Congratulations Jeff Van Treese on receiving the 2026 Distinguished Service Award

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   Jeff stepped up as OWSA President in 2021 and immediately got to work, making sure to collaborate with the rest of the OWSA Board of Directors to utilize everyone's strengths. One of his first achievements with Keri was to spearhead the updating of the organization constitution and bylaws, making sure that everything was properly registered with the state of Ohio. He also made sure to have someone in place to keep the website and social media up to date and has put an emphasis on growing Ohio’s Junior Development events and programming. Behind the scenes he’s constantly researching ways to improve judging in Ohio and working with senior level officials to bring more E,L,and R events to the state. 
     Prior to serving as president, Jeff has served as chief safety of countless local tournaments, but never standing in the way of someone that has an interest in serving as chief safety. On the banks of any given tournament, you can find Jeff surrounded by 2-5 individuals eager to learn from him and get their safety rating. In addition to teaching them practical skills, Jeff never fails to stop by the main officials tower before the end of the tournament to make sure that all volunteers have gotten credit and paperwork filled out for their work. He is dedicated to facilitating the growth of safety programs across the state and region. Often he’ll host a clinic for just one or two individuals that have reached out needing a refresher, and he has hosted many collegiate and AWSA safety clinics throughout the years.  
​     Jeff represents Ohio on a regional and National level as well. Several years ago he took over as the Chair of the AWSA Midwest Safety committee and makes sure to share the safety discussions happening in Ohio with the rest of the region and brings their ideas back to us. He pursued his Regional and National Safety Director ratings, and has served as Chief Safety of the AWSA Midwest Regional Championships and the AWSA National Championships. In this capacity, he also served as Chief Safety of the US Open, which included a night jump event - an extra hurdle in the Chief Safety role.