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.
- Name: Charles Ferguson
- Location: San Jose, California
- Election: 2025 Annual Meeting
- Running For: Member of the Board of Directors
Nomination Statement
Look, you’re reading this page because you don’t know who I am, perfectly reasonable. And I’m sure you’d love to read a long winded statement, where I talk about my experience, how much I love the Judge community, and etc etc etc.
Well, I’ve been round the block. I fundamentally believe in the overwhelming benefit the Judge community provides to the people within it as well as the broader Magic community. It’s just there really isn’t that much to say about me that can’t be gleaned from the brevity of this statement.
I do good. Really, the only reason I’m running is because the good I can do for Judge Foundry is a better good than other people listed on this year’s ballot can provide, and that good will come in a very tangible way, which is contrary to the kind of “good” we’ve seen up til now with the Judge Foundry.
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?
The new, worldwide Judge Program Manager will have many problems on their plate from the start. One of which is cobbling together the shattered remnants of a once fairly robust and numerous community. It is here where Judge Foundry can navigate a lasting relationship with Wizards, as the Judge Foundry can provide that support from day one.
We have so many regional L3s, 4s and 5s in advantageous positions, with both the passion and desire to see their local communities grow. By shifting to a laser focus to the support of these already established pillars of leadership, giving them the meager resources required for the education and cultural assimilation of new Judges into the community, Wizards’ future Judge Manager can focus on large, program-related concerns.
The Judge Foundry can then become what it was always meant to be: a collective organization where the community can voice their interests and concerns without the worry of backlash that sometimes comes with outing those ideas.
Q2: Non-Profit Administration
Question: What skills, experience, or plans would you bring to this role in non-profit administration?
Absolutely none. Administration and bureaucracy are two things I have never taken part in, though a large part of my college experience and personal study has been in educating myself on such things.
Q3: Member Benefits and Resources
Question: How do you think Judge Foundry should best use its limited resources to benefit the members?As I have mentioned, Judge Foundry should have a strong emphasis on grass roots level organization and support. We should be empowering regional leaders to run reasons for its communities to come together (conferences, extra curricular activities, etc). We should be in as many local game stores as possible, showing that being a Magic Judge isn’t just about rules and policy, it is about belonging to something bigger.
The current board’s attitude to this kind of effort has long been conservative, if not outright dismissive to the necessity of this kind of support. It is my intention to be a very loud voice to push against those attitudes.