GET INVOLVED

GET INVOLVED WITH COMMITTEES OR THE BOARD

COMMITTEES

As the list of GAMA benefits and programs expands, we are highlighting opportunities for members to get involved and share their voice - the most recognizable being the various committees that help guide the association.

For more information or to join a committee, please send an email to david.abelson@gama.org .

Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design

Purpose: The Origins Award & Hall of Fame were created to recognize outstanding work in the tabletop game industry and are presented by the AAGAD during the Origins Game Fair.
Chair: John Rogers, Arcane Wonders
Hall of Fame Curator: Mike Elliott (HOF inductee 2017)
Staff Contact: John Stacy, GAMA, john.stacy@gama.org

Best Practices for Tabletop Media Committee

Purpose: To promote best business practices and assist with GAMA membership compliance with Federal Regulations – particularly those from the Federal Trade Commission and the US Consumer Finance Protection Bureau concerning publisher relations with media and reviewers.
Projects:

GAMA MEMBER EDUCATION & COMPLIANCE It is fair to state that most GAMA members are unaware that they are subject to Federal regulation for seemingly innocuous activities like board game reviews that were sponsored, or where the reviewer received free product. However, the video game industry has been regulated in this way for quite some time. And the most recent guidance from the Federal Trade Commission makes clear that board game reviewers/publishers are not exempt. The Committees task it to help GAMA members become aware of their legal responsibilities in this area of the law. Click here for more information.

BEST PRACTICES: The Committee is also putting together a document of best practices that we recommend GAMA members adopt to ensure their compliance with the law, while also promoting the high ethical standards for the gaming industry.

Chair: We have two committee co-chairs:
Co-Chairman: Mike Dunn mdunn@gamingtrend.com
Co-Chairman: Drew Wehrle drew@wehrlegig.com
The Board Representative is Jason Matthews jmatthews@gama.org

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee:

Purpose: To expand opportunities for marginalized people within the tabletop gaming industry through diversity education and outreach programs that leverage our diverse networks and resources to overcome existing obstacles and create new pathways within GAMA and the broader industry.

Projects:

Among other projects, the GAMA DE&I Committee oversees:
The Horizons Fellowship, a sponsorship program that supports new and prospective retailers and publishers with mentorship and funding to attend GAMA Expo.

The Inspirations Awards, a new GAMA award program that will honor inspirational members of the tabletop industry who are helping to build a diverse and inclusive future.
Tabletop Guilds, a community-led initiative to empower diverse groups within GAMA to build solidarity, generate new resources, and connect with each other.
Support of GAMA professional development.

Chair: Carrie Linden, Snowbright Studio, clinden@snowbrightstudio.com

Education Committee:

Purpose: To assist and oversee the professional development programming available to GAMA members and promote the use of gaming in the classroom setting.

Projects: The GAMA Education Committee consists of 2 subcommittees.

The Professional Development subcommittee assists the GAMA staff with ensuring quality speakers, and programming for professional development of the game industry both at GAMA EXPO, the Origins Game Fair, and periodically throughout the year via recorded seminars made available online to the GAMA membership. This Committee helps identify needed coverage in professional development and also identifies members and outside experts who are willing to share their expertise with the GAMA membership more broadly.
The Gaming in Education subcommittee helps promote the use of all forms of analog gaming in the classroom. The subcommittee is now examining successful experiments with game usage and promotion around the country and developing a set of recommendations for GAMA adoption.

Leadership:

Professional Development Committee Chairman : James Lowder jdlowder@wi.rr.com
Gaming In Education Committee Chairman : Josh Stilts josh.stilts@gmail.com
The full Committee Chairman is Jason Matthews

Market Expansion Committee:

Purpose: To promote and bring to fruition GAMA's mission . We do this through development and execution, brainstorming and beta testing, engaging in, sponsoring, and facilitating projects intended to expand tabletop gaming.

Projects:

The Library Project: The Committee worked with local libraries and game publishers to create community events. Helping to connect the local community with game publishers through game nights.
Speaker’s Bureau List: The Speakers Bureau Target Media List is for GAMA to be able to provide a curated list of experts from the tabletop industry to speak at media outlets .

Chair: Michael Maggiotto Jr., BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group , mmaggiotto@bhcagroup.com

Membership Committee:

Purpose: To help new members feel comfortable, enjoy sharing and gaining knowledge of the industry, and share the value of belonging to GAMA as well as assist in guiding conversations about existing and future member benefits and ways to support the association’s members .

Projects:

Colleagues on the Membership Committee will participate in activities such as
New member outreach and onboarding
Member recruitment and acquisition
Member benefit research
Member retention

Staff Contact: Bryan Borgman, GAMA, bryan.borgman@gama.org

Sustainability Committee:

Purpose: To be mindful of the impact that production places on the environment, and that we should help our industry learn best practices in production of games, to lessen that impact when possible .

Projects:

Collaborating with other groups outside of GAMA to collectively bring together a pool of resources of best practices in production of games to share with the membership.
Growing awareness of the ecological impact of production and encouraging manufacturers and publishers to keep best eco-friendly practices in mind when producing their games.
Creating a resource list of best practice and sustainability information to be shared on the GAMA website.
Hosting education events for GAMA members on sustainability best practices.
Supporting the Green Games Guide’s Sustainable Production Award .

Chair: Eric Price, Meijia Board Game Factory, eric.price@gama.org

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ANNUAL ELECTIONS

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors will have twelve (12) seats comprising two (2) individuals from each Voting Membership group elected by a vote of its respective members at their Annual Meeting.

The terms of Board seats are two (2) years (staggered), with six (6) seats (one for each Voting Membership Group) expiring each year at the end of March. Board Members serve for no more than three (3) consecutive full two (2)-year terms. Board Members elected at Voting Membership Groups’ Annual Meetings, begin their term April 1. A Board Member’s term of office lasts until completion of the term, they resign, or are removed from office. Board Members who have reached their term limit must wait at least one year before running for a seat on the Board again.

At any Voting Membership group’s Annual Meeting, if by the end of March multiple seats representing that group will be vacant, Board Members must be chosen to fill each of them. In the event that more than one Board Member is elected at any Voting Membership Group’s Annual Meeting, the newly elected Board Member who received the most votes will serve a two-year term, while the newly elected Board Member receiving the second most votes will serve a single one-year term.

For the first transition year, and the end of the first March following the adoption of these Bylaws, each Voting Membership Group shall be considered to have one (1) vacancy on the Board of Directors for the purpose of constituting the new Board of Directors. In addition, the last four (4) Board Members, Wholesale and Retail Division chairs elected under the previous Bylaws will remain on the Board until the end of the following March. In the event one or more of the six (6) Board Members are unable to complete the full term of service, the Board of Directors will appoint an interim Board Member to serve the remainder of the term.

Officers

There are four Officer positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, who will be determined by a vote of the Board of Directors using ranked choice voting at the first Board Meeting following a change in any of the Directorships. If the Board determines that the required skills for the Offices of either Treasurer or Secretary cannot be completed by any of the current Board Members, they may allow that Officer position to be filled by hiring an expert in that field; however, such individual shall not have a right to vote on the Board of Directors. An elected Board Member has voting privileges due to their Board membership and not their position as an Officer.

President

Only individuals serving on the Board of Directors are eligible. The duties include all responsibilities delegated to the President by the Board of Directors and also include the right to serve as chair of any Meeting of the Association the President attends. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Secretary, the President will serve as Secretary until the Board of Directors elects a new Secretary.

Vice President

Only individuals serving on the Board of Directors are eligible. The duties include all responsibilities delegated to the Vice President by the Board of Directors and also include the right to serve as chair of any Meeting of the Association the Vice President attends that the President does not attend. The Vice President also chairs any ad hoc committee constituted for the purpose of auditing the Association’s finances. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice President will serve as Interim President until the Board of Directors elects a new President.

Treasurer

The duties include all responsibilities delegated to the Treasurer by the Board of Directors, as well as the responsibility of ensuring the financial records of the Association are kept in good order, and that financial records are available for auditing as needed. At least annually, the Treasurer will provide the membership with an overview of the financial condition of the Association. The Treasurer also chairs the Finance Committee.

Secretary

The duties include all responsibilities delegated to the Secretary by the Board of Directors, as well as the responsibility for keeping the records of the Association’s meetings in good order, as well as the responsibility of keeping the contact information of the members of the Board of Directors current and in good order. The Secretary will have access to the contact information for all members of the Association, as well as their Designated Representatives. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Treasurer, the Secretary will serve as Interim Treasurer until the Board of Directors appoints a new Treasurer.

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EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

There are a wide variety of opportunities to share your industry experience and help your peers improve.

To give in-person presentations, please view our seminar opportunities.

If you prefer to present from the comfort of your own office, there are also several available times for webinar presentations.

Additionally, if sharing your knowledge through writing is better suited to your skills, you are also welcome to contribute to Around the Table, our quarterly magazine.

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GAMA FUNCTIONS

Volunteering

It takes a lot of effort to host events throughout the year. To help ensure GAMA Expo and Origins Game Fair are each a success, we always welcome volunteers who can give their time to the association either before or during an event. To request more information about volunteering for GAMA, please send an email to volunteers@gama.org.

Exhibiting

Likewise, we wouldn't be able to hold these shows without exhibitors to fill the hall. To request more information about exhibiting at either show, please send an email to exhibitors@gama.org.