2019 Advisory Board Elections

In 2019, NASPA planned 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.

Election Results

There were no contested seats after the nomination process so an election was not needed.

See our iContact announcement giving full results of the election.

Electoral Districts

This year’s election chose members in:

• US South: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
• US West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
• At Large

Nominees

US South

Candidate	Candidate Statement
Andy Hoang	Growing the game of SCRABBLE has been my priority since 2009 and will be my priority for NASPA moving forward. Hi, my name is Andy Hoang, and I would be so honored and humbled to serve as your Advisory Board member because I have the vision, voice, and track record of growing and advocating for the game we all love to play. SCRABBLE is more than just a game we indulge in - it is a big part of our life. Take this from a former School SCRABBLE player who found his identity with the SCRABBLE community. If the competitive, organized SCRABBLE scene is to grow in the future, we must address our basic concerns: numbers. A lot of people will bring up this problem many times but I have a clear vision that has proven successful. School SCRABBLE has shown to be a successful program that exposes young students to the competitive SCRABBLE world. These young players will be the future of this game as we all age. That is why I have focused the last 10 years on getting young students involved with SCRABBLE and as your Advisory Board member, I will work to grow the SCRABBLE community. You might be tempted to ask the fair question: "Can Andy Hoang even drink alcohol legally? Can he even vote?" Those are fantastic points about my age. Despite my age, I have actually been playing competitive SCRABBLE since before NASPA was even an organization. If you think the competitive SCRABBLE scene is on the decline or could use a new direction, what better place to look than someone who would be the only person in the room with a horizontal Driver’s License? We all need someone who will bring fresh ideas and rejuvenated blood into the decision-makers at NASPA. As a 21 year-old, the future of SCRABBLE means a lot to me and that is why I will fight for you and this community we so love.
Mike Willis	Hello Fellow SCRABBLErs - My name is Mike Willis, and I am asking for your vote to allow me to serve on the NASPA Advisory Board. I am qualified to be a good representative because I have experienced what it is like to form and build a successful NASPA club, I have organized and directed NASPA tournaments, I have formed and served on NASPA Committees, and most importantly, I am a player who has attended so many clubs and tourneys throughout America and knows the challenges which exist in our playing community. I know the concerns of players, organizers, and directors because I have and continue to face the very same concerns. I can relate first hand. I am not hesitant to take a stand for what each of you are telling me you feel is important, even when that is a tough battle. Your voice needs to be heard. I frequently reach out to the directors and players to hear what their opinion is, and I will fight hard for what you tell me you want. We have much to be proud of, but we also have a lot of room for improvement. We need to GROW our community by bringing in new players and reuniting with those who have taken a different path. Please cast your vote for me and reach out to me for a discussion of anything SCRABBLE which concerns you. I will call you or email you right away to listen carefully to what you have to say. Reach me at tilebag1@sbcglobal.net. Thanks for your support!

US West

Candidate	Candidate Statement

At Large

Candidate

Candidate Statement

Josh Greenway

Hello Scrabblers! My name is Josh Greenway and you may know me as the host of NASPA Tonight, the co-chair of NASPA’s Social Media committee, the NASC’s and CNSC’s social media coordinator, a co-director of the annual Lake George (NY) and Kingston (ON) tournaments, or as a player of 1500+ games over 10 years. If you don’t know me, I’d be very happy to meet you, as SCRABBLE people are pretty much my favourite kind of people. I’m hoping to earn your vote to continue serving as your At Large representative on NASPA’s Advisory Board. All of the work I do for NASPA centers around one goal: creating the infrastructure necessary to attract new members. This includes massively expanding our online presence on YouTube and Facebook, an ongoing project to create a second NASPA website (for the specific purpose of giving potential new members a first impression of our game and community), helping to get the NASPA Social Media Reps program started and funded, and expanding and improving the content of our annual NASC live stream. I work hard, have a positive attitude, and believe tournament SCRABBLE has a big future. If you reward me with your vote, I'll keep working hard for you. Thanks!

Voting

No election was needed.

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, 2019.
• 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 2017 North American SCRABBLE Championship - July 22, 2017
• Their membership will be valid at least through the end of the 2018 North American SCRABBLE Championship - July 24, 2019
• They have not been under suspension at any time since the beginning of the 2017 North American SCRABBLE Championship - July 22, 2017

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 2019 North American SCRABBLE Championship (NASC) to the 2021 NASC.

Most AB business is conducted during monthly conference calls and over email which AB members are expected to participate in. Also, many AB members take on additional projects.