ABA CEO to Step Down in July; Search Committee Established

ABA President Gayle Shanks today e-mailed ABA bookstore members the news that ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz will be stepping down when his contract ends in July. In addition, her letter provided important details on the search process for a new ABA CEO and announced the members of a CEO Search Committee. Shanks' letter is reprinted below, and additional information and a full job description are available on BookWeb.org.

Dear ABA Members,

A new year has begun, and most of us are glad to be writing a "9" at the end of "200" instead of the "8" that seemed to denote a year filled with way too many challenges -- continuing wars, a failing economy, foreclosures, Paul Newman dying. It's the third week of 2009, and our world is changing -- we are getting a new president in the White House, the auto makers are talking seriously about electric cars, and, in our bookstores, we've marked down our remaining calendars and Christmas cards and are reconfiguring our stores to give us a fresh start with our customers.

ABA is also about to change as we move through this new year, and, before you read about it in today's BTW, I wanted to tell you personally what we are expecting. We are going to be saying goodbye to our esteemed CEO, Avin Mark Domnitz, whose contract ends in July. Avin began his job in 1997 and has ably led an amazing staff over these past 12 years -- an era of many accomplishments, of dramatic litigation, and of creative initiatives. Most importantly, I think, Avin has created an organization that is open and responsive to its members, breaking down barriers to communication while encouraging interaction on all levels among booksellers, publishers, wholesalers, the ABA Board, association staff, and the book-loving world.

If I were to create a list of ABA's accomplishments during Avin's tenure, it would go on for pages, and I will save that for another time and place. In this letter, I want to assure you that the ABA Board is working diligently to make this transition smooth and transparent. We will, with the help of our CEO Search Committee, find and hire a successor who will continue the programs we as an association depend on: educational opportunities at BEA, the regional shows, and the Winter Institute; ABFFE; LIBRIS; gift cards; member services; IndieBound; the Bookseller's Relief Fund; e-commerce; advocacy; shop local campaigns; etc. I will be chairing this search committee, and it will include Michael Tucker from Books Inc. (San Francisco, CA), Steve Bercu from BookPeople (Austin, TX), Linda Ramsdell from The Galaxy Bookshop (Hardwick, VT), Lilla Weinberger from Readers' Books (Sonoma, CA), and Betsy Burton from The King's English (Salt Lake City, UT). Our legal counsel, Deanne Ottaviano of Arent Fox LLP, will assist us. We will have our first meeting in Salt Lake City during the upcoming Winter Institute.

Interested applicants for the CEO's job should submit letters of interest, including their resume, to [email protected]. A full job description is available on BookWeb.org. I welcome letters with your comments, concerns, or ideas. You can e-mail me at [email protected]. And I know that although we will be bidding adieu to a remarkable leader, his legacy will be an organization that continues to reflect open communication, creativity, attention to detail, and fiscal responsibility for a group of committed, intelligent, IndieBound booksellers.

Sincerely,

Gayle Shanks
ABA President
[email protected]
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S. McClintock Dr.
Tempe, AZ 85283