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) 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 or 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.

Committees should follow NASPA’s Committee rules.

Main committees

Committee	Description	Yahoo! Group
Executive Committee	The main executive body of NASPA, consisting of NASPA copresidents.
Steering Committee	Group of players and directors appointed by the NSA to manage the establishment of NASPA. It advises the Executive Committee concerning the transition from the NSA to NASPA and the future of NASPA.	webpage email
Advisory Board	Transferred from the NSA to NASPA, acts as a disciplinary and general advisory body.	webpage email

Working Committees

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

Committee	Description	Yahoo! Group
Bulletin Committee	Publishes the NASPA Bulletin
Canadian Committee	Responsible for matters affecting only Canadian players	webpage email
Championship Committee	Organizes major SCRABBLE championships	webpage email
Club/Director Committee	Deals with officially sanctioned SCRABBLE clubs and directors	webpage email
Dictionary Committee	Revises the game lexicon to reflect the evolution of the language	webpage email
Director’s Manual Committee	Updates the Director’s Manual	webpage email
Finance Committee	Drafts the association’s annual budget
Governance Committee	Inactive.
History Committee	Records the history of NASPA and organized SCRABBLE activities in the United States and Canada.	webpage email
International Committee	Coordinates international communications and events.
Marketing Committee	Inactive	webpage email
Membership Committee	Deals with the needs of NASPA members	webpage email
Pairings Committee	Evaluates and certifies pairing algorithms for tournament use	webpage email
Ratings and Recognition Committee	Revises the rating system to improve its accuracy, and finds other ways to recognize outstanding players
Rules Committee	Formulates the club and tournament game rules
Technology Committee	Evaluates and certifies equipment used by players and directors	webpage email
Tournament Committee	Deals with officially sanctioned SCRABBLE tournaments	webpage email
Web Committee	Deals with the development and maintenance of the association’s online presence	webpage email

See also

List of all committee members.