Member Advisory: New Chief Communications Officer Joins ABA

ABA is excited to introduce Ray Daniels, Chief Communications Officer, who joined us in November 2021. Ray drafted this member advisory for Bookselling This Week to introduce himself, his role, and his passion for making a difference.

WHO:  I am Ray T. Daniels,  ABA’s new Chief Communications Officer (CCO). I formerly worked for Hudson Group with the business development team, and began my career in corporate America writing proposals. While they are gratifying, they are also soul crushing. It was not until I began doing advocacy work that I felt alive. I worked as a consultant and led teams for HIV education and outreach, for civil rights and social justice. I worked within the Black community to topple stigma and change hearts and minds around marriage equality and WON. I am happy to be at ABA and my current challenge is to do the same around Amazon. This fight might be a little longer and a little more difficult, but I am certain that the result will be the same.

WHAT: I work with Communications and Advocacy to bring Bookselling This Week (BTW), petitions, sign-on letters, and updates about what is happening within ABA to an inbox near you! I am also proud to serve on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC), providing my perspective with a group of passionate and intelligent booksellers.

WHERE: I live in Westchester and work in the White Plains office when I am not working remotely, attending meetings, or creating mayhem. I get to the city of Manhattan on a weekly basis, and I am a huge supporter of the arts. I also serve on the board of Griot Circle, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit whose mission is to help LGBTQIA+ elders of color experience a just and abundant quality of life. I have just finished reading Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black and I am currently reading The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and Finding Me by Viola Davis, because diversity is the spice of life.

WHEN: I started at ABA in November 2021, and I will be celebrating my 6-month anniversary this week. Time flies when you are having fun and working with an amazing group of talented and committed people. I am in awe every day of the passion and professionalism that surrounds me — mostly virtually — every single day.

WHY: Joining ABA was not an easy decision or a rash one. I chose ABA because I felt it was a place where I could make a difference and my voice would be heard. In my short tenure here, I continue to receive affirmation that my gut reaction was correct. I felt that after my first of about 15 interviews, and it remains constant. Add in the opportunity to have daily conversations with brilliant passionate booksellers and book lovers, and I have found my community. I am especially looking forward to connecting with our membership in person and finding ways to offer support and communications knowledge.

HOW: Messaging is so important in a membership organization. Getting the word out to our members is of paramount importance to me and my team. We work hard every day to ensure that our members know what we are working on and why it is important to them. We do this through BTW, BookWeb, and emails. We create content on social media, and we have virtual and in-person meetings as well. I attend regional meetings so I can hear and see firsthand what issues are important. We try to make sure that the content we create is applicable for our members — whatever size they are and wherever they might be in the country. It is not always easy, but it is always rewarding. As Ci10 rapidly approaches, I look forward to meeting many of you in person. For those that cannot attend, I will see you soon — at a regional, or Wi2023, or on BookWeb.org, or in BTW. Wherever you are, I will be there too, listening and taking copious notes.