The National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones annual nomination period for the board of directors is now open.  Applications for consideration by the 2025 Nominating Committee will be accepted through Friday, June 27th, 2025.

All interested members are encouraged to apply.

Applications are accepted through the on-line application form only.  However, given the application asks a number of open-ended questions, applicants are encouraged to prepare for the on-line application by writing their responses separately before completing the on-line application form.  To that end, we have provided a list of the application questions for download below.

Please note again: it is recommended that applicants complete the MS Word version of the application first and then cut and paste responses into the on-line application.

If you have any questions about the application or nominating committee process, please contact NAFTZ President Jeff Tafel at jtafel@naftz.org.

• 2025 NAFTZ Board / Officer application questions in MS Word format:  download here.
• 2025 NAFTZ Board / Officer application form in Survey Monkey:  Click here to apply.

The members of the 2025 Nominating Committee:

• Christine Allen, Nominating Committee Chair - Grantee, Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, Texas (Bio)
• Frankie Bryson - Operator/User, Nissan USA, Tennessee
• Dallas Hobgood - Operator/User, Kontoor Brands, North Carolina
• Justin Ryan - Grantee, Jacksonville Port Authority, Florida (Bio)
• Tanna Zingula-Johnson, Service Provider, EY, California (Bio)
• Jeffrey J. Tafel, Ex-officio member, President, NAFTZ (Bio)

2025 Nominating Committee process deadlines:

1. Appointment of Nominating Committee – 90 days prior to annual meeting (NAFTZ Board approved on May 20)
2. Initial slate of candidates presented to Board for review – 60 days prior to annual meeting (i.e., no later than July 18)
3. Final slate of candidates notification to membership – 30 days prior to annual meeting (i.e., no later than August 18)
4. Vote on slate of candidates at 2025 annual meeting (September 13)

2025 Nominating Committee Process Details:

According to the NAFTZ bylaws, Officers serve one-year terms, while Directors serve two-year terms. Directors are eligible for re-election, provided they do not exceed five years of service within any six-year period. Additionally, the Bylaws stipulate that at least three members of the Board of Directors must be Grantees. The Officers of NAFTZ are the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary.

Officers currently serving on the NAFTZ Executive Committee with expiring terms and who are eligible for an additional one-year term are:

• James Grogan, Service Provider, Vice Chair (Kroll, Houston, TX)
• Katie Tangman, Vice-Chair, Operator/User (Columbia Sportswear, Portland, OR)*
• Patty Cannon, Treasurer, Grantee (State of Delaware, Dover, DE)*
• Leigh Ryan, Secretary, Grantee (World Trade Center Savannah, Savannah, GA)*

Directors with expiring terms who are not eligible to serve an additional two-year term on the NAFTZ Board, but are eligible to serve as an officer on the NAFTZ Executive Committee:

• Torrey Chambliss, Grantee (Port Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL)
• David Sikkink, Grantee (Hawaii FTZ #9, Honolulu, HI)
• Denise Yanez, Grantee (City of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ)

Directors with expiring terms who are eligible to serve another term on the NAFTZ Board as Director, or serve as an officer on the NAFTZ Executive Committee:

• Danielle Converse, Grantee (Port of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX)*
• Sean Lydon, Service Provider (ISCM, Washington, DC)
• Diana Urelius, Operator/User (Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas, Houston, TX)

In total, four Executive Committee Officers and six non-officer Directors will be nominated. For succession planning purposes, Directors who are eligible and willing to serve additional terms are often encouraged to do so. However, the Nominating Committee is not required to re-nominate Directors or Officers wishing to serve another term.

* Note that with former Vice Chair Eric Berry’s departure from the FTZ community and NAFTZ, Leigh Ryan has been appointed to fill the open seat on the Executive Committee as Secretary with Katie Tangman and Patty Cannon advancing to Vice Chair and Treasurer accordingly.  Danielle Converse has been appointed to fill the Directors seat vacated by Leigh Ryan’s appointment to the Executive Committee.  Danielle remains eligible to serve two elected terms as Director. 

Anyone that is passionate about FTZs and ready to take on a leadership role is encouraged to apply.  We're seeking driven, visionary members to join our association's Board of Directors and Executive Committee to help guide the future of the FTZ program and represent the voices of our vibrant community.

Questions?  Contact:
Jeff Tafel, NAFTZ President – jtafel@naftz.org
Christine Allen, Nominating Committee Chair – christine.allen@lubbockeda.org