Committees

The operations of NASPA are managed by a number of committees. These are divided into Main and Working Committees, as explained below. Committees should follow NASPA’s Committee rules.

Main Committees

Committee	Email	Mandate
Advisory Board	email	to advise the Executive Committee, act as an appellate body for the rulings of Working Committees, and to act as a general disciplinary body for association members
Executive Committee	email	to be responsible to the Board of Trustees for the management of association operations, and to supervise all other committees
Steering Committee		to offer informal advice to the Executive Committee based on its original role in guiding the formation of the association

Working Committees

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

Committee	Email	Mandate
Canadian Committee	email	to manage matters pertaining solely to Canadian and not to American players
Championship Committee	email	to organize Scrabble championships in the United States and Canada
Club/Director Committee	email	to supervise official NASPA clubs and directors in the United States and Canada
Community Advocate	email	to provide a safe environment for members reporting cases of harassment within the association
Dictionary Committee	email	to maintain the tournament lexicon
Forward Energy Committee	email	examine NASPA opportunities for improvement, and make recommendations to the appropriate governing bodies in NASPA including the Executive Committee
IDEA Committee	email	to address issues of inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility within our community
International Committee	email	to manage the association's relationship with organizations and events outside the United States and Canada
Membership Committee	email	to service association membership needs
Pairings Committee	email	to evaluate and certify pairing algorithms for tournament use
Publications Committee	email	to prepare documents for publication as required by other committees
Ratings and Recognition Committee	email	to ensure that the association has the best possible rating system and to recognize our player achievements
Rules Committee	email	to formulate the club and tournament game rules
Social Media Committee	email	to facilitate NASPA communication via social media
Technology Committee	email	to evaluate and certify equipment used by players and directors
Tournament Committee	email	to oversee officially sanctioned NASPA tournaments
Web Committee	email	to provide for the association's IT needs
Zyzzyva Committee	email	to maintain Zyzzyva software

Inactive Committees

The following committees are currently inactive.

Committee	Email	Mandate
Director Manual Committee	email	to edit the Director Manual
Finance Committee	email	to draft the association's annual budget
History Committee	email	to record the history of competitive Scrabble activity in the United States and Canada
Marketing Committee	email	to develop and implement marketing strategies for NASPA
Test Committee	email	to be used internally for database software testing

Historical Background

In December 2008, Hasbro and the NSA invited a group of players to form the NSA Steering Committee (SC) and to brainstorm ideas for divesting the responsibility for organized SCRABBLE play from the NSA while keeping it going under some user-paid system. There was unanimity to implement a membership fee/participation fee structure.

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 (collectively called the NASPA executive and making up two-thirds of the Executive Committee). 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.

See also

List of all committee members.

2014 Committee Reports