GAMA’s John Stacy is stepping down as executive director

John Stacy, executive director of GAMA: The Tabletop Game Association, will be stepping down from his position as executive director this November, as he transitions to a new leadership role at the Ohio State Chiropractors Association. This follows the recent news of the organization’s name change from GAMA to, well, GAMA, the announcement of a 10-year plan that has GAMA taking a more proactive stance on addressing industry issues, and the appointment of the organization’s first chief operating officer, Melinda Prickett.

According to the press release, Stacy’s departure is due to the conclusion of his 2025 contract at the end of the year, with GAMA initiating a “leadership transition process with an interim executive director". It also stated that GAMA has seen its membership expand by 55% under Stacy’s leadership, with members spanning 36 countries. “He decided this was a good time for him to take the next step in his career,” said Eric J Francis, communications director of GAMA, in an email to Rascal. 

Francis also emphasized that Stacy’s departure doesn't impact the organization’s strategic plan, one that’s “already being implemented by GAMA staff and will be carried on under the direction of the next executive director.” The interim executive director has not been named. 

Since joining GAMA in December 2018, Stacy has overseen the organization’s significant growth, with the association tripling its dues-paying headcount. At the same time, The GAMA Expo, which Rascal attended a few months ago, saw attendance growing to 3,425 in 2025. The press release noted that Stacy had led efforts to modernize GAMA’s membership structure, establish a code of conduct, and build advocacy programs addressing tariffs, IP rights, counterfeit protections, and product labeling. Notably, GAMA has also been supporting members who are lobbying the US government against the effects of Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy. 

According to the press release, Stacy’s departure is due to the conclusion of his 2025 contract at the end of the year, with GAMA initiating a "leadership transition process with an interim executive director".

His tenure, however, was also marked by a few controversies, with his appointment back in 2018 stemming from GAMA’s decision not to renew their contract of then-executive director John Ward. This decision to let Ward go was said to be overwhelmingly unpopular, according to a report from ICv2. At the same time, an ex-marketing and communications manager, Amy Lowe, resigned from her position in March earlier this year, stating in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that GAMA is “deeply siloed and, in many ways, broken.” 

Beyond helming GAMA through the COVID-19 pandemic and digital convention experiments, Stacy’s legacy will likely consists of efforts to open the trade organization to designers, media, content creators, and independent game stores. The Horizons Fellowship awarded $1,000 grants and highlighted convention floor space to underrepresented creators, and both Game Store Day and Around the Table magazine sought similar rising tides for smaller publishers and retailers.

Stacy seems keen to close this chapter of his career and move on from the tabletop industry. “Leading GAMA has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. I’m proud of the team we’ve built and the foundation we’ve laid. GAMA is well-positioned for its next chapter, and I have full confidence in the board’s transition plan and the search for a new leader.”