Additional APS candidate information for 2016-19 election in May

By Michael Baadke

The Oct. 5 Linn’s Stamp News reported details of seven announced candidates for offices of the American Philatelic Society, the nation’s largest club for stamp collectors.

The organization holds elections every three years for its officers: president, three vice presidents, secretary, treasurer, and four directors at large. These officers, along with the immediate past president, constitute the APS board of directors.

Nominations for the upcoming election will be accepted beginning Nov. 1 and will continue to be accepted with seconds through March 31, 2016. Voting will take place in May 2016.

This week we have details of additional announced APS candidates: two for the office of secretary, and three (as a group) for the APS board of vice presidents.

The vice president group includes two candidates running for re-election, Alex Haimann and Yamil Kouri, and a new candidate joining them in their campaign, John Barwis.

Haimann and Kouri are currently serving on the APS board of vice presidents with Mick Zais; the trio was elected to the board in 2013.

In a statement e-mailed to Linn’s offices, Haimann, Kouri and Barwis said: “As APS Vice Presidents, we will bring our diverse organizational leadership experiences in and outside of the hobby to advance and improve APS initiatives and membership services that support stamp clubs, local and regional shows, education, new collector outreach, and research through the American Philatelic Research Library.”

The team also said, “We are equally excited to work with fellow APS Board Members, Affiliate and Chapter leaders, and other dedicated APS members interested in pushing the boundaries of what is possible to make our Society and hobby better for us today and the generations that follow.”

The three lifelong stamp collectors note that they have more than 85 years of cumulative APS membership between them.

The APS bylaws state that the vice presidents “shall have charge and control of the admission of members,” and “shall be the disciplinary body of the Society.”

The APS secretary is charged with keeping records of all the regular and special meetings of the society and its board of directors, and to attest all legal documents, all charters for chapters, certificates presented to life members, and other duties.

The two candidates announced so far for secretary are Mark A. Butterline and Stephen D. Schumann.

Butterline is president of the Northeastern Federation of Stamp Clubs, which provides support services to 35 New England stamp clubs and their shows, and which stages Philatelic Show, the annual APS World Series of Philately show in Boxborough, Mass.

He is executive director of the Boston 2026 World Stamp Show, a past president and treasurer of the Pitcairn Islands Study Group, and past treasurer of the Waltham Stamp Club.

In a statement sent to Linn’s, Butterline identifies bringing more people into the stamp hobby and more collectors into the American Philatelic Society as his main goals.

“Much of my work in organized philately has been about analyzing organizational health and effectiveness, and developing and executing plans to improve that health and effectiveness,” Butterline stated.

An APS member since 2003, Butterline lists stamps and covers of the Falklands, Pitcairn, United Nations, Germany and Bhutan as his interests, as well as Expo 67 postcards.

Schumann, in his candidate statement, identifies declining APS membership and the aging of that membership as challenges facing the society, and proposes using the Internet and social media as approaches to address those challenges.

A 50-year APS member and current trustee of the American Philatelic Research Library, Schumann has served as an elected director (1989-91) and a member of several APS committees. He has served as chairman of the international committee since 1998.

He received the Luff award for exceptional contributions to philately in 2007, became a Vooys Fellow of the APRL in 2008, and signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 2015. He’s also served in various capacities with the Westpex and Filatelic Fiesta World Series of Philately shows, and with Ameripex 86, Pacific 97, Washington 2006 and several philatelic societies.

Schumann is commissioner general for World Stamp Show-NY 2016, and is an active international exhibitor and an FIP (International Federation of Philately) accredited judge.