2025 Advisory Board Elections

In 2025, NASPA plans to hold an election for three members of its Advisory Board (AB).

The composition of the AB over the years under NASPA is available at this website.

Electoral Districts

This year’s election will choose members in:

• At Large
• Canada
• US Midwest: IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI
• US Northeast: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT
• US West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY

Nominees

US Midwest

Candidate

Candidate Statement

Paul Wood

Scrabble is a wonderful game which allows the young to play the old, the novice to rise to the challenge of playing against the experts. A game that allows one to grow confident in the use of the wonderful words in the English language. As a member of the Board, I have been privileged to see the behind-the-scenes work of making sure that the ethics of the game are upheld. To see how plans for the Scrabble Players Championship are shaped. I have seen how the board works diligently to ensure that complaints of any nature that are raised to the board are reviewed, examined and adjudication given. How the board will always seek to protect players from harassment, cheating and undue pressure to keep quiet when infractions occur. I believe I have been able to contribute to many important discussions and reviews. It is my wish to continue to support not only the Advisory Board, but all Scrabble players going forward, to ensure the name of Scrabble is continued to be held in high esteem. } US Northeast US West Voting Voting will take place from June 1–30 inclusive, Eastern Time. Votes will be accepted by paper or electronically. Any current NASPA member can vote for (at most) one candidate for each of the five contested seats, regardless of the region of residency. Paper votes may be sent to NASPA by postal mail and must arrive during the voting period to be accepted. Paper votes are not anonymous and must identify the voter and their vote. Electronic votes should be made through the Member Services link at the NASPA website. Electronic votes will be anonymous, except inasmuch as a skilled person with access to the NASPA server could eventually reconstruct voting information. The winner of each election will be determined by plurality. If an election ends in a tie, a lottery or coin toss will be used to break the tie. Winners will be announced at the beginning of July, as soon as the votes are tabulated. Any disputes about the elections process will be decided by the AB, excluding those members running for reelection. Nominations Electoral candidates must meet all of the following criteria: They must be a NASPA member in good standing. They must accept the nomination during the nomination period of May 1–31, 2025. They must be at least 21 years of age. They must be prepared to comply with the obligations of NASPA committee members. They must submit a platform statement. They do not need to be a certified director, have a high tournament rating or serve on another committee, but neither do these qualifications exclude them. Incumbent members may stand for reelection. Nomination Process Nominations will take place from May 1–31 inclusive, Eastern Time. To nominate yourself, send your name and platform statement to info@scrabbleplayers.org. To nominate someone else, send the candidate's name to info@scrabbleplayers.org. Nominated candidates will be contacted and asked if they agree to run. If so, they will be asked to send their platform statements. Platform Statement A platform statement is a brief statement that describes a candidate's qualifications, background, platform, and any other information that might be of use to voters, for posting to this webpage. You can view the platform statements of previous candidates here. “Good Standing” For the purposes of this election, a NASPA member is considered to be in good standing if: Their membership has been valid since the beginning of the 2023 Scrabble Players Championship - July 14, 2023 Their membership will be valid at least through the scheduled end of the 2025 Scrabble Players Championship - August 13, 2025 They have not been under suspension at any time since the beginning of the 2023 Scrabble Players Championship - July 14, 2023 Background Information The AB acts as a liaison between the membership and the Executive Committee (EC), helps the EC decide matters of policy, and adjudicates appeals on decisions made by other committees. AB members should possess: Good communication skills The ability to work well in a group situation A willingness to make tough decisions on sensitive or controversial issues AB members serve a 2-year term. The upcoming term runs from the 2025 Scrabble Players Championship (SPC) to the 2027 SPC. Most AB business is conducted during monthly conference calls and over email in which AB members are expected to participate. Also, many AB members take on additional projects.