Changes to the IQA Board: New & Departing Trustees

The IQA is excited to announce several changes to the Board of Trustees.  There are four new trustees who will join the board and help shape the future of the sport. The new trustees joining the organization are Andy Marmer, Negra Flores, Ariel Heiblum, and Marc Alcalà-i-Rams. They will serve for a term of three years and bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the IQA.

In March 2023, following the 2023 Annual Assembly, Chris Lau, Kym Couch and Borja Arbosa’s terms as Trustees ended. 

Andy Marmer is the Chair of the Board of Trustees and is very familiar with the IQA. Andy has held a variety of positions in quadball and has served as chair of the IQA Name Change Committee.  He previously served as interim executive director of the IQA from July 2018 until March 2019 and as a member of the IQA board of trustees from 2017 until the end of his term in 2019.  In 2022, Andy re-joined the IQA for several months after being appointed Interim Chief of Staff for a second time until Aaron Carroll took over as Executive Director in 2023. Andy has been responsible for several accomplishments of the IQA: legal incorporation and the drafting of the IQA constitution, creation of the new IQA branding, releases of a new rulebook, creation of a new IQA website and the list goes on. Andy has a strong vision for wanting to improve the IQA and the worldwide perception of the organization. 

Andy says: “I’m excited to join the board and for my position as chair. We have an exceptional group of new trustees who have been amongst the leaders in the sport for many years and I think will bring a great perspective and leadership to the IQA!”

Negra Flores will take on the position of Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees. She is also currently the expansion manager at the IQA, and is the former president (2020-2022) of the Federación Deportiva Peruana de Quidditch. She is an interior architect and is also skilled in graphic design. She has been promoting quidditch in Peru and has talked about its development and growth in the country. Negra is passionate about spreading the joy of quadball to new regions and communities. She works closely with local partners, volunteers, and media to organize events and tournaments that showcase the diversity of quadball. She also strives to promote diversity and inclusion in sports, by ensuring that everyone has a chance to participate and enjoy regardless of their background, ability, or identity. Negra believes that sports can be a powerful tool for social change and empowerment.

Negra says: “This sport is a "one of a kind" environment, with a contagious potential and which I have learned to appreciate over time. I value this opportunity very much, I worked hard for my NGB and now I hope to do it for the IQA.”

Ariel Heiblum is the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. Ariel first discovered quadball in 2012 when he joined the team at Rice University in Houston, Texas. After graduating, he returned to Mexico City and played a key role in developing the sport there. He co-founded the Liga Metropolitana del Valle de México and served as vice-president of Quidditch Mexico from 2014-2017. In 2015, he worked as a Spanish Translator with the IQA. In 2018, he was the video producer for the World Cup in Florence, where he coordinated volunteers and equipment to film as many games as possible and uploaded the footage to YouTube. Currently, he is QMX’s IQA liaison and a consultant for their executive board. He is also the head coach for the Mexican national quadball team and has been involved with every iteration of the team as either a player or coach. In addition to his coaching and administrative roles, he produces quadball highlight reels on his YouTube channel, Alchemy Video, and has volunteered as a photographer for USQ. He has been an official player in both QMX and USQ, but never at the same time.

Ariel says: “Quadball has been an amazing and important part of my life, and I'm excited to help the sport continue to flourish.”

Marc Alcalà-i-Rams is the Vice-Secretary of the Board of Trustees.  Marc has been actively involved in the quadball community since 2016. He founded and served as president of the UAB Quidditch Club – Autònoma’s Ashwinders, a university club in Barcelona. In 2017, he joined the IQA as head of the Catalan Translation Team in the Communication and Technology Department. During 2017-2018, he also worked as an Administrative Assistant to the Executive Manager of Quidditch Europe. In addition to his administrative roles, Marc has also been an active player. He played for the Seoul Puffskeins - SNU Quidditch Team and the Korean national team in 2017-2018, where he helped with various tasks and met members of the Hong Kong Quidditch Association. In 2018-2019, he served as president of the Associació de Quidditch de Catalunya (Catalan NGB) and is currently its secretary.

Marc says: "Since I started playing I have witnessed some of the most important changes in the sport of quadball, and now I am thankful for the chance to take an active part in the promising developments that will come."

Luke Derrick, who was already a Trustee, will be taking on the position of Secretary. 

As we conclude the term of our outgoing Trustees, we would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to them. They have served our organization with dedication and excellence. We thank them for their valuable contributions and guidance, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. 

The IQA also warmly welcomes our new Trustees, who bring with them diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives. We look forward to working with them to advance our mission and vision, and to create a positive impact in our community. We are confident that together, we will continue to grow and thrive as an organization.