History - NLA International

NLA International Newsletter

History and Past Leadership

Est. 1986 providing Kink Awareness

It was the end of May in 1986, and International Mr. Leather contestant Steve Maidhof was flying home to Seattle from Chicago. He had not won a title, or even placed as a runner up. But the experience had been exhilarating and energizing. He wanted to do something, and he had an idea. When he got home, he gathered four of his leather friends and proposed an outlandish idea. At the next meeting, the five men were joined by three leather women. This naive core of eight enthusiastic leather people decided to organize history's first full-fledged leather/S.M./fetish conference, and they intended to pull it off in less than four months! The NLA International has been led by many men and women of the leather community.

Leaders, History

1986 - Present

When the NLA was founded, we had a President and Vice-President. Shortly after becoming a national organization, they created gender equality through male and female Co-Chairs. The problems arose due to distance, having to mail documents, having to make long-distance calls at different times. Remember, there was no internet! So the NLA went back to Presidents and Vice-Presidents. Below is a compiled list of those that were elected or appointed and their terms of office.

Leadership, Male & Female Co-Chairs

1986 - 1997

1986 - 1988 ~ President Steve Maidhof

1988 - 1989 ~ President Vik Stump

1989 - 1990 ~ Female Co-chair Judy Tallwing McCarthy

Male Co-chair Jim Richards

1990 - 1991 ~ Female Co-chair Shannon Thomas Kennedy (resigned)

Female Co-chair Judy Tallwing McCarthy (appointed)

1991 - 1992 ~ Female Co-chair Jan Lyon (elected)

1991 - 1993 ~ Male Co-chair Chuck Higgins

1992 - 1994 ~ Female Co-chair Sallee Mallard Huber

1993 - 1995 ~ Male Co-chair Albert Kraus

1994 - 1996 ~ Female Co-chair K. T. Chase

1995 - 1997 ~ Male Co-chair Mark Frazier

1996 - 1998 ~ Female Co-chair Jan Hall

Leadership, Presidents and Vice Presidents

1998 - Present

1997 - 1998 ~ President Mark Frasier

Vice President & President-Elect Jan Hall

1998 - 1999 ~ President Jan Hall

Vice President & President-Elect Spencer Bergstedt

1999 - 2000 ~ President Spencer Bergstedt

Vice President & President-Elect Athena Lyons (resigned)

2000 - 2001 ~ President Spencer Bergstedt

Vice President & President-Elect Lady Victoria Knight

2001 - 2002 ~ President Lady Victoria Knight

Vice President & President-Elect Hardy Haberman

2002 - 2003 ~ President-Elect Hardy Haberman (resigned)

Vice President & President-Elect Ann Brown

President Ann Brown (Interim-resigned)

President-Elect Gary Park (Interim)

2004 - 2005 ~ President Lady Victoria Knight

Vice President Tammie Nelson

President Rafe (interim)

Dec 2005 ~ Dec 2005 ~ President-Elect Rafe

Dec 2005 ~ Dec 2005 ~ Vice President Tammie Nelson

Jan 2006 – June 2006 ~ President Jan Hall (Interim)

Jan 2006 – Dec 2007 ~ Vice President Bill Reed (Interim)

July 2006 – Dec 2007 ~ President-Elect Vince Andrews

Jan 2008 – Dec 2009 ~ Vice President-Elect Bill Reed

Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 ~ President Re-Elect Vince Andrews

Jan 2010 – Dec 2011 ~ Vice President-Elect Kate R.

Jan 2011 – Dec 2012 ~ President-Elect Robert Helms

Jan 2012 – Dec 2013 ~ Vice President Elect LaMaestra

Jan 2013 – Dec 2014 ~ President Re-Elect Robert Helms

Mar 2014 - Dec 2014 ~ Vice President-Elect CandiAnne Terra (elected to fill vacancy)

Jan 2015 - Dec 2016 ~ President-Elect CandiAnne Terra

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015 ~ Vice President (Interim) T.C.

Jan 2016 - Dec 2018 ~ President Re-Elect CandiAnne Terra

Jan 2016 - Dec 2017 ~ Vice President-Elect T.C. (Abandoned position Oct 2017)

Jan 2018 - Dec 2019 ~ Vice President Elect Joseph Boteler

Jan 2019 - Dec 2020 ~ President Elect John Doan
Jan 2020 - Present ~ Vice President Elect Brian Hardy
Jan 2021 - Dec 2023 ~ President Elect John Doan

Jan 2022 - Present ~ President Robert Helms (Interim)

Contest Titles, Mr. & Ms NLA International

1987-1995

All years listed by the names are the years they won the International contest, however, their titles were for the following year 1987-1989 Contests were held at NLA Seattle's May Day celebrations. In 1990 the contest was switched to NLA's Living In Leather conference in October of each year. The International titles were retired in 1996; however, some chapters continued the titles and fed them to IMsL or IML as well as other feeders in their nations or states.

1987

T. K. Cuellar, Seattle
Jan Brown, Vancouver BC

1988
Steve Maidhof, Seattle (passed 1991)
Cherie Matisse, Seattle

1989
Guy Baldwin, Los Angeles
Jan Lyon, Portland, OR (passed)

1990
Howard Martin, Seattle
Ruth Marks, San Francisco

1991
Bill Miranda-Saltzman, New York City
Laura Goodwin, Connecticut

1992
Andy Anderson, Toronto (passed 2015)
K. T. Chase, Portland OR

1993
Mark Frazier, Dallas
Artemis Silver Owl, Dallas (passed 2013)

1994
Don Bastian, Calgary Toronto
Mary Dante, Calgary Toronto

1995
David Hoffenbacker, Idaho
Stacey, New York