The Newest Faces at Winter Institute 2024!

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Several staff members have joined ABA since our last institute. This Winter Institute will be their first! Feel free to say hello if you see them in Cincinnati.

Mariana Calderón, Member Relations and DEIA Manager

Mariana (she/they) comes to us with many years of bookselling experience, most recently as manager at Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly, Rhode Island. She was a PW Star Watch honoree in 2021 and a Duende-WORD BIPOC Bookseller Award nominee in 2021 and 2022. This will be their sixth ABA Institute and fourth Winter Institute, and you might recognize them as the person with tiny stickers!

 

 

 

Philomena Polefrone, Advocacy Associate Manager

Philomena Polefrone (she/her) is Advocacy Associate Manager at ABA, where she is a point person for free expression advocacy. She holds a PhD in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. When she’s not reading or advocating for free expression, diverse books, and LGBTQ+ rights, Philomena prefers to be found knitting in Brooklyn flanked by her beloved cats, Starbuck and Boomer.

 

 

Kamilah Clarke, Member Relations and Engagement Manager

Before joining the Membership team, Kamilah (she/her) was at the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. At the foundation, she worked in event coordination and digital content creation before becoming the Production Coordinator for the communications and development departments. For several years, she also managed special events for the BlackStar Film Festival. Kamilah is a fan of documentary films, nonfiction literature, animals, and keeping her many houseplants as healthy as possible. Are you having a plant issue? She might be able to help!

 

Emma Shah, Member Relations Manager and Special Projects Assistant

Emma (she/her) comes to us with a background in Higher Education, Community Engagement, and a deep passion for conversations surrounding mental health awareness. Before joining the Membership team, Emma served as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners, a national nonprofit dedicated to children's literacy. If you have time to chat, she loves hearing about what our members were doing before and how they transitioned into the bookselling industry.