Joe Klopchic – Candidate for Board of Directors 2025

Note: This is a candidate page for a Judge Foundry Election. Information on this page is provided by the candidate, and does not represent the opinions or positions of the Elections Committee or of Judge Foundry. For more information about this election, see the schedule and index for the Elections at the 2025 Annual Meeting.

Nomination Statement

I’ll be honest, Judge Foundry is my baby. A lot of people made this organization what it is, but I’ve taken a lot of ownership. I’m not sure how this year is going to work out with all of the impending changes, but I know I can handle figuring out options that are great for judges. I would love the opportunity to continue to serve the judge community by making the most out of what we have for one more year, and securing our future. 

Q1: Judge Program Direction

Question: It appears that one of this board’s main responsibilities will be to either navigate our relationship with Wizards of the Coast’s new Judge Program Manager, or manage a transition from Judge Foundry back to Wizards of the Coast. How would you navigate this situation?

I think that Wizards investing in a Judge program is a great thing for judges. Judge Foundry has created a lot of Judge content and judges. My priority for managing the transition is that JF Judges find their place in a new program, and that the things we have made also continue to be useful. That means our exams, a couple of our projects, but mostly that the great people that made JF work and our community find their way into what comes next.

This means working directly with Wizards of the Coast, and that’s something I’ve done already as a board member, and personally. I have a good relationship with the folks on the Organized Play team, and I hope that means a smooth transition into the new world.

Q2: Non-Profit Administration

Question: What skills, experience, or plans would you bring to this role in non-profit administration?

Apart from what I’ve done with Judge Foundry, I’m also highly involved with the Hunter Burton Memorial Open, another nonprofit I help lead.

Admittedly, I’m not super familiar with nonprofit accounting, but I am aware of JF’s situation and I can keep things in order as necessary.

My plans aren’t grand. I hope to continue to serve the community and make the best possible program for our judges.

Q3: Member Benefits and Resources

Question: How do you think Judge Foundry should best use its limited resources to benefit the members?

As long as Judge Foundry continues to operate, we should continue to look for new things to do with our resources. This year, we started a few new great programs, including supporting the Loading Ready Run pre-prerelease rules videos and JudgeCast. These opportunities are great, and we should continue to look for new similar things. 

I intend to continue to listen to what judges ask for and try to make the most of what we have.