Over my years on the Board, I have gotten to think about the future of bookselling with some of the most committed and brilliant minds in not just our business, but in my life. The composition of our Board changes with scheduled rotations and with professional or personal changes. We see beloved booksellers join and move on. As with staffing in stores, every great bookseller leaves an imprint from their knowledge, their enthusiasms, their quirks, their skills, and their character. In the last part of 2024, beloved bookseller Danny Caine moved on from our profession and from the Board. We are grateful for his years of Board service and excited to stay in touch with him in his new role with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. He always contributed thoughtfully to our conversations, and now he’ll be sharing conversations on podcasts to influence small business policy around the country. The ABA Board is thrilled to appoint our newest director, Talia Whyte of Rozzie Bound Co-op in Roslindale, MA, for the seat vacated with Danny’s departure. Talia is one of her store’s founders, who took it from pop-up in 2019 to brick and mortar in 2023. Her dedication to community and bookselling is inspiring, and we are thankful to her for joining the team. We have had to say another goodbye on our Board. In order to focus on transitions at Brain Lair Books, Kathy Burnette has resigned from ABA service. I feel so lucky to have gotten to serve with Kathy during her time on the Board. We will greatly miss her clear perspective and creative insights. Kathy’s years as a librarian and as a bookseller and bookstore owner make her a keystone of her community in South Bend, IN, and beyond. Her voice has been a powerful one in our organization, and we look forward to continuing to learn from her as she writes her next chapters. The Board is working to appoint a new director to fill Kathy’s seat. In May, Jenny Cohen of Waucoma Books in Hood River, OR, will complete her second term as Director and her term as Co-Vice President. As shared in Bookselling This Week, the Board approved the Nominating Committee’s recommendation of Paul Hanson, co-owner of Village Books in Bellingham and Lynden, WA, for the ballot. Thanks to our Nominating Committee — Diane Capriola (Little Shop of Stories), Lisa Swayze (Buffalo Street Books), Dara Landry (CLASS Bookstore), Tina Ferguson (Face in a Book), and Melissa DeMotte (The Well-Read Moose) — for their work. If you don’t know Paul already, I can’t wait for you to get to know all he has to offer, including his decades of experience, attentive consideration, and generosity of spirit. Please watch for your email in March for the ballot. It will also give your store the opportunity to vote for the proposed slate of new Board Officers — Cynthia Compton (4 Kids Books & Toys and MacArthur Books) for President, Jake Cumsky-Whitlock (Solid State Books), and Diane Capriola (Little Shop of Stories) for Co-Vice Presidents — and to elect appointee Brein Lopez (Children’s Book World) for his first term, and re-elect serving Directors Raquel Roque (Books & Books) and Cynthia Compton for their second terms. Please be sure to vote before the April 23 deadline. For those of you coming to Denver, I look forward to seeing you. The Board Directors would love to hear from you throughout Winter Institute. Stop us in the hall, drop by our Board Office Hours (in the morning and afternoon, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday!), or come to the Community Forum. The Winter Institute Community Forum is an opportunity for us to hear from members about issues our stores are all facing. Please send your questions ahead of time to [email protected]. This will allow us to group questions together and use our time together efficiently so we can discuss as many topics as possible.
With gratitude for our community, Tegan Tigani
Children’s Book Buyer at Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, WA
ABA Board President |
