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 2026 Annual Meeting.

Nomination Statement

Hello, friends!

My name is Khailyn Schaefer, and I am a Level 3 Judge with Judge Foundry. I am re-running for the Board of Directors because I believe deeply in the value of mentorship, purpose-driven leadership, and creating collaborative spaces for growth. I want to help others achieve their goals by fostering goal-oriented conversations, supporting inclusive and constructive dialogue, and encouraging judges at all levels to seek out mentorship and meaning in their journeys.

I plan on continuing and improving on my efforts contributing to the judging community; I am very happy and proud of the work that I have accomplished, and I am always looking for more projects and conversations to jump into.  Here are notable accomplishments/tasks that I have completed for Judge Foundry this past year:

1. I helped re-structure/serve on the Judge Foundry Conferences Committee.
2. I helped re-structure/serve as the Board Liaison for the Community Project Grants Committee.
3. I helped re-structure the Testing System for Judge Foundry.
4. I compile and write a monthly newsletter called Judge Call for the organization.
5. I organized and facilitated monthly meetings with our wonderful Regional Advocates.
6. I helped maintain and update the Judge Foundry website.
7. I supported the Great Lakes Region when the current RA had to physically leave the region.
8. I helped create the Member Benefits page on the Judge Foundry Website.
9. I created a Social Media Posting Calendar for the JF Social Media Committee.
10. I helped create/serve as the Board Liaison for the Community Partnerships Committee.

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?

This is an extremely difficult question to answer because there are many unknown variables.  However, I have been involved in conversations and collaboration over the past year with the current Wizard’s Judge Program Manager, Samantha Harr; I cannot elaborate much on those conversations here, but I can re-assure the Judge Foundry membership and other judges at-large that all of our collaboration has been proactive and centered around the needs of the judge community.

I have learned that these types of conversations require patience, active listening, purposeful questioning, and reflection/constructive feedback.

Q2: Non-Profit Administration

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

I want my skills, experience, and past work to speak for my future plans for the organization.  In all meetings, conversations, and project planning, I always put Judge Foundry Members first; in general, I bring task organization/execution, relationship building skills, mentorship, and collaborative communication to any team I am a part of.

Q3: Member Benefits and Resources

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

More resources and opportunities available to our members, be it educational or otherwise, and more money being spent to support our members. Period.

Member-Submitted Questions

Q4: Non-Certified Judges

Question: As we progress to the return of a WOTC Judge Program, how will you handle judges that choose to decertify but wish to remain active in the region?

This is truly a wonderful question, and thank you to whoever asked it.  I believe “handle” hinders the truly good intentions behind this question; I don’t “handle” judges in my region, but instead, I collaborate with them and provide them with systems that help them succeed.  The situation described above is not really any different than the situation Judge Foundry is experiencing right now; multiple folks who are knowledgeable and skillful do not hold a Judge Foundry certification.  I do not slight these individuals because I know that Judge Foundry has burned a good portion of our member base, and we are actively trying to reverse some previous decisions, or lack-there-of.  On the contrary, I will continue to send Judge Candidates to mentors, who I believe, will best fit the needs of the candidate, Judge Foundry certified or not.

At the end of the day, I have two major thoughts/opinions about this question:

1. These types of decisions/conversations will all come down to testing requirements, if they exist.  Will the WOTC Program have proctored exams that must be administered by an already certified judge?  I have no idea.  If so, this changes the angle I approach certification conversations and initiatives.  Will the WOTC Program have certification levels?  I have no idea.  If the certification test is “one size fits all,” and TOs are not incentivized to care about judge certification status, this changes my conversational approach, as well.
2. Certified or not, we are a community of judges in the Great Lakes Region.  We are professionals in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan whose goals are to provide an enriched tournament experience to TOs/Store Owners/Players; these folks are more than welcome to be active in the region, and I invite them to.  These folks are welcome to contribute to discussions, attend conferences/learning opportunities, get staffed by TOs, and make decisions that make sense in their lives.