The Official Site of the Herndon Parents Alliance
HPA is the citizen-driven advocacy group that is 100% powered by concerned parents. Our mission is to be a forum that lifts diverse parent voices and rallies parents together to shine light on issues that affect the town of Herndon, Virginia and its youth. We borrow our motto from Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who said, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."
CURRENT ISSUE
Concerns about transparency at Herndon Youth Soccer
Herndon Youth Soccer (www.herndonyouthsoccer.org) is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which means it must abide by strict federal regulations on transparency and financial disclosure. Questions are being raised by parents about Herndon Youth Soccer's transparency regarding the use of funds, and its management, in general.
01
Where does the $1.2M go?
$1,239,863 is the amount of "total revenue" that came into Herndon Youth Soccer in the fiscal year 2021-2022 (according to Herndon Youth Soccer's 2021-2022 IRS Form 990). The question is: where does this money go?
02
Parents have inquired... and been ignored?
One Herndon parent has asked the Herndon Youth Soccer Board in a written email for additional details regarding where the revenue is spent, in the interests of transparency. This parent claims the Board and its Treasurer have so far refused to respond and/or provide detail. Herndon Youth Soccer is a 501(c)3. Isn't every dollar spent supposed to be accounted for?
03
Disturbing Developments?
One parent claims that in January 2024 he "was told by a Board member to stop asking questions" about Herndon Youth Soccer finances and where the money goes.
04
Too harsh?
One concerned parent/coach tells the story of how parent-managers had secured donations to help defray dues/costs for a child/player whose father had been in jail. The parent alleges that he believes the HYS Director of Operations blocked and/or delayed the use of these donations for the purpose of helping the child.
05
Retribution?
One parent has expressed concern that if she raises issues with the Board and Staff, there may be retaliation against her son. She reports that she has heard that in one case, a child was demoted from a top-level “black team” to a less competitive “white team” because a parent raised a concern.
01
Where does the $1.2M go?
$1,239,863 is the amount of "total revenue" that came into Herndon Youth Soccer in the fiscal year 2021-2022 (according to Herndon Youth Soccer's 2021-2022 IRS Form 990). The question is: where does this money go? One "concerned parent" wrote in to this site on April 17 and stated, "If the board doesn't respond to our parental questions, perhaps they should be given the opportunity to respond to other's questions. Time to come clean."
02
The HPA has inquired... and been stonewalled.
In its Form 990 for fiscal year 2021-2022, HYS declared $572,093 in "other" expenses but did not explain them. On March 28, we asked HYS leaders Stefanie Palmer, Nico Delellis, Aliona Gorea, and Wassim Issa to provide detail on who (or what) received that money. 26 days later, Nico Delellis sent a letter from the HYS Board refusing to disclose which individuals received the $572K. In fact, the letter declared that "HYS will not be providing further itemization of these expenses." This defies the purpose of our request, which was to help HYS members find out to whom the HYS money is flowing. Herndon Youth Soccer is a 501(c)3. Isn't every dollar spent supposed to be accounted for?
03
Individual parents have inquired... and been ignored.
A Herndon parent and HYS member formally asked the Herndon Youth Soccer Board in a written Feb 16 2024 email for details regarding where HYS revenue is spent. This HYS member asked for “a simple spreadsheet showing monies flowing into HYS every year and a line-item accounting of where and to whom those funds were disbursed… for tax years 2022 and 2023.” This parent claims that the Board members (Stefanie Palmer, Nico Delellis, Aliona Gorea, et al) have so far refused to provide the financial details requested.
04
Disturbing Developments?
The Herndon parent and HYS member who asked to see the HYS budgets (above) claims he "was told by Board Member Nico Delellis to 'stop asking questions' about the Director of Operations, Wassim Issa, and HYS finances and where the money goes (this happened January 6, 2024 at Natty Greene's in Greensboro NC, during a tournament)." This HYS member is also an HYS coach, and he claims that he has been effectively suspended as coach, and that Technical Director Nick Arzani told him (on April 2 2024) that he will only be restored as coach if he "resolves this [matter] with the board." This member takes this to mean that he will be allowed to coach if he stops requesting financial transparency.
05
Too harsh?
One concerned parent/coach tells the story of how parent-managers had secured donations to help defray dues/costs for a child/player whose father had been in jail. The parent alleges that he believes the HYS Director of Operations Wassim Issa blocked and/or delayed the use of these donations which the parent/coach wanted to use for the purpose of helping the child.
06
Envelope stuffed with cash?
DISTURBING DEVELOPMENT The Herndon parent/HYS member/HYS coach who says that he was told to stop asking questions about HYS finances alleges that he was approached by the HYS Technical Director Nick Arzani on April 2 2024 on a Herndon soccer field where he (the parent) was setting up the field to coach, at the time. The parent claims that the Technical Director "offered me an envelope filled with cash, about an inch thick. I threw it on the ground, saying I wouldn't take it. Nick said it was money he wanted me to have for administrative help. He did this with my players nearby. It was disturbing."
CONCERNS ABOUT THE BOARD'S TRANSPARENCY
On March 28 2024, we formally asked the Herndon Youth Soccer Board of Directors to disclose which individuals had received $572,093 in unexplained HYS payments.
On April 22, the Board wrote back that "HYS will not be providing further itemization of these expenses."
(click here for more info on the HYS Board)
Notification Summary:
First name: anonymous
Last name: anonymous
Email: anonymous@gmail.com
Date: April 8 2024
Thanks so much for speaking out. I can corroborate that all of this has been happening for years. Jody Rametta, Nick Arzani, Stefanie Palmer and Wassim Issa are so co---pt it will make your head spin. Even (and especially) after HYS consolidated its travel financials to come under the umbrella of HYS instead of having parent volunteers serve as team managers and treasurers. Questions to ask: why are certain travel players allowed to play for FREE while others are asked to pay above and beyond what their travel fees are. This is still happening in the 2023-24 travel season (especially on the boys side). In the older age groups, they have so many players who have not paid a dime in travel fees in YEARS and are still allowed to practice and play. Managers and Treasurers were told to look the other way. Also, you'll find a treasure trove if you start poking around "Arzani Soccer" summer camps. For years, Nick required that all HYS travel players must attend multiple weeks of Arzani Soccer summer camps. Especially for the younger travel players, implied threats were utilized to get players to sign up including loss of playing time or demotion to a lesser team if players didn't pay to attend. Nick and Martin Sanchez would often accept payment in cash for these camps which were pocketed. Nick has used his position as Technical Director to personally ---efit financially for many years. Why is Arzani Soccer not listed anywhere on HYS's 990s?? For years, money has flowed freely from HYS to Nick through Arzani Soccer. And why do people such as Greg Andrulis and Jane Dawber only stay for such a short time? Because they asked questions and expected accountability.
Notification Summary:
First name: ------------
Last name: ---------
Email: ________@gmail.com
Phone: 703________
Date: April 17 2024
As a concerned parent this message is intended for the Board of Directors of HYS as they don't seem to grasp the extent of their responsibilities. " The board of directors collectively governs the affairs of a nonprofit organization. As such, the officers and board members have the ultimate responsibility for seeing that the mission is accomplished. But the board has liability beyond just mission concerns. The IRS holds the board accountable for operating under the regulations and limitations of Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. The board is potentially liable for actions the organization takes that are not within the IRS boundaries. This includes fiduciary liability with regard to financial matters. One of the best examples of liability as it relates to tax-exempt regulations is inurement. Inurement happens when individuals inside an organization receive an unfair benefit by virtue of their position. This typically takes place in the form of excessive compensation or improper use of the nonprofit's assets. The IRS can hold board members personally liable if they discover what they believe to be excessive compensation, especially if the organization isn't operating at arms-length. So what types of penalties could the board face in these situations? Intermediate sanctions penalties could be assessed on individual board members. Initially the IRS could fine each board member up to 25% of the benefit received. If the nonprofit does not act quickly to comply with the IRS, it could increase to 200 percent, per board member. The ultimate penalty could be the IRS revoking the 501(c)(3) status. Board members should be aware of other financial aspects of the organization. Organizations run into financial problems (such as fraud and/or improper bookkeeping) when board members turn a blind eye to who is in charge of the finances. Lack of oversight of proper checks and balances reflects on the board as and abdication of responsibility. It's not enough for a board member to say they didn't know. It is their job to know" If the board doesn't respond to our parental questions perhaps they should be given the opportunity to respond to other's questions. Time to come clean.
Notification Summary:
First name: _____
Last name: _
Email: _________@gmail.com
Phone: __________
Date: April 17 2024
Good Afternoon, I have been involved with Herndon Soccer since ------------------------------------------. ______ my kids participate in Herndon Youth Soccer. I was made aware of issues with the financial transparency a few months ago prior to the Annual Board Meeting. I attended the Board meeting which was contentious to say the least. As an accountant, I reviewed their tax filings over the last few years and had some questions...
I do agree that more transparency is needed going forward. I have played soccer in Fairfax my whole life as well as in college. I must say that Wassim Issa does not have the slightest idea of how to run a soccer club, I would be surprised if he has ever played. He is very disorganized and can be outright rude at times. Communications lacks...
I would love to understand Nick Arzani’s role in Herndon soccer. Although I have met him through some coaches’ meetings I don’t personally know him. I believe there could be some conflict of interest, this is just my speculations based on what I have heard. He runs his own LLC and soccer camps and from what I understand it looks like a lot of players are funneled from Herndon soccer into these camps. It would be extremely disappointing if player time or growth is affected if a player does not attend his soccer camps. I know that other surrounding clubs over discounts to volunteer coaches for their kid to participate yet we don’t have such program at Herndon... Mr. Arzani is a technical director yet he is not on the Board of Directors nor do we see what kind of payments he is receiving (I am sure he is not doing it for free).
The annual meeting was held on March 14th, 2024...
Mr. Paul D’Andrea wanted to speak at the meeting and the Board said they would allow him time at the end once the annual review is complete instead of at the beginning of the meeting. Mr. D’Andrea wanted to share his concerns prior to any vote but he was denied...
I was also shocked to see many people come to vote and leave right away. As a current Board member of my HOA this is not allowed and in reading the Herndon Soccer By-Laws I found the following: Section 4.08 No proxies or absentee ballots shall be permitted at any meeting of the members of this Corporation. At the end I raised this issue, stating that any person not present who cast a vote should be VOID and only the present members should be able to a cast a vote. The Board informed me that you did not have to be present to which I pointed Section 4.08. Board member JR agreed saying that it is up for interpretation. I don’t believe the vote was fair because the members that voted and left right away did not have a chance to hear from the candidates, what their vision for our club was and how they would help. They also did not hear from Mr. D’Andrea who had a lot of legitimate concerns about our club. From an outsider’s perspective, the way the voting process was conducted only intensified the transparency issue. I believe this was ballot stuffing i.e. – you get people to come vote for whoever they were told and instructed that they could leave. How can a member who cares about the club just vote blindly and leave without caring to see the annual results and direction of the club is a mystery to me...
We also received the following email at 9:32 pm on March 13th, 2024, the day prior to the election:
Dear HYS Members,
We wanted to provide clarity on the voting process for tomorrow's meeting. To streamline the process, a designated table will be positioned at the front of the meeting room solely for voting purposes. Should you find yourself unable to stay for the duration of the meeting or are unable to cast your vote at 7:20 p.m. according to the agenda, you may still exercise your right to vote at any convenient time during the meeting and depart afterwards. Please be advised that member verification will be conducted upon entry to ensure the integrity of the process. Eligible participants include board members, staff, coaches, and player families. Kindly remember that each family unit is entitled to one vote. Best regards,
I find it appalling that 501c organization would send such communications less than 24 hours prior to an Annual meeting vote. This all ties back to the transparency issue and in my opinion the Board tried last minute to skew the vote by introducing this voting procedure knowing full well what the By-Laws state. In my professional experience, I have never seen such disorganization/blatant attempt to silence a vote. In a well-functioning Board, you will never introduce a voting procedure hours before a vote and based on the facts and incredible coincidences it is extremely likely that the Board knew that some of the new candidates were upset the way Herndon Soccer functions and decided to take matters into their own hands. I also found in interesting that Mr. Issa left the meeting about 1 hour prior to its conclusion. My understanding was that he wanted to avoid having to answer some parent’s questions, particularly a few that he is not fond of.
Mr. D’Andrea is no longer coaching the U4/U5 kids which I don’t understand. The Board has not provided any answers but given what transpired at the meeting and the constant effort by the Board to silence Mr. D’Andrea, I am not surprised they have pushed him to the side. I believe this is a whistleblower silencing attempt by the Board and should be fully investigated. I wonder how much we are paying the new U4/U5 coach. Mr. Issa keeps on talking about how he is the best and we are very fortunate to have him. Mr. Issa mentioned that it took a lot to get him to join but this was not needed if Mr. D’Andrea was still here. Mr. D’Andrea is extremely well liked among the kids and is one of the best coaches I have seen with this age group.
The Board mentioned that they will have more transparency going forward yet we still don’t have the minutes from the Annual Board meeting (over 1 month ago)... Below are the minutes on their site, as you can see they are all over the place. The Board must produce the meeting minutes on a timely and consistent basis. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes • February 2024 • January 2024 • November 2023 • October 2023 • September 2023 • March 2022 • February 2022 • January 2022 • February 2021 • January 2021
I remember that any individual affiliated with Herndon Youth Soccer much complete SafeSport training. In years past, we used to get notices if you are complying but I have not seen any communication regarding this in the past year. I want to make sure that all affiliated members have gone through this training for the current season. Hopefully, the Board is monitoring and has informed anyone who has not completed this training as it pertains to the safety of our children.
Suggestions for transparency and accountability:
• Form an internal audit committee that includes Board members and parents. An independent audit must be performed for the past 5 years. The audit company must make public their findings and any suggestions that may arise from said audit. I would volunteer to be on this committee, I am an accountant by profession.
• Increase the communications from the club and post all meeting minutes within 30 days.
• Post all meetings on the site 30 days prior to meeting, currently I have no idea when the Board meets. My understanding is that all Board meetings should be available for members to attend and the time and place needs to be communicated to all voting members. I would like to be made aware of meeting times and places so I can attend such meetings.
• Perform an audit of the By-Laws and update accordingly. Given the way the voting was conducted this past annual meeting and how it is “up for interpretation” as the Board said is not acceptable. There needs to be a defined voting process without having the need to send an email a few hours prior to an annual vote changing the way the election is conducted.
• All 3rd party expense must be broken out by vendor and payment. Any Board member affiliated with any 3rd party vendor should be made public. To avoid any doubt of conflict of interest, Board members should not be allowed to have any financial gain as it pertains to 3rd party contracts or companies. I am not sure if this is happening currently but Herndon Youth Soccer could jeopardize their tax-exempt status.
• Keep the website updated on a regular basis. It is unacceptable that meeting minutes are not posted in a timely manner or that the financials are not easily accessible. These are violations that need to be address as soon as possible.
• Allow proxy voting, this is regular practice
• Publish the internal controls policy
• Make available all documents regarding financials, internal controls, forms, etc on their site. I am mystified as to why this is kept “secret”, all voting members have a right to view these minutes and documents. It does not help when the Board makes members ask for these documents. We have an established pattern by the Board of not answering in a timely manner any of these requests. In conclusion, there are a lot of unanswered questions. ... I believe there are several capable and informed parents who are willing to put in the work to get Herndon Youth Soccer to a transparent/accountable place. There is no reason for the Board to be defensive or combative. If hey are operating with full transparency and accountability we would not be here today. I am hopeful that all Board members have the kids and club best interest at heart but they are making it very difficult to have such trust due to their actions.
In its IRS Tax Form 990 for the fiscal year 2021-2022, Herndon Youth Soccer reported that its "Total Expenses" were $1,167,111.
Under Part IX "Statement of Functional Expenses", on Line 11g "Fees for Services (non-employees)", Herndon Youth Soccer reports $572,093 in "Other" expenses.
The Form 990 indicates that "If line 11g amount exceeds 10% of line 25, column (A) amount, list line 11g expenses on Schedule O."
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The Line 25, column (A) amount is $1,167,111.
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Therefore, the Line 11g amount ($572,093) does exceed 10% of the line 25, column (A) amount.
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$572,093 is actually 49% of the Line 25, column (A) amount.
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But it seems that these Line 11g expenses ($572,093) were not listed on Schedule O.
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Schedule O describes some Line 24e expenses (which raise other questions), but there is nothing further regarding Line 11g.
Parents are wondering what those $572,093 in "other" expenses are, and why HYS did not list them.
On February 16 2024 and on March 28 2024, HYS administrators were formally asked by parent(s), in writing, for details and/or more transparency on where the money of the 501c3 was being spent.
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The Feb 16 request is viewable below. The parent who sent this request claims that he has been ignored and that no additional financial details have been provided.
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In the March 28 request (sent by us, the HPA), we asked current HYS administrators Stefanie Palmer, Wassim Issa, Nico Delellis, and Aliona Gorea for details on the exact individual expenditures that made up the $572,093 in Line 11g, in 2021-2022. (Palmer, Issa, Delellis, and Gorea are also listed as HYS "Vice President," "Director," "Director," and "Treasurer," respectively, for that 2021-2022 time frame.)
The HYS Board has seemingly committed itself in every one of the five IRS Form 990s currently available on the web [Schedule O, re: Part VI, line 19] to making necessary information available not only to any member of HYS but also to any member of the public at large. Here is the exact wording: "All necessary records of the club are open to public inspection upon request." But some parents feel that this is not true of Herndon Youth Soccer.
On April 22, 2024, the HYS Board sent a letter to us where they stated in writing that they were refusing to disclose which individuals received the $572,093. They wrote "HYS will not be providing further itemization of these expenses."
THE RECORDS
DAYS HAVE PASSED since a Herndon Youth Soccer member made a formal written request to the HYS board (emailed to board@herndonyouthsoccer.org) for “a simple spreadsheet showing monies flowing into HYS every year and a line-item accounting of where and to whom those funds were disbursed… for tax years 2022 and 2023.” This HYS member claims that he has repeated this request four times in the intervening months. This HYS member claims that, to date, the Board members (Stefanie Palmer, Nico Delellis, Aliona Gorea, Billy Kniska, JR Williamson, Basim Hawa, et al) have refused to provide the requested accounting records of the corporation.
152
DAYS HAVE PASSED since we sent Stefanie Palmer, Wassim Issa, Nico Delellis, and Aliona Gorea our initial request for financial transparency on $572,093 in unexplained HYS expenses, but they (and the HYS Board) are still refusing to disclose which individuals received the $572,093. Not only have they refused to provide the requested details, but on 4/22/24 the HYS Board sent a letter stating that "HYS will not be providing further itemization of these expenses." This is disturbing, and it A) flies in the face of what is expected of a board of directors of a 501c3, and B) defies the express purpose of our request, which was to help parents discover to whom the HYS money is flowing. Herndon Youth Soccer is a 501(c)3. Isn't every dollar spent (or paid out) supposed to be accounted for?
HYS TRANSPARENCY METER
167
CODE OF VIRGINIA >> Title 13.1 Corporations >> Chapter 10. Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act >> Article 15. Records and Reports
§ 13.1-933. Inspection of records by members.
… B. A member of a corporation is entitled to inspect and copy, during regular business hours at a reasonable location specified by the corporation, any of the following records of the corporation if the member meets the requirements of subsection C and gives the corporation written notice of his demand at least five business days before the date on which he wishes to inspect and copy:
... 2. Accounting records of the corporation
The
Law
days have passed since we formally requested that Ms. Palmer, Mr. Issa, Mr. Delellis, and Ms. Gorea provide financial details on the $572,093 in "Other" expenses that HYS leadership did not itemize on the HYS 2021-2022 IRS Form 990. To date, Ms. Palmer, Mr. Issa, Mr. Delellis, and Ms. Gorea have not disclosed any details on how that $572,093 was spent.
TRANSPARENCY CLOCK
13
THE PARENT ACTIVISTS
Text of an email sent by a concerned parent whose two children grew up in Herndon Youth Soccer, and who has also been a coach with HYS for 13 years. HYS has not provided the financial transparency requested, i.e. "a line-item accounting of where and to whom those [HYS] funds were disbursed."
"To: The Board and Administration of Herndon Youth Soccer
From: Paul D'Andrea
Date: 2/16/24
Re: A request to speak before the Board
Based on our mission statement, I believe our first obligation at Herndon Youth Soccer (HYS) is to the youth. And our second obligation is to make the organization run well. This involves an environment of friendliness, openness, cooperation, collegiality, for volunteers and staff, to make the organization succeed in our stated mission.
I am concerned that our first and second obligations to our mission at HYS are compromised. My concerns come from my boots-on-the ground, intimate experience with our organization.
I have worked for HYS both as a volunteer and as a paid staff member for 13 years. I have put in thousands of unpaid volunteer hours and hundreds more as a contractor and staff member.
I have coached every travel age group from U9 - U19 as well as coached the pre-travel age groups U4 - U8. I’ve coached and been commissioner in and managed our Recreational Program. I know the children, youth, parents, and staff of HYS well, over a long period of time, and many on a first name basis.
I am concerned that HYS is being run in a way that is causing doubt and mistrust rather than friendliness and cooperation.
In November of last year, I sent the Board, via the Board President, a letter expressing some of my concerns. In the intervening three months, I have not been invited, as I had hoped, to express my concerns to the Board.
I am now following up three months later in order once again to ask for an open discussion with the Board regarding these concerns.
I would like to appear before the Board to address these concerns at a public meeting as soon as possible, but in any event before any Board meeting in which new Board members will be elected. I believe stakeholders in HYS should be aware of these issues before new Board members are elected.
HYS is a 501(c)(3) organization, an entity governed by federal law, accountable to the IRS. According to its federal charter, HYS stands in a relation of trust to its community. Since it enjoys tax-free status, it is answerable to any United States citizen, who has to pay the taxes that HYS is forgiven. I believe that federally mandated trust is in danger of being eroded.
As I perceive the situation, a large part of the problem is a lack of financial transparency. This issue of a lack of financial transparency was a major part of my discussion with the Board President in November 2023.
As a longtime volunteer, contractor, and staff member, I do not know where the financial resources of HYS go.
In January of this year I was told by a Board member to stop asking questions.
I have no intention of being a whistleblower. I am acting as a colleague, friend, and stakeholder. But I do want the transparency that is federally required of a 501(c)(3) so that the trust in this organization will not be eroded any further than it has been already.
Financial transparency would start with a simple spreadsheet showing monies flowing into HYS every year and a line-item accounting of where and to whom those funds were disbursed. Leaving personalities out, individual names may be replaced with Person A, Person B, etc.
I have reviewed two recent HYS IRS form 990 submissions, for calendar years 2019 and 2021. They are mostly white space and give very few specifics as to where the money paid by parents and donated by philanthropies ($1,330,255 in 2019 and $1,239,863 in 2021) to HYS went.
A second aspect of transparency is administrative policymaking. How may policy be discussed, debated, and appealed?
I believe that trust could be rebuilt by open discussion among parents, Board members, administrators, employees, and contractors. Here is an example of a proposition that could be discussed:
Coaching the younger pre-travel players and coaching what we call a red or white travel team is at least as important to the mission of HYS as coaching what we call a black team and should be compensated at the same level.
Lack of financial and administrative policymaking transparency imperils our mission. I respectfully request to appear before the Board at the March 14 meeting, with as many stakeholders present as possible, to discuss these matters of transparency (both financial and administrative policymaking) and those I sent to the Board three months ago via the Board President.
To facilitate this discussion, it would be helpful if the Board would send me for tax years 2022 and 2023 the simple spreadsheet referred to above.
I believe these matters are so important that they warrant public discussion before the next Board election.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul D'Andrea"
VOICES OF THE PARENTS
One concerned parent/coach claim his team’s managers tried for months to get two boys onto a travel team, but were allegedly prevented from doing so by the obstruction of the Director of Operations Wassim Issa. “These were two boys whose need to be a part of something good fit our Herndon soccer mission perfectly. One had a father who had just died in jail, the other a father who had a restraining order on him that kept him on the other side of the county. The team managers had gotten someone to donate money to pay for those two boys to play. But the Director of Operations believed he, and he alone, should control all donated funds, and the Director of Operations prevented those funds from being used for the purpose of registering those two boys. After a long campaign by the two team managers, the money was finally released by the Director of Operations, but by then months had gone by, the season was over, and those two boys had vanished back into their troubled home life.”
As of March 28, 2024, the Herndon Youth Soccer website states "We are governed by a Board of Directors. Club operations are led by the Director of Operations Wassim Issa and Technical Director Nick Arzani." The site states that Stefanie Palmer is the President of the Board of Directors, Nico Delellis is the Vice President of the Board of Directors, and Aliona Gorea is the Treasurer.
[Click here to see a March 28 2024 screenshot of herndonyouthsoccer.org's Board of Directors web page.]
Herndon Youth Soccer’s 2021-2022 IRS Form 990 indicates that Stefanie Palmer, Wassim Issa, Nico Delellis, and Aliona Gorea were "Vice President," "Director," "Director," and "Treasurer," respectively, for that 2021-2022 time frame.
LEADERSHIP:
Who runs Herndon Youth Soccer?
INFO
Former President, Board of Directors
Stefanie Bursich Palmer
Ms. Palmer was president when we made our request for transparency. She did not seek re-election and is no longer on the board.
Former Secretary, Board of Directors
JR Williamson
He was Secretary of the Board but he apparently stepped down from the board recently, and the HYS webpage now says his position is "TBD."
Vice President, Board of Directors
Bill Kniska
The HYS site describes Mr. Kniska as ">1 Year Board Member"
Director of Operations
Wassim Issa
The HYS site lists Mr. Issa's email as wassim.issa@herndonyouthsoccer.org
Incoming President, Board of Directors
Nico Delellis
The HYS site describes Mr. Delellis as "Associate Director, Guidehouse."
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Aliona Gorea
The HYS site describes Ms. Gorea as a "Consultant and Outsourced CFO and Controller."
Technical Director
Nick Arzani
Mr. Arzani is also a coach at HYS.
Member-At-Large, Board of Directors
Basim Hawa
The HYS site describes Mr. Hawa as "<1 Year Board Member"
FAQ
You're probably
wondering...
Post and speak your mind!
The statements in the notes/posts are the authors', not ours. The notes/posts are third party user-submitted user-generated content submitted by people commenting about HYS management. Section 230 applies. Because we are fair-minded, we invite the people named or alluded to in these notes to respond. As a courtesy, in some instances, certain words are blocked, simply because we think it is good to go above and beyond in terms of extending civility to everyone, even those accused of alleged troubling behavior.
ALARMED PARENTS Messages and posts are coming in via the website contact/posting form, raising concerns about HYS management.
Notification Summary:
First name:
Last
Email:
Date: May 5 2024
Wassim and Nick are definitely cr-----d. I can’t speak on too much without giving away my identity but there is definitely a united effort to silence Paul D’Andrea by HYS. Look into qualifications of travel coaches and cross reference them with how many of them are Nick Arzani’s close friends. Then see how much Nick’s friends get paid vs the other coaches. Wassim and Nick run HYS in a way that it financially feeds the top tier travel team while leaving the lower tier travel teams and all of the rec division teams less than scraps