(Milwaukee, WI) The JVA is pleased to announce that Derek Jensen and Jeff Smith have been appointed to the JVA Board of Directors. Jeff Smith will serve as the Beach Representative on the Board and Derek Jensen will serve as the JVA Boys Representative. 

Derek Jensen is Co-Owner and Club Director of Division1 Volleyball Club in Chicago, Illinois. He is a former NCAA Division 1 athlete at Loyola University Chicago and long-time coach at D1.

“Joining the board as a representative for boy’s volleyball is a great privilege. My club experience growing up has been a big influence on my life, and I hope to work with the JVA to create an environment where boys playing volleyball feel like their sport is appreciated and that they have the resources necessary to succeed. I’m really looking forward to accessing the wealth of knowledge held by the Board of Directors and employees of the JVA.

The JVA has shown a true effort to advance the world of club volleyball as a whole. Their commitment to providing resources to all member clubs on a regular basis has inspired me to do the same for my athletes and families. The JVA has really bought into all aspects of running a club (nutrition, mental health, operations, training, etc) and works tirelessly to provide valuable information to help our organization become a place for our young athletes to thrive.”

Jeff Smith is the Club Director of 692 West and Founder of Beach Volleyball Clubs of America (BVCA).

In 2008, Jeff decided to take the two passions that he knows best, education and beach volleyball and established 692 Beach Volleyball Club in San Diego. His vision was to develop a wholistic educational approach to the sport where girls could truly “own the game” as they matured and developed combining mental and physical discipline with an awareness of fitness and self-accountability. Under his direction, 692 is helping girls reach their dreams by earning sand scholarships in college. He credits 15 years of competition on the beach, a background in education and coaching at all levels to his formula of success.

In 2013, Jeff founded BVCA and in order to form a community and a support system for Beach Volleyball Clubs across America. BVCA is dedicated to grow the game and establish a culture that promotes and protect athletes, improves programs and clubs work together as a group to overcome obstacles and reach common goals. 

“I am excited to be part of the JVA and help move junior beach volleyball forward into a mainstream sport for youth. There is a lot of common ground that indoor and beach volleyball directors share, and for the most part they have more in common than you would think. I hope to fill in those gaps and help indoor and beach directors thrive within the JVA.

The JVA is such a great organization to be a part of and my beach club (692) and the BVCA National Championship event has grown tremendously over a 5 year time span, that I contribute a big part of that success to the JVA.”

The JVA By-Laws provide for two appointed positions on the Board of Directors.

JVA Executive Director Jenny Hahn adds “When JVA was founded we wanted to make sure that our board represented all populations of our membership. I am really excited for these guys to come on board. These appointments by our Board of Directors really shows our commitment to growing our sport, in boys and beach. This will advance our mission to help our member clubs in developing programs in these two populations and grow their businesses. When we say JVA is all about juniors, uniting to grow our sport and improve our clubs, we mean it!”

About the JVA Board of Directors
The members of the JVA Board of Directors serve a 3 year term. The JVA Board of Directors governs, assures financial stability, develops policy and sets a course for the future, maintaining focus on the mission and guiding principles.

As JVA grows and expands its reach through membership, education, events, and advocacy we look to shape a board with a broad base of leadership capabilities and one which represents our JVA member base. The overall growth of youth and junior club volleyball continues to be exciting and brings many new opportunities and challenges to our membership primarily comprised of club directors and coaches. JVA staff with the support and guidance of the JVA Board of Directors is committed to serving as a vital resource to support that growth.

To view the JVA Board of Directors, click here.  For related JVA news click here.