Committees

The operations of NASPA are managed by a number of committees.

In December 2008, Hasbro and the NSA invited a group of players to form the NSA Steering Committee (SC), to brainstorm ideas for divesting the NSA of responsibility for organized SCRABBLE play while keeping it going under some user-paid system. In January and February, the SC corresponded frequently online and came up with the basic plan for what would become NASPA. As several deadlines approached, the focus of the SC shifted from planning to implementation. Members volunteered for working subcommittees corresponding to their areas of interest and expertise, reporting to SC cochairs Chris Cree and John Chew. In March, as the new organization was legally incorporated this structure was formalized, with the SC working subcommittees becoming NASPA working committees, and the SC cochairs becoming NASPA copresidents. The NSA Steering Committee continues to exist as a trusted group of advisors to the NASPA executive, and will continue to be consulted concerning the future of the association.

Main committees

The Steering Committee is a group of players and directors appointed by the NSA to manage the establishment of NASPA. It advises the NASPA executive concerning the transition from the NSA to NASPA and the future of NASPA.

The Advisory Board, transferred from the NSA to NASPA, acts as a disciplinary and general advisory body.

Working Committees

The following committees conduct much of NASPA’s ongoing business, and report (in most cases weekly) to the NASPA executive.

• The Budget Committee drafts the association’s annual budget.
• The Canadian Committee is responsible for matters affecting only Canadian players.
• The Championship Committee organizes major SCRABBLE championships.
• The Club Committee deals with officially sanctioned SCRABBLE clubs.
• The History Committee records the history of NASPA and organized SCRABBLE activities in the United States and Canada.
• The Marketing Committee promotes the association and its activities.
• The Membership Committee deals with the needs of NASPA members.
• The Newsletter Committee will be responsible for the association’s newsletter and its print and online editions.
• The Tournament Committee deals with officially sanctioned SCRABBLE tournaments.
• The Web Committee deals with the development and maintenance of the association’s online presence.

NSA committees

The following committees report to the NSA as of now, but will be transferred to NASPA during 2009:

• The Dictionary Committee revises the game lexicon to reflect the evolution of the language.
• The Pairings Committee evaluates and certifies pairing algorithms for tournament use.
• The Ratings and Recognition Committee revises the rating system to improve its accuracy, and finds other ways to recognize outstanding players.
• The Rules Committee formulates the club and tournament game rules.
• The Technology Committee evaluates and certifies equipment used by players and directors.

See also

List of all committee members.