Spectators fill the stands at UCG Nationals

About · UCG

Leadership.

Board & operationsEight regionsAll volunteers

Every person on this page is a volunteer who competes, coaches, or came up through the sport. If you are not sure who to ask, start with your regional representative — that is what they are there for.

Executive Officers

  • Executive Officers

    Kyle Sandberg

    President

    Kyle began gymnastics when he joined UCG in 2009 and has been in a member of the University of Notre Dame club team, University of Minnesota club team, and the Alumni team. He first joined the board in 2018. His main goals are to ensure the organization has clear and consistent policies, to diversify the organization’s funding sources, and to promote continued growth of the organization.

    Outside of gymnastics, Kyle works as a civil engineer focusing on water and wastewater treatment.

    Favorite Gymnastics Event: Kyle’s favorite gymnastics event is uneven bars.

  • Executive Officers

    Jayden Davis

    Vice President

    Jayden Davis has served as a member of the UCG Board of Directors since July 2025. He currently works as a Brand Marketing Intern at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, where he supports the development of national campaigns across 18,000+ points of access. His work spans competitive trend research, Gen Z engagement strategy, SEO copywriting, and the creation of internal decks to support seasonal product launches and brand storytelling. Prior to Krispy Kreme, Jayden held internships at United Talent Agency, Tomorrow Studios, and Blumhouse, where he gained experience in representation, entertainment development, and post-production.

    Jayden has been an active member of UCG since 2022, serving as President of the Emory Club Gymnastics Team and helping to host the 2023 Southeast Regional Championships. He also served as President of Emory’s Club Sports Council, where he led governance and strategic planning for 30+ organizations and authored key constitutional reforms to enhance transparency, equity, and executive continuity. With a passion for community-building and inclusion, Jayden brings a fresh perspective to the Board and is committed to expanding access to adult gymnastics and advancing the UCG’s mission. Jayden holds a B.B.A. in Marketing with a concentration in Film & Media Management from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

  • Executive Officers

    Grace Ann Hansen

    Treasurer

    Grace joined UCG as a Board Member in 2022. Growing up Grace participated in Hockey and Figure Skating in South Dakota. Her interest in gymnastics wasn’t started until later in life when her son decided he wanted to be a gymnast. There were no MAG programs in South Dakota at the time. So in 2016, she changed jobs in order to be able to start coaching her son. She has been coaching USAG JO MAG Gymnastics ever since. In the meantime her son went to ASU and became a member of Arizona Men’s Gymnastics. This is where Grace’s interest in UCG began as she envisioned a need to help grow interest in competitive adult gymnastics. Meanwhile, Grace is busy as the head MAG coach at Power and Grace Gymnastics in Sioux Falls, SD.

    Favorite Gymnastics Event: Grace’s favorite gymnastics events are MAG High Bar and WAG Floor.

  • Executive Officers

    Anna Strauss

    Secretary

    Anna started gymnastics in 2013 and competed in high school through USAG. She has been a member of UCG since 2019 with the University of Pittsburgh, serving as her clubs Business Manager and President. She graduated with a degree in Engineering Physics but wanted to continue being involved in gymnastics. While she is also a part time gymnastics coach she wanted to continue competing and being involved with UCG. With this being her first year on the board she is excited to become more involved within the organization and help even more people continue in the sport of gymnastics.

Board Members

  • Board Members

    Shara Danziger

    Board Member

    Coming soon...

  • Board Members

    Sydney Roberts

    Board Member

    Sydney started gymnastics at the age of three and became an UCG member in 2011 while attending the University of Maryland, where she served as the club’s secretary for one year and treasurer for three years. After graduating with a degree in community health, she joined the Alumni Team and became the first person to complete the Omnithon in 2022, which was then called the Megathon.

    In 2023, Sydney began competing in masters gymnastics competitions. As a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, she founded the Ireland Masters Gymnastics Team in 2024. She joined the UCG Board in 2026 and is excited to bring her nonprofit expertise and passion for the organization to the role.

    Outside of gymnastics, Sydney works as the co-executive director of a nonprofit teaching farm in Nevada. In her free time, she enjoys watching Red Sox games, hiking in the Sierra Nevada, and paddleboarding on Lake Tahoe.

  • Board Members

    Henry Affeldt

    Board Member

    Coming soon...

  • Board Members

    Chandler Stewart

    Board Member

    Coming soon...

  • Board Members

    Paula Zaretzky

    Board Member

    Paula’s gymnastics journey began at 3 years old and continued through middle school where she competed at the J.O. optionals levels. After a break in high school, she was able to rediscover her love of gymnastics through UCG, where she co-founded the Rochester Institute of Technology’s club team. Paula continued her gymnastics journey after graduation, and has now been doing adult gymnastics for as long as she did it as a kid. Outside of gymnastics, Paula works in sustainability and fosters kittens.

    Favorite Gymnastics Event: Paula’s favorite event is vault.

  • Board Members

    Andrew Hutcheson

    Board Member

    Andrew joined the Board to help bring a voice to members, advocating for changes that increase direct member involvement in the rules and decisions that affect them the most. He also loves cats.

  • Board Members

    Heather Shappell

    Board Member

    Heather joined the Board in 2022. She started gymnastics a few years ago and is loving everything the sport has to offer. She is grateful that UCG has allowed her to meet other gymnasts and has given her the opportunity to compete as an adult. Heather has a PhD in Biostatistics from Boston University and currently holds a faculty position in the Biostatistics and Data Science Department at Wake Forest University. Currently the faculty advisor for Wake Forest University Club Gymnastics, Heather enjoys helping grow the club and creating a safe, fun environment for the students. As a new Board Member, she hopes to bring her leadership and analytics skills, as well as her love for gymnastics, to UCG. She is passionate about providing opportunities in the sport for underrepresented groups and for those who do not have those opportunities due to financial and cultural barriers. She not only brings a unique perspective as an adult just starting out in the sport, but brings expertise in statistical modeling, with the desire to lead data collection and statistical analyses on various metrics that may help inform decision making within the organization.

    Favorite Gymnastics Event: Heather’s favorite gymnastics event is uneven bars.

Operations Leadership Team

  • Operations Leadership Team

    Ilana Shushansky

    Director of Operations

    Ilana has been a part of UCG since 2006 and served on the board starting in 2007. She was the UCG National Coordinator for many years and then served as the UCG President from 2013-2016. Ilana attended Emory University and has worked in the non-profit sector since graduating in 2010. She is currently a Director at Third Sector Capital Partners, where she leads projects that transform public systems to advance improved and equitable outcomes.

    Outside of gymnastic, Ilana is an assistant coach for the competitive girl’s team at Pride Gymnastics in Tulsa, OK where she lives with her wife and dog.

  • Operations Leadership Team

    Jules Pierce

    Nationals Director

    Jules has been a member of UCG since 2017 as a part of the University of Pennsylvania club gymnastics team, and joined as a volunteer in 2020. She has played an integral role in many UCG teams from Nationals to Event Sanctioning to WAG Rules. Jules graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and now works as a Software Engineer.

    Favorite Gymnastics Event: Jules’ favorite gymnastics event is Women’s Vault.

  • Operations Leadership Team

    Nate Sharpe

    Director of Events

    Nate Sharpe has been volunteering with UCG across Policy, MAG/WAG/UAG Rules, and various subcommittees and task forces since 2017. He’s co-led the MAG Rules committee since 2019 and helped spearhead the creation of much of our existing MAG educational materials. Having started gymnastics a few years after graduating from MIT in 2009, Nate enjoys bringing the perspective of someone who joined the sport as an adult to the organization. Outside of gymnasts, Nate worked as a mechanical engineer designing everything from portable eye diagnostic devices to precancerous skin lesion treatments. He recently retired to spend more time on gymnastics and raising his 8-year old twins in Cambridge, MA with his wife Julia.

  • Operations Leadership Team

    Dorothy (Dot) Mims

    Director of Outreach

    Dot started volunteering for UCG in 2023 as a member of the Board of Directors, then switched over to leading the Outreach Department in 2024. She aims to use her gymnastics and leadership experiences from her time as a collegiate and community gymnast to make gymnastics accessible and enjoyable for all. Dot is currently working on a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Outside of school/work and UCG, you can find her in the mountains or swimming in a lake!

  • Operations Leadership Team

    Olivia Davis

    Director of Engagement

    Olivia has been a member of UCG since 2014 as a part of the Emory University club gymnastics team, and joined as a volunteer in 2018. She has previously served as the UCG Nationals Coordinator and a Board Member. Olivia graduated in 2018 and went on to Law School at William & Mary. She now serves as the UCG Legal Counsel in addition to her leadership role.

Regional Representatives

Your regional rep is the two-way line between your club and the board. Email them, and join your region’s group to stay on top of competitions, policies and updates.

Select a region to meet your representative.

Alaska — West Coast AK Hawaii — West Coast HI Washington — West Coast WA Oregon — West Coast OR California — West Coast CA Nevada — West Coast NV Idaho — West Coast ID Montana — West Coast MT Wyoming — West Coast WY Utah — West Coast UT Colorado — West Coast CO Arizona — West Coast AZ New Mexico — West Coast NM Kansas — South Central KS Oklahoma — South Central OK Texas — South Central TX Arkansas — South Central AR North Dakota — Midwest ND South Dakota — Midwest SD Nebraska — Midwest NE Minnesota — Midwest MN Iowa — Midwest IA Missouri — Midwest MO Wisconsin — Midwest WI Illinois — Midwest IL Michigan — Mideast MI Indiana — Mideast IN Ohio — Mideast OH Kentucky — Mideast KY Pennsylvania — Mid-Atlantic PA New Jersey — Mid-Atlantic NJ Delaware — Mid-Atlantic Maryland — Mid-Atlantic MD District of Columbia — Mid-Atlantic West Virginia — Mid-Atlantic WV Virginia — Mid-Atlantic VA Tennessee — Southeast TN North Carolina — Southeast NC South Carolina — Southeast SC Georgia — Southeast GA Florida — Southeast FL Alabama — Southeast AL Mississippi — Southeast MS Louisiana — Southeast LA New York — Northeast NY Vermont — Northeast VT New Hampshire — Northeast NH Maine — Northeast ME Massachusetts — Northeast MA Connecticut — Northeast Rhode Island — Northeast
West Coast South Central Midwest Mideast Mid-Atlantic Southeast Northeast

West Coast

AK · HI · WA · OR · CA · NV · ID · MT · WY · UT · CO · AZ · NM

South Central

KS · OK · TX · AR

Midwest

ND · SD · NE · MN · IA · MO · WI · IL

Mideast

MI · IN · OH · KY

Mid-Atlantic

PA · NJ · DE · MD · DC · WV · VA

Southeast

TN · NC · SC · GA · FL · AL · MS · LA

Northeast

NY · VT · NH · ME · MA · CT · RI

Run by people who raise their hands

There is always room for one more.

Board seats, department roles and regional posts all open up. If you want a hand in how this runs, say so.

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