troy Laudenslager will also serve as board secretary. All board members also serve on the many committees that operate the various functions of the organization.
