Photo by Matt Johnson (mattjphoto.net)
We are extremely excited for this year’s Dark Clouds Board Election!
You can learn more about each candidate below. Voting begins at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 28 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. We will inform the Dark Clouds members who was elected by April 4.
You can vote for one candidate. When you are ready to vote, fill out this form.
Remember you have as many votes as you have affiliated season tickets in the Wonderwall supporters section, or 2022 Dark Clouds Individual Memberships. If you have more than one you can submit additional ballots using the same form. We do verify the correct number of ballots have been submitted, so if you vote more times than the number of season tickets you have, we will throw out any additional votes, after the correct number has been counted.
Your nominees are Charlie Piotrowski and Jackson Smith. Learn more about the candidates:
Charlie Piotrowski
How long have you been a Dark Cloud? Please describe your involvement with the supporter’s group.
Thunderwall Co-Founder, tifo deployment during TCF days
In 50 words or less, tell us why you should be elected to the Dark Clouds Board.
As an active Thunderwall lead, I see SG relations from a neutral standpoint; not great but not terrible. I would like to be (if elected) an intermediary partner with other SG’s to further unlock better cooperation and bring revived energy to the wall. We are one family in the end.
What experiences from your professional life can you apply to your service on the Dark Clouds Board?
I am an AV field engineer that faces a portfolio of customers whether it’s a mom & pop construction company to multimillion dollar corporations. I pride myself as being personable and an excellent communicator which; in the end brings results that both satisfy the client and myself. I also have an insanely massive projector that if we have the proper facilities to use for tifo creation, it would make stenciling go much quicker.
Where do you see the Dark Clouds going in the next few years and what are 2-3 strategic things you want to see the Supporters Group address?
I see continued growth within the Dark Clouds and ultimately expand to other local community groups (MNUFC2, Aurora as their SG, etc). A couple of strategic things I would like to see. First, expanded communication between other SG’s as when match day comes, it’s nothing but a horribly ran circus. We can point fingers at others but ultimately, we do not communicate enough and ultimately causes confusion/mixed chants in the stands. Secondly, as much as I love to call Black Hart our home, we eventually will need to expand to a larger establishment as we would need to build a rooftop patio to accommodate any new-comers. I would like to see proactive exploration and preparation in that regard while maintaining our friendship/partnership with Black Hart. Years will fly by and eventually things will get pretty cramped.
Jackson Smith
How long have you been a Dark Cloud? Please describe your involvement with the supporter’s group.
I have been a Dark Cloud since June 2018 – shortly after attending my first MNUFC game at TCF Stadium and realizing I really wanted to be in the Wonderwall. Since recently moving back to Minnesota, I have started becoming involved in Match Day activities, specifically starting to capo games.
In 50 words or less, tell us why you should be elected to the Dark Clouds Board.
This past summer, I moved back to Minnesota from Pittsburgh. The first time I really felt back at home was my first game in the Wonderwall. I want to help others experience that feeling. Additionally, my background is in theatre and finance. So I understand being creative on a budget.
What experiences from your professional life can you apply to your service on the Dark Clouds Board?
I had the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for a small theatre company in the Twin Cities, including one year where I was the Treasurer. This was a working board, so the board did all of the planning work and much of the day-to-day work for the organization. Combining this experience with the 4 years I spent working as an accountant for a theatre company and my Master’s in Arts Management degree allows me to understand the many ways a Board can function, both positively and negatively.
Where do you see the Dark Clouds going in the next few years and what are 2-3 strategic things you want to see the Supporters Group address?
I truly believe that the Dark Clouds can become an important group to create support and fun throughout the Twin Cities. One step towards this is becoming a more active group outside of the MNUFC season. MNUFC is the reason that the Dark Clouds come together, but it does not need to stop outside of the season. Work is already being done to create more connections in the “off-season” and I think this work needs to be supported and highlighted. In addition, I think that there should be a greater push to get involvement with MNUFC season ticket holders outside of the Wonderwall. This may already be occurring, but adding greater visibility to it will help strengthen the Dark Clouds.