# May 2026 Staffing and Organizational Announcement **Source:** IFPA **Type:** article **Published:** 2026-05-01 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.ifpapinball.com/may-2026-staffing-and-organizational-announcement/ --- ## Analysis The IFPA announces three new staff members: Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, and Claire Lickman. All three are competitive pinball players with strong tournament organizing and community leadership backgrounds. The announcement includes biographical details highlighting their competitive achievements, local scene contributions, and commitment to growing pinball participation. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Leslie Ruckman has competed in pinball scenes across Chicago, California, and Seattle — _Official IFPA staff announcement bio_ - [HIGH] Stephanie Traub started competitive pinball in 2016 and is the current IFPA Virginia state representative — _Official IFPA staff announcement bio_ - [HIGH] Claire Lickman won the UK Pinfest Ladies tournament in 2024 and placed 3rd at WEPC in 2026 — _Official IFPA staff announcement bio_ - [HIGH] Claire Lickman will host WEPC (World Extreme Pinball Championship) in 2027 — _Official IFPA staff announcement bio_ - [HIGH] Stephanie Traub previously served as the first IFPA Women's District of Columbia representative — _Official IFPA staff announcement bio_ ### Notable Quotes > "Leslie started playing pinball when she got knocked out of her first and last Killer Queen tournament. She's always had a competitive edge from her swimming days to barista and latte art competitions, so it didn't take much for pinball to pull her in." > — **IFPA (bio author)** > _Illustrates Leslie's competitive nature and how she was drawn into pinball through tournament play_ > "Claire is excited to encourage more women and new talent into pinball, and to host WEPC in 2027." > — **IFPA (bio author)** > _Indicates Claire's commitment to community growth and major upcoming event responsibility_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Leslie Ruckman | person | New IFPA staff member, competitive pinball player with experience in Chicago, California, and Seattle pinball scenes | | Stephanie Traub | person | New IFPA staff member, competitive pinball player since 2016, current IFPA Virginia state representative, tournament/league director in DC/Maryland/Virginia area | | Claire Lickman | person | New IFPA staff member, competitive pinball player since 2021, lead organizer for East Anglian Pinball Open, UK Pinfest Ladies 2024 winner, WEPC 2027 host | | IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Associations; announcing three new staff members | | Killer Queen | game | Pinball machine referenced in Leslie Ruckman's origin story | | Pinhaus | venue | Claire Lickman's home venue where she organizes tournaments | | East Anglian Pinball league | organization | Community organization in East Anglia, UK that Claire Lickman helped grow | | East Anglian Pinball Open | event | Tournament organized by Claire Lickman | | UK Pinfest | event | UK pinball tournament where Claire Lickman won Ladies division in 2024 | | WEPC | event | World Extreme Pinball Championship; Claire Lickman placed 3rd in 2026, will host in 2027 | ### Signals - **[personnel_signal]** IFPA announces three new staff members with strong competitive and tournament organizing backgrounds (confidence: high) — Official announcement of Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, and Claire Lickman joining IFPA team - **[community_signal]** All three new IFPA staff members are women; focus on growing women's participation and leadership in pinball (confidence: high) — All three hires are female; Claire's bio explicitly states she is 'excited to encourage more women and new talent into pinball' - **[event_signal]** WEPC 2027 will be hosted by Claire Lickman in the UK, indicating major international pinball championship coming to new location (confidence: high) — Announcement states 'to host WEPC in 2027' - **[competitive_signal]** New staff members represent strong tournament organizing credentials across multiple regions (US, UK) (confidence: high) — Leslie has competed across multiple US regions; Stephanie is tournament/league director in DC/Maryland/Virginia; Claire organizes East Anglian Pinball Open --- ## Transcript The IFPA is proud to announce three new members to the team: Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, and Claire Lickman! Leslie Ruckman Leslie started playing pinball when she got knocked out of her first and last Killer Queen tournament. She’s always had a competitive edge from her swimming days to barista and latte art competitions, so it didn’t take much for pinball to pull her in. Once she started playing pinball competitively, she was hooked. Unable to stay in one place for too long, Leslie has been lucky to experience the pinball scenes in Chicago, California, and Seattle. Stephanie Traub Stephanie Traub started playing competitive pinball in 2016 after enjoying it casually her whole life (her first memories of pinball involve searching for machines in hotel arcades on vacation in the late 80s and early 90s). She has since become a mainstay in her local competitive scene in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area as a tournament/league director and competitor. She is currently the IFPA Virginia state representative and previously served as the first IFPA Women’s District of Columbia representative. When not playing pinball, Stephanie enjoys traveling for music festivals (dance music is her favorite) and escaping reality in tiki bars. Claire Lickman Claire has been playing pinball competitively since 2021. She jumped in feet first, organising tournaments with her boyfriend at their home, Pinhaus, and across the UK. This evolved into growing a community in East Anglia and the East Anglian Pinball league. She is a lead organiser for the East Anglian Pinball Open. She loves the competitive element to pinball as well as creating fun, inclusive events where people enjoy themselves. Some of Claire’s proudest pinball moments was winning the UK Pinfest Ladies tournament in 2024 and 3rd place at WEPC in 2026. Claire is excited to encourage more women and new talent into pinball, and to host WEPC in 2027. We have updated our IFPA Staff page with these new bios. _(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v5)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 40d99943-8d92-4921-91d1-c692fcc9ffd4*