Stephen McGill [right] has replaced Matthew Kewriga on the American Philatelic Society board of directors as a Director-at-Large. Kewriga resigned from the American Philatelic Society Board of Directors, effective Wednesday, October 11, 2023. He cited his need to focus on family and new business. Earlier this year, Kewriga and his family relocated from San Francisco to Virginia, and he started an auction firm, Kewriga Auctions. He held his first public sale at the Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland, Ohio. He had been elected to the Board in 2022.

Under Section 5.7(a) of the APS Bylaws, the APS President appoints a replacement for the remainder of the term, subject to the approval of the APS Board of Directors. McGill’s term, formerly Kewriga’s, ends in August 2025.

The Board confirmed President Cheryl Ganz’s appointment of McGill at its October 19 meeting.

“We’re so excited to have Steve join the APS Board. He’s internationally recognized for his research, leadership, and commitment to sharing his knowledge with others. Steve started and still runs a successful business outside the hobby,” said Ganz on appointing McGill, “He is going to be a great asset for moving organized philately forward.”

McGill joined the APS in April 1998. He is an accredited APS Philatelic Judge and Treasurer of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors. McGill has also been a regular instructor at the APS Summer Seminar on British Philately.

He started collecting stamps as a child but took a break to raise a family and develop his business. He returned in the late 1990s, focusing on Great Britain, China, Russia, and portions of Scandinavia.

Beginning in 2000, Steve’s interest in modern Great Britain accelerated as an active member of the Great Britain Collectors Club, where he served as President, the Great Britain Philatelic Society and the Royal Philatelic Society of London (Fellow). Chance encounters with a few British modern material collectors in the U.K. and prodding from a local (Colorado) philatelic judge pushed Steve into first exhibiting the Machin definitive series in 2008.

With the help of many philatelic judges, an excellent U.K. dealer, and support from like-minded enthusiasts, the early exhibit has morphed into three displays covering early British postal mechanization efforts (the origin of the Machin), the Denominated portion of the series and the No-Value-Indicated printings (British equivalent of U.S. ‘forever’ stamps). The exhibits have won numerous awards in the U.S. and U.K., including the World Series of Philately Grand Awards and the George Brett Cup. He most recently took the Grand Award at Indypex 2023 for his Britain’s Marvelous Machins exhibit. Steve has also served as a regular instructor on Great Britain philately at the APS Summer Seminar.

Steve’s business experience has been in the Electronics and Software industries, and he has an Aerospace Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley. Steve’s wife, Louann, attends many shows with him, and they have three young adult children in California and Colorado.

On the Kewriga Auctions website, Matt Kewriga [right] says he has been collecting stamps since age 8 and won a gold medal at age 17 for his first exhibit, of 2¢ Vermilion Bank Note material. It subsequently won Best Youth Exhibit at several international exhibitions. He also became the youngest philatelic judge ever in the United States at the age of 24. He has worked for Keleher Auctions, Matthew Bennett Philatelic Auctions, and Schuyler Rumsey. He has a degree in industrial engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.

“It’s been a pleasure having Matt on the APS Board, and I’m grateful for his service to the APS Board,” said Scott English, Executive Director, “His experiences as a young collector and in the business world brought a unique perspective to the Board. Matt will continue to be a valuable contributor now and into the future.”