GAMA moves quickly to name Foam Brain Games boss Andrew Zorowitz acting executive director after sudden Prickett exit

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Hobby games trade body GAMA has moved swiftly to appoint Foam Brain Games boss Andrew Zorowitz as acting executive director, just nine days after interim head Melinda Prickett revealed she was leaving the organisation.

Zorowitz’s appointment came in the wake of a “rapid response meeting” called by GAMA’s board on October 26 after it learned of Prickett’s impending departure – which left the association facing another unexpected leadership change amid its ongoing struggle to appoint a permanent executive director.

GAMA said Zorowitz will take on the role for six months, overseeing day-to-day operations and preparations for both GAMA Expo and Origins Game Fair while the organisation’s board continues its search for a permanent executive director.

His appointment marks a departure from GAMA’s approach to executive leadership over almost two decades, during which its two long-serving executive directors, John Ward and John Stacy, and more recent interim heads Prickett and Zaria Davis all had backgrounds outside the tabletop games industry.

Zorowitz, by contrast, is an active industry professional who has run tabletop accessories business Foam Brain Games full-time since 2010. The company is a GAMA member and regular exhibitor at its conventions, and has financially supported its events, including sponsoring the Origins Trade Day programme earlier this year.

He has also been closely involved in GAMA’s events for several years, contributing to educational programming at both GAMA Expo and Origins, and serving on the GAMA Expo Site Selection Committee which helped decide on the trade show’s move to Baltimore.

GAMA said Zorowitz would step away from many of his responsibilities at Foam Brain Games during his tenure, although it has not specified which duties he will retain or what arrangements, if any, will govern potential conflicts between his two roles.

The organisation’s elected board is responsible for selecting the executive director, rather than the appointment being determined through a vote of GAMA’s wider membership.

GAMA has not said whether Zorowitz was selected through a competitive process, whether he will be eligible for the permanent position, or whether his six-month appointment could be extended.

Zorowitz’s term as acting executive director is currently due to end in early May 2027, after GAMA Expo’s debut show in its new Baltimore home, but before Origins Game Fair takes place in June.

His appointment came two days before Prickett’s scheduled departure on November 6 – less than 14 months after she joined GAMA as its first chief operating officer, and just under six months after she stepped up to become interim executive director.

She had emerged as a key figure in stabilising GAMA’s operations and finances following the resignation of long-serving executive director John Stacy last year, and was understood by BoardGameWire to be under strong consideration for the permanent executive director position.

Zorowitz’s arrival means GAMA has now had four people leading its executive operations in the space of a year, following Stacy’s departure, the appointment of leadership consultant Zaria Davis as interim executive director in November, and Prickett’s subsequent assumption of the role in May. GAMA initially said it expected to find a permanent replacement for Stacy by spring 2026.

GAMA board president Meredith Placko and secretary Tiffany Reid told BoardGameWire last week that the board was working through a short list of people to bring in a new interim executive director “very soon”, adding that the goal was to “make sure GAMA Expo and Origins are a success, and the overall day to day running of the organization is met”.

They added that the board had also interviewed “a strong candidate” for the permanent position and had been in negotiations with them, but said that “ultimately it did not work out”.

“Because of that we will need to begin the search again”, they said, adding that the board was seeking RFPs from firms specialising in hiring executives in the trade association and member organization sectors.

The pair said at the time that they could not comment on why Prickett’s notice period was so short, or whether she had been a formal candidate for the permanent executive director role.

Zorowitz’s appointment comes at a particularly important time for GAMA’s two major conventions.

The organisation’s professional trade show, GAMA Expo, has experienced rapid growth in recent years and is in the midst of preparations for its first show in a larger venue in Baltimore after three years in Louisville, Kentucky.

Origins Game Fair, which is set to return to Columbus in June, has struggled to recover its pre-pandemic attendance, however, with visitor numbers falling 2.5% this year to 18,700 – the show’s first annual decline since Covid-19, and still below its 2019 record of 20,642.

That event could face further pressure next year from the launch of PAX Unplugged Houston, a new tabletop gaming convention scheduled to take place just 12 days after Origins, which could potentially force publishers and exhibitors to choose between the two shows.

Zorowitz said of his new role, “I’m excited to work with the GAMA team and support two shows that have been an important part of my own experience in this industry.

“GAMA Expo and Origins both mean a lot to me, and I know they mean equally as much to our members. I’m looking forward to helping make GAMA Expo’s move to Baltimore a success, prepare for Origins and support a strong transition when a full-time executive director is hired.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of the fantastic GAMA staff members over the past several years, and I am excited to help lead them as the board looks for a new permanent executive director.

“I think Melinda and the board have built a great foundation of what this organization should strive to be, and I am glad I get to continue to help keep the ship moving forward steadily in the interim.”

GAMA’s latest leadership shake-up on the executive side also follows a period of significant change for the organisation’s elected board.

Former president Nicole Brady lost her re-election bid in April to publisher representative Meredith Placko, who had previously served as GAMA vice president.

Ross Thompson, who was elected as vice president following Placko’s elevation to president, has now also resigned from the board after just over six months in the position.

Thompson only joined GAMA’s board in October last year, winning a special election to replace former secretary Monica Rasso, who had stepped down after five years as a director.

His resignation means the organisation will now hold its second special election for the same Media & Events board seat in little more than a year.