Dear WGPO members,
I’m writing today on behalf of the WGPO board to officially inform you that our board president, Steve Pellinen, stepped down from his post recently to focus on his health. The remaining members of the board have unanimously agreed to appoint Laurie Cohen president in his stead. Conrad Bassett-Bouchard and I (Will Anderson) will become co-vice presidents to backfill Laurie’s role
Long before I ran for any elected Scrabble position, I greatly respected Steve for his wisdom and selflessness in serving our community. My time on the WGPO board has only deepened that respect. As the board works to take on Steve’s many responsibilities, I find myself amazed and inspired by the sheer amount of work Steve has done for WGPO and for Scrabble more generally, all while managing serious health issues.
In fact, while I’m proud of the work the board has done to keep WGPO’s business moving, including preparations for Word Cup 2023, sponsorship of the School Scrabble Championship, our ongoing website rebuild, support of regional tournaments, and much more, the simple fact is that Steve will be impossible to replace.
Nevertheless, as the board’s longest serving member and as a highly respected presence in the Scrabble community, Laurie is the right choice to take on Steve’s office. The rest of the board will support her to the best of our abilities.
We hope you will join us in wishing Steve well, and we thank you for your patience as we strive towards a great year for WGPO in 2023!
For the WGPO board,
Will Anderson