Meet the 2026 Audi Club North America Board Director Candidates

Audi Club North America’s 2026 National Board of Directors election begins on October 1 and runs through Friday, October 31. Each year, three of the nine National Board positions are up for election, with Directors serving a three-year term and eligible for up to two consecutive terms.

For the 2026–2028 term, the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee have confirmed fourcandidates for the three open seats. This is your opportunity, as a member of Audi Club North America, to cast your vote for the future of the Club. These four candidates have stepped forward to lead, and your participation ensures their efforts are supported.

All active members (including Family Members) in good standing as of October 1, 2025, will receive an email ballot with a link to the voting website. The election is being conducted via Survey Hero, with ballots verified by an independent third-party audit. Votes must be submitted by 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, October 31. Results will be announced on audiclubna.org and via email, introducing the new Directors who will begin their terms in January 2026.

We’re pleased to introduce the candidates (listed alphabetically):

Mayur Bhatia, Audi Club Golden Gate Chapter

My name is Mayur Bhatia, and it has been an honor to serve Audi Club North America as a member for more than a decade and as a Director and Treasurer for the past three years. 

During my tenure on the National Board, I have focused on strengthening the club’s financial foundation while ensuring that resources are directed toward providing meaningful member benefits. Under my leadership, we have maintained a disciplined, balanced budget while expanding programs that add value to members and enhance the long-term sustainability of ACNA. 

My experience as both a chapter leader and a national officer gives me a unique perspective on how local chapters and the national board can work together more effectively. I have consistently advocated for clarity, standardization, and efficiency in operations—whether in budgeting, event governance, or insurance and compliance. This work is critical to reducing administrative burdens, empowering volunteers, and allowing chapters to focus on what matters most: engaging members and celebrating our shared passion for Audi. 

Looking forward, I want to continue building on this progress by: 

• Driving transparency and consistency in financial management across all levels of the club 

• Expanding opportunities for members to get involved and develop as future leaders 

• Supporting chapters with the tools and processes they need to grow participation and deliver high-quality events 

• Ensuring that ACNA continues to thrive as both a community of enthusiasts and a professionally run non-profit 

I am deeply passionate about this club, its members, and the Audi brand. With your support, I look forward to continuing to serve the community and advancing the mission of Audi Club North America over the next three years. 

Justin Brown, Audi Club Carolinas Chapter

My passion for Audi began with the Avus quattro, and it has only grown stronger through years of ownership and involvement with the Carolinas Chapter and Audi Club North America. Since my first Coastal Tour in 2023, when my wife and I drove up from Florida, I’ve been active in the community and now serve as Secretary of the Carolinas Board. 

At the chapter level, I’ve focused on modernizing marketing and strengthening member engagement. Working with ACNA, I led a logo refresh, standardized event branding, and shifted our social media to a video-first strategy. These efforts elevated the member experience, built stronger sponsor relationships, and created measurable marketing value now used in sponsorship discussions. I also helped drive the second annual Rev Match Program supporting women in motorsports. 

Nationally, I contribute as a member of the Membership & Sponsorship Committee, coordinate regularly with national staff, and recently started writing for quattro Magazine. These experiences give me insight into both chapter needs and ACNA’s broader priorities. 

Professionally, I bring 25+ years of IT leadership across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with a foundation in graphic design and an MBA. This unique background has allowed me to connect strategy with brand and communications, whether leading global IT MarCom functions or developing brand identities and marketing strategies for nonprofits. I know how to strengthen governance, clarify messaging, and deliver results that grow organizations. 

I’m committed to ensuring ACNA continues to thrive by supporting diverse member passions, from HPDE to car shows to casual enthusiasts; while helping chapters grow stronger and sponsors see clear value. Together, we can expand member benefits, elevate our brand, and build a club every Audi owner is proud to be part of. 

Byron de Jesus, Audi Club Glacier Lakes Chapter

My passion for Audi began with attending my first high performance driving event with the club founders in Minnesota and has evolved to a love and understanding of motorsport comradery and driver education and safety. Over twenty years of involvement with Audi Club track events, teen clinics, and fun drives have created long lasting friendships and indelible memories. Instructing at driving events and serving as a member of the board of directors in many positions allows me to give back to the club that has been such a significant and rewarding part of my life. I consider my time well spent assisting chapters with their various technology challenges. 

Audi Club is constantly facing challenges moving forward with changes in technology and evolving social communications platforms. My 40 years of IT consulting experience along with decades of interaction with members and chapters across the country provide a unique perspective and opportunity to help the organization stay current and become better connected with its members. Being a former board member and president for Audi Club Glacier Lakes has allowed me to help our local chapter with events and membership. But being on the national board of directors gives me a greater opportunity to continue to enhance the experience for the entire club. If elected back to the board, I will continue to serve with my unique skills and experience to make the club better and give our members more visibility and access to events, people, and information. 

Dennis Mark, Audi Club Chicagoland Chapter

I am a hardworking, hands-on, DIYer and an Audi enthusiast who is committed to growing the club and supporting a variety of great events that appeal to our members’ and potential members’ interests. I was first introduced to the club through a track day at Blackhawk farms where I was impressed with the professional and friendly instruction and the utmost attention to safety. Many years later, I was finally able to own an Audi after longing for the technologically advanced powertrain and European handling of a German sport sedan for most of my life. I immediately joined the Audi club to start taking part in the track days, autocrosses and car shows that the club offered.  

As our local chapter events began to wane about seven years ago, as a volunteer, I stepped up to help plan and conduct some drives and some get-togethers at local restaurants. During those events and while assisting with some cars and coffees, I met and got to know John Haniotes well as he was then serving as the Social Chair. Soon after, when the opportunity arose, we both ran for the board with a shared vision of rebuilding our chapter by adapting to changing preferences and listening to members’ ideas and the events they enjoyed the most.  

While serving on the Chicagoland board as Secretary and President over the last five years I have had the great pleasure of meeting and becoming good friends with Audi enthusiasts, fellow volunteers and like-minded gear heads. I’ve also gotten to know some of the other regional chapter and national leaders within the organization, sharing and learning from best practices. Along with the other hard-working volunteers on the board, we have endeavored to refresh and build a healthy calendar of events for us all to enjoy. In addition, our chapter’s social media presence is now well established and growing every day, helping to connect Audi enthusiasts in the region to each other and to the events in which they can enjoy their vehicles and their passions for the brand.  

If elected, I would like to continue the momentum that the Audi club has built, growing our membership base and helping however I can to support our collective efforts in providing opportunities for Audi enthusiasts to share our passion for this fine brand, to experience the joy of driving, and to share our love of our automobiles with our friends and families.