Candidate Q&A: Linda Weber
AANR president Linda Weber on her first term, the membership challenge, and why the status quo isn't working
Every two years, AANR members elect the volunteers who run the largest nudist organization in North America. This year’s ballot includes candidates for secretary/treasurer, vice president, and regional trustee seats—most of them uncontested. Then there’s the presidential race. Two candidates, and all the attention that comes with it.
The AANR presidency is an unpaid volunteer position—no salary, no staff of your own, considerable responsibility. The president chairs the Board of Trustees and is the most visible face of the organization, but holds no voting power except to break a tie. It carries real weight, and the person in that chair sets a tone that ripples through everything the organization does.
Planet Nude sent identical written questions to both candidates. Their answers are published in full, in separate posts, unedited.
A disclosure: I currently serve as AANR’s PR Committee chair, which puts me in the unusual position of covering an election I have a seat near. I’ve worked alongside both candidates and have genuine respect for each. I’ve tried to let that inform the fairness of the questions rather than the softness of them—and they aren’t soft questions. I don’t think AANR is well served by soft ones, and this isn’t a PR exercise. Editorial independence is the whole point of doing this here.
The following interview is with Linda Weber, the incumbent AANR president seeking a second term. She came to the role not through a traditional organizational climb but through a membership growth plan she developed that caught enough attention that people encouraged her to run. Her first term has focused on modernizing AANR’s membership structure and making the presidency more visible and accessible to members.
Voting opened May 1 and closes June 20.
Both candidates answered the same questions. The Joe Rives interview is here →
How did you become a nudist or naturist, and what made you want to lead the organization that represents it?
I was about 13 when I realized clothes were being used as a judgment tool in school. Impressions were based on the clothes we wore, not getting to know the person. At home, I started sleeping nude which was great because I didn’t get hot or tangled up in my nightgown. I started coming home from school and taking my clothes off. My parents didn’t see it as an act of rebellion; it was more like I just didn’t like the feeling of clothing on me. I didn’t realize there was a word for it—nudism or naturism—nor did I realize there were other like-minded people out in the world. My family didn’t join in but they didn’t stop me either. I was fortunate to discover nudity in my formative years because it gave me the confidence body positivity brings at that critical juncture in adolescence.
I actually had no plans as to running for AANR President however, after participating in the combined Member Marketing/PR Committee; I realized there weren’t any plans to grow the membership. I came up with a 10-point plan that got the attention of a number of people. Nine of the objectives were embraced. That is when people started encouraging me to run for President. After much deliberation with my husband, I decided that I wanted to have a hand in returning AANR to an organization members and Clubs would be proud to be a part of.
What do people—members and non-members alike—most commonly get wrong about AANR, and why does it matter?
I don’t think people really have a grasp of what AANR is and what it does as an organization. If you ask our members, they sometimes can’t even describe what the organization stands for. This is a failing on our part for not educating both members and non-members alike about what AANR does as well as creating a modernized Mission Statement. For so long we pushed the “recreation” side of it which is the Club discounts and visiting clubs. AANR is so much more. We actively fight legislation that would literally put us all back in our houses, hidden behind closed doors as nudists. For those who have no idea, they think it is an organization for “hook-ups” and sexual adventure. Because of this lack of clarity in the minds of members and non-members alike, it hurts the organization for attracting new members as well as member retention when our messaging is so vague and unfocused. It is clear we need to work on our messaging and our goals.
What’s the most important thing AANR hasn’t fixed yet?
The organization is 95 years old and we are stuck in the “Einstellung Effect.” Rather than embracing new ideas and technology, we take comfort in relying on a familiar solution, even when a better one is available. I hear phrases like “this is the way we have always done it,” or resistance to new technology and thought processes. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. This affects every corner of our organization and the fact that change is met with resistance indicates we have individuals in the organization who are uncomfortable making decisions, though right for the organization and our members, which may lead to active discourse and uncomfortable changes. As an organization, we need to seek out and reward progressive thinkers and out-of-the-box ideas rather than deciding to kick the can down the road for another administration to deal with.
Keeping and growing membership is one of AANR’s most pressing challenges. What’s your actual plan to address it—and how is it different from what’s already been tried?
I brought into policy two initiatives that have been put into practice and are showing their value so far. One is the “Dual Direct Option” which allows two people residing at the same location to avail themselves of a $15 discount if they signed up or renewed together. This opened up a lot more opportunities than the limited “Couples Discount.” Everyone loves a discount and this was a way of recapturing many people who left after the previous discount ended and was one thing I heard about when I was campaigning for my first term. The other initiative is “Auto Renewal.” With all that is going on in our lives, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of everything that we have membership in. This was initiated in July of last year so we will see an uptick in member retention in July 2026.
As to looking to the future, I have been working with individuals who feel they would join if they had possibilities within a decent distance of their home. By focusing on “non-landed or social Clubs,” this opens up opportunities for more people to join others in social nudity. We have seen a burgeoning of these new Clubs as well as Participating Businesses due to listening to our members and contacting existing groups to see if they would like to link with AANR. Many have never been contacted before or if they did, no follow-up was done to work with them to affiliate with AANR.
The AANR president is a volunteer with limited formal power. What specifically can you do in this role—and what can’t you?
Not a lot of people know that as President of AANR, you are the most visible person with daily responsibilities however; the position has no voting power with the rare exception of a tie by the Trustees. The Trustees hold the voting power and the way the organization is supposed to work is that the Trustees make decisions based on what is the best for the membership. Personal agendas have often gotten in the way of serving our membership. In this voting year, we are finally seeing more than one candidate for some of the positions which means the members get a real choice in who they want to represent their interests. Rather than remain a figurehead of the organization, I have worked to make the role as visible and available to the membership. I am a part of every Committee within AANR to support the work that is being done by our volunteers. I attend the Meet and Greets twice-monthly to get in front of our members and answer questions and have done so for four years. I answer every email or letter addressed to me personally, as well as answer inquiries on social media platforms.
AANR operates in an increasingly online world but has struggled to build a consistent digital presence. What does a real communications strategy look like, and what’s the president’s role in building one?
This has been something that has perplexed me even when I was a Director. Why aren’t we where the people are—members and prospective members alike? When I suggested that the Regions, which many struggle to find a volunteer who is versed on social media, turn this responsibility over to AANR so we could have consistent messaging, it was met with resource-guarding and opposition. One Region has no social media presence on any platform. I have been an online advocate for over seven years. I have watched the evolution of online content. I didn’t just hop on while I was campaigning. Leadership does not understand the value and power of social media because they are not on it. With that mindset, AANR will never be at the forefront of any kind of digital presence. Until we can appeal to those in Leadership positions as to the importance of social media and its ability to get our message out, we will always be at the back of the pack in our communication. We need people who have grown up with and use social media and who understand its value. I also do not believe we should rely on volunteers to handle such a vital role. My recommendation is to have a paid position with someone who is well-versed in social media as well as creating and maintaining a digital presence with a real connection to our members and prospects.
AANR has a government affairs function that most members probably don’t think about until something goes wrong—a beach closure, a local ordinance, a legal threat to a club. How do you strengthen that work, and do you see public relations as part of that fight or separate from it?
For many years, the focus for AANR has been to highlight the “recreation” part of the organization, the Clubs, and the discounts we give our members. The discounts are important to many people and this is not to negate these benefits however, if legislation like the bills we are currently seeing in 2026 legislates us out of business, what advantage was that focus? The work the Government Affairs Team (GAT) does is vital in protecting our nude privileges year after year. I emphasized we needed to uplift the work and inform our members more about this part of AANR. We have our “GAT Challenges” to raise awareness as well as much-needed funds. We also have “5 Minutes of Advocacy” at the beginning of our AANR Online Meet and Greets as well as an Advocacy Breakout Room where Executive Director Erich Schuttauf speaks about bills that AANR is currently monitoring and what work can be done to educate the legislators on how these bills may inadvertently be snaring us in their net. Our Weekly Friday email also contains updates from our GAT Chair on legislation and the number of bills being monitored.
Public Relations is an integral part of disseminating information however, we need to walk a fine line. AANR protects the privacy of members who need assistance. With legislation, changes happen often on a daily basis and we don’t want outdated information disseminated. This causes a conundrum; how do we get the word out about the work being done without jeopardizing our strategy?
What does success look like at the end of your two-year term—and why does any of this matter to you personally?
Success to me means the members feel they are being served, listened to, and appreciated, and that AANR is poised to reclaim the title of “largest nudist organization in the world.” As a servant leader, I prioritize growth, well-being, and the wants of our members over being called “President.” I value feedback on what we are not getting right to focus on improving the experience rather than accolades and a title. This is deeply ingrained in me and deeply personal. My job would be a lot easier if I didn’t put 110% in but then I would be letting down the members, as well as myself, and we can no longer accept the status quo.
It would be an honor and a privilege to be re-elected to another term as President because that would indicate the members are seeing the right changes being made and that the organization is improving. I want to be able to continue to advance the organization for our members and Clubs as we near our 100th AANRversary in 2031. 🪐
Both candidates answered the same questions. The Joe Rives interview is here →