Musical Chairs At The WPA

Published: Monday, June 16, 2008 Online-Casinos.com

MUSICAL CHAIRS AT THE WPA

After two weeks, Jones is back in the chair as Eolis heads for politics


Industry observers were scratching their heads this week over a new turn of events at the US-based World Poker Association, where a new eight man board of directors was elected only two weeks back with ex-CEO Wendeen Eolis taking over the chair.

The new board was short-lived it appears from the latest news, with Eolis and the eight new directors all resigning, and "Chairman Emeritus" Jesse Jones returning to power.

It is not clear what caused the sudden and unheralded changes, as the only explanation forthcoming has been a personal one from Eolis, who announced in her resignation that she had accepted a position to work with one of the two U.S. presidential campaigns.

Eolis, who helped facilitate the WPA's Code of Ethics as a governance framework for tournament play, was bid farewell by Jones, who said: "We thank Wendeen for her valuable contributions. Her resignation is warmly accepted and we wish her success in her new role."

Jones returns to the top of the WPA management with a promised new agenda in store. His first task as the returned head of the WPA will obviously be to appoint a new board of directors.

"Our primary goal is to invite additional talent to represent and advance the interests of poker players around the globe," Jones promised. "We have a unique opportunity to form a strong board with a united vision, to promote poker as a sport by advocating professionalism and uniform rules and standards of conduct, and help to create increased economic opportunities for players worldwide."