May 2026 Staffing and Organizational Announcement

IFPA·article·analyzed·May 1, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

IFPA adds three new staff members: Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, Claire Lickman

Summary

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

Leslie Ruckman has competed in pinball scenes across Chicago, California, and Seattle
high confidence · Official IFPA staff announcement bio
Stephanie Traub started competitive pinball in 2016 and is the current IFPA Virginia state representative
high confidence · Official IFPA staff announcement bio
Claire Lickman won the UK Pinfest Ladies tournament in 2024 and placed 3rd at WEPC in 2026
high confidence · Official IFPA staff announcement bio
Claire Lickman will host WEPC (World Extreme Pinball Championship) in 2027
high confidence · Official IFPA staff announcement bio
Stephanie Traub previously served as the first IFPA Women's District of Columbia representative
high confidence · 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

Leslie RuckmanpersonStephanie TraubpersonClaire LickmanpersonIFPAorganization Killer QueengamePinhausvenueEast Anglian Pinball leagueorganizationEast Anglian Pinball OpeneventUK PinfesteventWEPCevent

Signals

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personnel_signal: IFPA announces three new staff members with strong competitive and tournament organizing backgrounds
high · Official announcement of Leslie Ruckman, Stephanie Traub, and Claire Lickman joining IFPA team
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community_signal: All three new IFPA staff members are women; focus on growing women's participation and leadership in pinball
high · All three hires are female; Claire's bio explicitly states she is 'excited to encourage more women and new talent into pinball'
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event_signal: WEPC 2027 will be hosted by Claire Lickman in the UK, indicating major international pinball championship coming to new location
high · Announcement states 'to host WEPC in 2027'
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competitive_signal: New staff members represent strong tournament organizing credentials across multiple regions (US, UK)
high · Leslie has competed across multiple US regions; Stephanie is tournament/league director in DC/Maryland/Virginia; Claire organizes East Anglian Pinball Open

Transcript

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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.