NAWDP is governed by an elected Board of Directors, and led by a Chief Executive Officer who has full management authority, including fiscal and personnel authority, subject to mission and policy guidance from the Board. The by-laws require the organization to elect directors from among active members to serve on the Board, selected to represent NAWDP members’ interests as follows:
- One director must be elected from each of six regions, consisting of the following US states and territories:
- Region 1 – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virgin Islands
- Region 2 – Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia
- Region 3 – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
- Region 4 – Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming
- Region 5 – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin
- Region 6 – Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
- One director must be elected from each of the 17* states with the largest active memberships.
*In August 2024, NAWDP members voted in favor of changes made to the bylaws concerning the structuring of the Board of Directors. Effective 07/01/2026, state representatives will decrease from 17 to 15.
Directors serve for a term of three years beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.