BWI members re-elected two Directors, welcomed a new Director and its Board elected three Officers in early 2019. Newly elected to the Board is Ron Ballanti while returning Officers are President Alan Jones, Editor for Boating World Magazine; 1st Vice President Charlie Levine, Editor/Publisher of FishTrack.com; and 2nd Vice President Chris Woodward, Editor of Sport Fishing Magazine.
Ballanti is a freelance writer and photographer and president of Strike Zone Communications, a marketing communications agency based in Chatsworth, CA specializing in the boating, marine electronics, fishing and outdoor markets for the past 15 years. He has been a regular editiorial contributor to marine publications for more than 25 years, including Boating, Boat/US, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Anglers Journal, Soundings, Western Outdoor News, Pacific Coast Sportfishing and others. Ballanti has routinely chaired and judged BWI Writing Contest categories and has earned nine Writing Awards. He is currently serving on the BWI Scholarship Committee.
Continuing as Directors are: Immediate Past President Lenny Rudow, a freelance writer, editor and Angler in Chief of FishTalk magazine; Zuzana Prochazka, a freelance writer and photographer who contributes to a number of boating titles; Jim Fullilove, currently chief editor of Marine Electronics Journal; Brady Kay, executive editor of Pontoon & Deck Boat magazine and who oversees two additional Midwestern focused boating publications; and Gary Reich, senior editor at Soundings and senior writer at Anglers Journal.
BWI Executive Director Greg Proteau serves as secretary/treasurer of the board. All Directors are profiled on the BWI website at https://www.bwi.org/about-us/.