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Difference between revisions of "2020 Advisory Board Elections"

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(US Northeast: 2020 - Added James Flomo)
(US Northeast: 2020-05-16 - Changed reference to activities)
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In 1997, a 5-member team of the National SCRABBLE Association of Liberia, including myself, was invited to participate in the World SCRABBLE Championship held in Washington DC. Unfortunately, Liberia could not participate due to political upheaval and civil crisis at the time.
 
In 1997, a 5-member team of the National SCRABBLE Association of Liberia, including myself, was invited to participate in the World SCRABBLE Championship held in Washington DC. Unfortunately, Liberia could not participate due to political upheaval and civil crisis at the time.
 
   
 
   
Again in 1998, an invitation was accorded us to participate in the then National SCRABBLE Championship held in Chicago (IL), and we did commit ourselves to participate. Since then, I have continued to actively play professional SCRABBLE both at the national and club levels. A synopsis of my profile and activities with NASPA can be found [[James Flomo |here]].
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Again in 1998, an invitation was accorded us to participate in the then National SCRABBLE Championship held in Chicago (IL), and we did commit ourselves to participate. Since then, I have continued to actively play professional SCRABBLE both at the national and club levels. A synopsis of my profile and activities with NASPA can be found on the Association’s Website for your easiest perusal.
  
 
I can, therefore, assure you that if nominated and elected as one of your Advisory Board Committee Members, I will faithfully and diligently execute the duties assigned me – to assist the Executive Committee to decide matters of policy and adjudicate appeals on decisions made by other committees of the Association. Hence, I am committed to ensuring that we not only professionally play the game, but find ways to continuously improve the game worldwide and encourage more people to join our endeavors.
 
I can, therefore, assure you that if nominated and elected as one of your Advisory Board Committee Members, I will faithfully and diligently execute the duties assigned me – to assist the Executive Committee to decide matters of policy and adjudicate appeals on decisions made by other committees of the Association. Hence, I am committed to ensuring that we not only professionally play the game, but find ways to continuously improve the game worldwide and encourage more people to join our endeavors.

Revision as of 21:39, 16 May 2020

In 2020, NASPA plans to hold an election for four 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 chose members in:

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

Nominees

Canada

US Midwest

Candidate Candidate Statement
Paul Wood


[head shot]

Playing SCRABBLE has been a unique way for a player to grow in self belief and confidence. As a Board member I will seek to support, strengthen and enable each member of NASPA and those who wish to become members, in growing in both their playing skills and their own personal skills and development. Working with other Board members, I will engage in actively promoting SCRABBLE in all its formats within the United States, and beyond the borders as appropriate.

I see the growing importance of School SCRABBLE tournaments and development of the youth as a solid foundation for the growth of SCRABBLE worldwide.

US Northeast

Candidate Candidate Statement
James Flomo


[head shot]

Greetings to my fellow professional SCRABBLE members of the North American SCRABBLE Players Association (NASPA). Our social gathering has partially crumbled and been impacted by isolation and shelter-in-place policies as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nonetheless, our abilities to actively network various social media in these difficult times remain unchanged, as some of us constantly connect online and play scrabble virtually.

I am James Flomo, a resident of Prince George’s County (MD) and a member of both the District of Columbia and Bowie sanctioned SCRABBLE Clubs. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and am married with children.

I am formally registering my interest to be nominated and elected to the NASPA Advisory Board in June 2020.

I came to the United States in 1998 upon an invitation to participate in the 1998 then National SCRABBLE Championship held in Chicago (IL).

My passion and love for the SCRABBLE game date as far back as 1978 while in my junior year in high school in my native land, Liberia. Never did I think that I would have been socially intertwined or occupied my time with the “world’s most popular indoor game." My interest at the time was purposely recreational – intended to only boost my word power and vocabulary in competing in spelling contests.

Little did I know that I would one day become a professional SCRABBLE player competing with fellow professionals in sanctioned tournaments around the world. In 1995, my passion for the game further grew actively when I became the first organizer and chairman of the SCRABBLE game in Liberia, West Africa. I was instrumental in having the game officially registered and recognized as a professional indoor game (like other games such as soccer and basketball) with the Ministry of Youth & Sports in Liberia, West Africa.

In 1997, a 5-member team of the National SCRABBLE Association of Liberia, including myself, was invited to participate in the World SCRABBLE Championship held in Washington DC. Unfortunately, Liberia could not participate due to political upheaval and civil crisis at the time.

Again in 1998, an invitation was accorded us to participate in the then National SCRABBLE Championship held in Chicago (IL), and we did commit ourselves to participate. Since then, I have continued to actively play professional SCRABBLE both at the national and club levels. A synopsis of my profile and activities with NASPA can be found on the Association’s Website for your easiest perusal.

I can, therefore, assure you that if nominated and elected as one of your Advisory Board Committee Members, I will faithfully and diligently execute the duties assigned me – to assist the Executive Committee to decide matters of policy and adjudicate appeals on decisions made by other committees of the Association. Hence, I am committed to ensuring that we not only professionally play the game, but find ways to continuously improve the game worldwide and encourage more people to join our endeavors.


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 four 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, 2020.
  • 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:

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 2020 North American SCRABBLE Championship (NASC) to the 2022 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.