Note from Jennifer Clinchy, Executive Director: Welcoming new perspectives and talent is important to us, and we’re grateful to have new, inspired volunteers join our ranks with each passing year. Today, I’m delighted to introduce our newest CoCo volunteer, Tony Boyle. In his first two months as a CoCo volunteer, Tony has created a magical Excel file that automates lexicon updates and comparisons for our international cheat sheet. He has also learned how to edit our website, including by preparing the blogs and web pages for our 2024 elections. I’m turning the rest of this blog over to Tony to tell you everything you’ll need to know about this year’s elections.

For five years now, the CoCo as an organization has lived by the core values of democracy and accountability. We continue to believe that players and directors deserve to have an organization that listens to them, represents them, and acts in their best interests.

This month, we plan to continue that commitment to the player community by holding our fifth annual leadership elections. All CoCo leadership positions are elected, making this season your opportunity to guide the direction of Scrabble in North America. Now is the time for the many, many players that have ideas, skills, and motivation to step up and improve the Scrabble community. We hope that you choose to dedicate your energy and enthusiasm for Scrabble to better our wonderful community.

All CoCo members who reside in North America are eligible to run for election to serve as Executive Director or as a member of the Board of Directors. The Executive Director leads the organization, while the Board is the principal decision-making and governing body. All elected Board members serve two-year terms, while the Executive Director serves a one-year term. You can learn more about each role on our Leadership page. People elected to leadership positions in this election cycle will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2025. This cycle, three Board seats and the one Executive Director position are up for election.

The CoCo’s fourth incarnation of its leadership team has stewarded growth in the tournament scene, adding more and more tournaments each quarter. In the past four years, our membership base has grown to nearly 400 Collins players. We’ve welcomed on board more than 30 tournament directors and organizers and sanctioned tournaments across the country, including our first multi-day event in Canada.

The momentum continues to build, making this a great time to join the CoCo team. To run for election, click the button below to register as a candidate by Saturday, Nov. 30. After registration closes, we will announce the candidates here; then, we’ll send out anonymous ballots so that all CoCo members can vote for their future leaders.

The CoCo is run by a community of volunteers and leaders willing to devote their time and energy to others. We’d love to hear from you, and we welcome all interested candidates.