In October, the Executive Committee met in Charlotte, North Carolina, for one of its three annual in-person meetings. These in-person meetings provide valuable opportunities for collaboration that are not fully achievable in a virtual setting. Nine Executive Committee members attended in person, with Robert Ulrich and Chris Tilsley joining via Zoom. ACE’s association manager, Jeffrey Seifert, also attended virtually. A huge thanks was extended to the Executive Committee members for their time and travel.
The following topics were discussed and reviewed:
- Hiring plan for a new association manager upon Jeffrey Seifert’s retirement: early preparation phase
- 2026 election preparations: preparations are underway
- Events director role: discussions are ongoing
- National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives board seat appointment: discussions are ongoing
- Digital delivery of Roller Coaster! magazine: exploration is in progress
- Upcoming member survey: planning is underway; anticipated distribution is in January
- Coaster Con 48 logo contest: check out the link at https://new.aceonline.org/ace-events/coaster-con-logo-contest
- RFP for RollerCoaster! printing: to be revisited in January
- Member insights and feedback: reviewed by the Executive Committee
Members who wish to share feedback, opinions and thoughts with the Executive Committee may do so by contacting Elizabeth Ringas, president, at eringas@aceonline.org, or by emailing the full Executive Committee at ec@aceonline.org.
Definitive plans were established for some items, but others will continue to be developed. Execution of several initiatives is expected in the coming months.
The 2026 budget was approved with minimal changes from the 2025 budget. Overall, ACE remains under budget for the current year. In addition to approving the budget and confirming email votes since the previous meeting, the Executive Committee approved motions related to at least one upcoming honorary membership.
Several agenda items were deferred because of time constraints and will be reviewed during the January strategic planning session, including the following:
- Current volunteer open positions
- Outstanding action items
Members are invited to review Executive Committee meeting minutes once they have been approved. Minutes from the March, May and June meetings are now available in the “Everything ACE” group. This group, located on the new website currently undergoing migration, serves as a central resource for ACE updates and documents. Members are encouraged to join to access member-exclusive information.
We appreciate members’ continued engagement and encourage everyone to stay connected through Everything ACE and all our communities — just one of the features of ACE’s new website.
To join the “Everything ACE” community, log in to the new website using the same username and password you use for ridewithace.com. Once logged in, return to this link or select the “All Communities” tab under the “Communities” menu. While you’re there, feel free to explore and join other communities as well.
— Elizabeth Ringas, ACE President
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