NCPG appoints Charles H. Jeffers II interim executive director

The National Council on Problem Gambling named Charles H. Jeffers II as interim executive director on 26 October, the organisation announced. Jeffers is the founder of The Jeffers Group, an organisational consulting firm whose services cover governance, leadership and strategy, and which provides interim executive leadership for organisations in leadership transitions.

Heather Maurer, the organisation's executive director, stepped down abruptly in September as criticism mounted over a new membership category the NCPG had created for prediction markets. That category, Financial Services & Trading, was set up in return for a $2 million grant. Three members then withdrew: the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the Ohio Casino Control Commission and the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. Each said it was unwilling to align with platforms it regards as engaged in illegal sports betting.

In response to the criticism, the NCPG has argued that its aim is to “prevent and reduce gambling-related harm wherever it occurs.” The council also says it regards sports event trading on prediction markets as “functionally gambling,” and that consumers can face the same risks and harms through it as through traditional sports betting. The organisation takes no position for or against gambling, yet backlash continues from the legal gambling industry and from many members who have belonged to it for years.

Derek Longmeier, who chairs the NCPG board, explained the choice by pointing to Jeffers's understanding of cultural dynamics, operational demands and board governance, which he called key to the selection. According to Longmeier, Jeffers will concentrate during the transition on running operations in line with strategy and transparency, and on building a culture that reflects NCPG values. Longmeier added that the search for a permanent executive director, national in scope, gets under way in January, with Washington, DC-based Vetted Solutions helping to find qualified candidates.

Jeffers previously served as interim executive director of the American Occupational Therapy Association and as chief executive officer of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. The NCPG says he has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit executive leadership and organisational consulting.

Jeffers said organisations exist to serve their members and advance a mission, and that governance, operations and culture should be in service of that purpose. He said that when those systems are aligned, organisations function better and become what they were always meant to be.