2026 Annual Meeting Ballot Info

Proposed Bylaw Amendments and Board Candidates for the October 2026 Annual Meeting

The Annual KVNF Membership meeting will be held on Monday, October 26th at 5:30pm in Cedaredge at the Civic Center. All ballots must be returned either physically at the Paonia office or by mail to KVNF: PO Box 1350, Paonia, CO, 81428.

There will be an election for two new members this year and a vote to ammed KVNF's Bylaws. All information is below about your ballot and what to vote on:

BYLAW CHANGE (scroll down to read candidate Bios)
In 2025 the Board of Directors (“Board”) amended the bylaws and due to member feedback, the Board reversed the 2025 bylaw amendments. Additionally, in response to member feedback, a volunteer Bylaw Review Committee of Board Members and Members was formed in order to draft bylaw amendments to be proposed to Members for consideration. The Bylaw Review Committee was comprised of:
Pam Ellison
Asa Hoffman
Donna Littlefield
Karen Ortiz
Ashley Krest - GM
Melissa Newell - Board Secretary
Annette Choszczyk - Board Member
Greg Stunder - Board Treasurer

The Bylaw Review Committee met and discussed potential amendments related to the nomination process for soliciting and endorsing board candidates. A red-lined version of the proposed amendments attached here.

Rationale:
The Board desires to be able to recruit director candidates with specific talents and skills and from a diverse geography representative of the station’s 10,000 square mile listening area. This will enable the Board to increase its effectiveness, expand and develop its connections and networks within a broader range of communities, and better meet the needs of the station’s diverse listenership and its mission to capture diverse voices. This change also would eliminate what has been identified as a barrier to recruiting potential board members, running in an election.
As KVNF continues to grow and evolve, this recommended bylaw change would contribute to the long-term stability of the station in this dynamic, new age of radio.

The KVNF Board and the volunteer committee that developed this bylaw change support the change and encourage an affirmative vote.
The full current bylaws are available here for reference.

Candidate Bios:

Dave Baracloe lives in Montrose and shared; I spent over thirty years in the Mortgage Banking business in Cincinnati Ohio. During that time I was active on a number of Boards,including the Ohio Mortgage Bankers Association (President 2001) I believe that my experience will be adaptable to the current challenges facing public radio today. I moved to the Western Slope in 2015 primarily due to the climate, fly fishing as well as the wonderful public radio stations in the area. A lifelong lover of music, I joined KVNF as a DJ in 2022 and have loved every moment of my time here. In closing I am ready to spend my retirement years working to help better this station I have grown to love.

Sara Rinne lives in Montrose where she was born and raised. She holds a bachelor's degree in History from Colorado State University and a master's degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. She spent many wonderful years serving her hometown community as the Head of Adult Services at the Montrose Regional Library District, where she provided access to diverse books, programs, and other resources for the people of Montrose. Now, Sara continues to serve the West Slope as the Deputy Director for Western Colorado Alliance, helping to support and elevate local voices through grassroots community organizing. Sara has volunteered for several local boards where she gained valuable nonprofit governance experience, most recently as the president of the board for Valley Food Partnership. In her free time, you can find Sara, along with her husband, two daughters, and their energetic pup Rusty, playing outside - hiking, flyfishing, camping, or doing anything that gets them close to nature. She also happily curls up with a book every chance she gets. Sara has been a KVNF listener her entire life, and looks forward to applying her skills and experience to helping KVNF evolve and meet their mission.

Ed Vita lives in Creede and shared; I've been a technology nut since I was 11, and I've also never stopped tinkering, inventing, solving problems, or finding new ways to make things work better in any aspect of life or work. I love numbers, music, car talk, adventures, food, and bringing people together for laughs. For nearly the past five years, I’ve been assisting in the hosting of a radio show here at KVNF and this experience has given me an even greater appreciation for the station and the community it serves. I bring an energetic combination of technical experience, creative thinking, business knowledge, many random life experiences, a solid work ethic and a genuine love of music and radio. I excited for the opportunity to contribute these skills, energy and enthusiasm to the KVNF board, helping the station continue connecting all of these communities through music, news, local voices and events.

The proposed amendment and Candidates to the KVNF Bylaws are to be voted on by current members. The ballot may be downloaded below. You may also request to have the ballot mailed to you, or you may pick one up at KVNF in Paonia at 233 Grand Ave. or at certain times in Montrose at 19 N. Cascade Ave at Studio M, call to schedule pick up there.
Households with a family membership may submit 2 ballots. All other memberships (individual or current underwriters) may submit 1 ballot. They will be counted and the results announced at the Annual Meeting. Voting can also take place at the Annual Meeting before the meeting starts.

Download the ballot below.