Ballots will be mailed August 15th. To be counted, ballots must be mailed by October 15, 2025. Results will be announced at the National Awards Banquet on December 3, 2025, in Mobile, Alabama.
MAFCA Candidates – 2026 – As seen in The Restorer (with photos)
(Candidates are listed in random order.)
Doug Clayton – Manteca, California
My fascination with Model A vehicles started 59 years ago when I bought my first car, a 1929 Roadster, and joined MAFCA. I retired last year after selling our jet engine overhaul business, but that Roadster is still running and has several garage mates. Retirement offers me more time to tinker with the cars, but also the time to again serve on the MAFCA Board of Directors. My previous service on the Board was as Publications Director and in 2019 as President.
The technical aspects of Model A’s are especially fascinating to me, and I have been involved with the Judging Standards Committee ( JSC) since 1986 while we developed Revisions 1 through 4, and we are now working on Revision 5. The JSC also developed The Paint and Finish Guide in 1991 to accurately reproduce the colors and processes used during Model A production. I look forward to serving our club!
Gene Tallone- Chesterfield, Virginia
The Model A has a long history in my family. My parents owned a 1930 Tudor, which back then was their primary transportation. Today my 1930 170D Fordor is the inspiration of our hobby. I have been an active member of MAFCA for 25-plus years. I served as vice president, treasurer, and president of the Minuteman Club in Boston and was honored with the Chapter Service Award. I also served as trustee and treasurer for MAFFI, where I was responsible for internal and external financial reporting.
I chaired the investment committee, overseeing its $1 million fund. Recently as president of the Old Dominion Club in Richmond, I focused on growing membership. My professional background is in finance as CFO in high-tech industry.
This is an exciting time for MAFCA, and I believe I can help advance the Board’s mission by providing independent thinking with nonprofit hobby experience.
Trisha E. Evans – Colleyville, Texas
I have been in the Model A hobby since 1982 and love that there are four generations from my family in the hobby. I recently completed restoring a 1931 Town Sedan to add to our already excessive fleet. For the Dallas Model A Ford Club, I have served as president, vice president, board member, and headed almost every committee. For MAFCA I have chaired the 2013 and 2025 National Tours and had committee roles in the 2008 MAFCA and MARC Joint Meet, 2002 Winter Meet, and 1992 MAFCA National. I enjoy planning long-distance tours. Professionally, I have worked for the federal government overseeing education programs for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and now the Department of Labor. I am excited to bring my program knowledge skills, my technology skills, and organizational skills to MAFCA and its membership. I am currently completing my doctorate in educational leadership from Texas A&M University.
Dennis Thompson – South Weber, Utah
Thank you for considering me for the Board of Directors opening.
I retired in 2019 from Autoliv as a process engineer/project manager in technical support and have extensive experience organizing and managing projects.
I have been active in the Beehive Model A Club and MAFCA since 1996. I served two terms as president and two terms as vice president of the Beehive club. I was responsible for beginning and overseeing the raffle room, hospitality suite, and bus tours for the 2024 National Awards Banquet in Salt Lake City.
I believe the future of our Model A hobby depends upon attracting new members. I enjoy helping others get their vehicles in dependable shape and teaching them to trust their work. I am an advocate of helping others by teaching them how to do the work instead of doing the work for them.
Paul Shinn – Valley Springs, California
I’m a full-time engineer working in broadcasting and have served as president of the Sonora A’s, currently serving as president of the Northern California Regional Group, actively organizing Model A events that bring clubs together.
I’m no stranger to successfully organizing and managing groups and projects. After hearing club members say, “The hobby is aging out; we can’t reach young people,” I did something about it and created a YouTube channel with videos targeted toward a previously unreachable demographic that is very successful and bringing countless new people into the hobby and is helping tens of thousands of Model A’ers get their first Model A and keep their Model A’s on the road. Those videos are also responsible for recent growth of MAFCA membership numbers.
It’s time to do more. I believe serving as a Director on the MAFCA Board will help even more fellow Model A’ers.
