Dear fellow referees,

As the election for the board of directors of the USANKF approaches, there are different groups in our organization that will vote for a specific candidate that will represent each group such as athletes, referees, coaches, Regional organizations (RSO) and affiliated groups. The Director of the Referees is the position that all of the referees will vote for, the person elected will represent the referees in the board of directors. The duty and responsibility of the Referee Director will be to help set the policies along with the entire directing committee for the USANKF. More importantly, the Referee Director will represent the referees which we all agree have been the least appreciated, most needed and one of the hardest working in the USANKF for many years. It is very crucial that the person who occupies this position have a clear understanding of the needs and desires of the referees at all levels licensed by the USANKF.

The last few years I have dedicated a signification part of my time to traveling all across the US conducting referee seminars. This has given me the privilege of having gotten to know many of you, as well as the opportunity to hear your disappointment in the past and your hope and desire for the future.

As a result of my many trips I have received a huge amount of encouragement from many of you  to run for the position of Referee Director. Many of you indicated that you thought I should become the voice of the referees since I have built the respect and trust between you and I. I do understand this is a huge responsibility which requires a lot of time and effort beside the time I already dedicate to the cause of training referees and fulfill my duties on the referee committee of the USANKF. After discussing with my family and close friends in the organization that are well aware of the requirements of this position I am pleased to announce I will be running for the Director of Referees position in the upcoming election. I would like to thank you for your support in the past and looking forward to having your support in the upcoming election to be able to be the voice that you want me to be.

Alex Miladi
WKF Karate Referee
USANKF Referee Director
USANKF Referee Committee Member