Sara Soto Elected Vice Chair and Updates to Nominating & Governance Committee

COLORADO SPRINGS – Sara Soto has been elected by her peers to serve as Vice Chair of the USA Weightlifting Board of Directors, filling the role vacated by Tayler Harris. Soto is currently an At-Large Director on a 2025-28 term, and will serve as Vice Chair through 2026 to complete Harris’ vacated term. She will serve alongside current Chair of the Board, Michael Choi. Separately, Soto was also appointed as the Board of Directors Liaison to the USAW Foundation. 

Harris, who resigned from the Board in 2025, has been appointed by the Board to serve as the Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee (NGC). The NGC’s primary responsibility is vetting candidates for the USAW Board of Directors and standing committees, and according to USAW bylaws this position should be filled by a recently-rolled off Board member. Harris served on the Board from 2023-25 as a National Athlete Director, and was elected Vice Chair in 2025. 

Additionally, in a recent election, Caine Wilkes and Ella Nicholson were chosen by their peers to join Harris on the NGC as athlete representatives. Wilkes represented Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and is a seven-time Senior World Championships team member and eight-time Senior Pan American Championships team member. He has earned three Pan American titles and collected 22 Pan American medals. Nicholson, a Youth World Champion and two-time Junior World Champion, is currently a National Team Program member.

With these appointments to the NGC confirmed, a replacement election for Harris’ athlete representative Board position will be initiated shortly. USAW is also actively working to fill the open independent seats on the NGC.