ABA Governance Review Committee Issues Report

The American Booksellers Association's Governance Review Committee has completed its most recent report, which is now available to ABA bookstore members on BookWeb.org. The committee had previously solicited member input, which was synthesized (but made anonymous) and shared with the ABA Board of Directors.

The Governance Review Committee is charged with reviewing the practices of the ABA board and officers to determine whether they are in accordance with established policies and procedures. The committee was composed of chair and former ABA board member Suzy Staubach of UConn Co-op, Catherine Weller of Sam Weller's Books, and Mark LaFramboise of Politics & Prose. The committee had requested booksellers to share their questions, comments, or suggestions regarding any aspect of ABA governance, including the Board/staff relationship and increasing transparency.

The Governance Review Committee's purpose is to ensure that the relationship between the board and senior management is functioning according to ABA's organizational design; to supervise resolution of any issues where the board or staff has a conflict of interest; and to provide oversight if there is a material question of whether the board is maintaining fiduciary responsibility.

More information about the role and structure of the GRC as well as previous committee reports are available to members on BookWeb.org.