About the California Jigsaw Puzzle Association
The CAJPA is currently completing the necessary steps to become an official State Organization with the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association. Additionally, CAJPA is working on its tax-exempt and non-profit organization status.
We will launch the CAJPA Membership program later in 2025, consistent with other state organizations.
CAJPA Board Members
Lisa Moskowitz - President
Lisa is a stenographic court reporter by profession and an avid puzzler during non-work hours. Lisa is the co-founder, with William, of Orange County Speed Puzzlers and, in addition to hosting bimonthly speed puzzle competitions, is most proud of holding the first ever in the USA 24-Hour Puzzle Marathon, which raised almost $40,000 to benefit City of Hope for cancer treatment and research. Top puzzlers from all across the country participated in this historic event.
Lisa competes monthly in local competitions with her team Rompecabezas and also hosts in-person puzzle swaps throughout Southern California.
Follow Lisa on Instagram as lisa_does_puzzles and in her Facebook group South OC Puzzle Exchange.
Jen Hsieh - Vice President, Treasurer
Jen has enjoyed jigsaw puzzles all her life. After learning about speed puzzling in early 2024, she started hosting social speed puzzling events to connect with more local puzzlers, and fell further in love with this amazing community. She might have come for the puzzles, but she is certainly staying for the people!
Semi-retired from engineering, Jen is now a full-time mom with two young kiddos and a supportive husband who helps run her events and builds custom shelves for her ever growing puzzle collection. (Jen is adamant that doing puzzles and acquiring puzzles are two different hobbies, and she is 100% addicted to both.)
You can find Jen on Meetup or on Instagram: @foxncatpuzzles
William Shandling - Secretary
Although he loves to compete in speed puzzling events, William finds even more joy in organizing puzzle events at all levels of competitions. He is a respected judge in the speed puzzling community due to his inventiveness and focus on process improvement and training of others. He raised the bar with what is now referred to as “The Shandling Shim,” a simple piece of yellow paper which is placed under a puzzle piece that falls on the ground during competition.
He has a goal of visiting all 50 U.S. states before turning 50 years of age, and has 5 states left to go!
You can find William on Instagram: @ThePuzzlEAR
CAJPA Volunteers
Andrea Peng - Volunteer State Championship Committee Member
Andrea has lived in Missouri (once), Massachusetts (twice), Washington (twice) and relocated to California for the third time in 2022. She hopes to never leave this great state and will tell you that San Francisco is by far the greatest place to live.
Recently retired from research in Biotech, she spends most of her time managing home remodel projects, reading, traveling and spending time with her three almost grown children and husband.
She spends more time casually puzzling than speed puzzling, and almost as much time swapping, mailing and rearranging the stacks that line every room in her home. (Who can relate?) Her favorite part of puzzling is pairs and team competitions where she has puzzled with some of the best in the country, including a first place win at the 2024 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship with her team, Busy Birdies!
Elizabeth Forsyth - Volunteer State Championship Committee Member
Elizabeth discovered her love of puzzles during Covid and has since participated in speed puzzling events far and wide. Her greatest accomplishment in puzzling, besides fitting her growing puzzle collection into her house, has been placing 9th in Teams at the 2025 Nationals.
In her non-puzzling time Elizabeth is a published author, teaches setting writing goals and how to DIY your own author events, a director at a Bay Area writing non-profit, and has recently founded her own writing organization in Silicon Valley.
You can follow her puzzle adventures on Instagram at @puzzledlizzie.