Michael Tucker is president/CEO and co-owner of Books Inc. in San Francisco, California. Books Inc. currently operates 11 general interest bookstores, the newest of which opened in Berkeley in October 2009. He started in the book trade with Bookpeople in Berkeley in 1970. He has served as a member of ABA’s Bookseller Advisory Council, the Education Task Force and Digital Task Force. Michael has been a member of the ABA Board of Directors since 2004 and served as president for the past year. Michael is committed to the further advancement of bookseller education programs, the growth of IndieBound, and the need to find viable models for the sale of digital content by independent booksellers.

Becky Anderson, co-owner of Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville, Aurora, and Downer’s Gove, IL, began her career at the age of 11 in her family’s drugstore. She is the fifth generation to manage the family-owned and operated businesses, which are now 135 years old. Books were sold from the beginning but the family’s first official bookshop opened 46 years ago above the pharmacy. Anderson’s Bookshops are general stores with a strong presence in children’s books. That emphasis led to the creation of a children’s wholesale book company, Anderson’s Bookfair Company, more than 28 years ago to provide quality bookfairs and educational sales to schools. Becky has been a member of the ABA Board of Directors since 2006 and has served as vice president for the past year. She is a past pPresident of the Association of Booksellers for Children and the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. She has served on ABA’s Booksellers Advisory Council and on several industry task forces. She is very interested in ABA’s continued support and growth of IndieBound and the expansion of bookseller education.

Steve Bercu, co-owner of BookPeople in Austin, TX, began his retail life at the age of five in his family’s toy store (the first in Dallas). He was promoted to buyer of the hobby section at the age of 10 and continued at the store until he went to college. At that time, all stores in the shopping area were locally owned. Customers knew the owners of the stores, many of whom were their neighbors – and that experience has been the strongest influence on his sense of retail. Bercu founded the Austin Independent Business Alliance in 2001 and serves as president. He is committed to local, independent businesses and seeing that they play an important role in future retail. He believes that strong educational programs for ABA members are the cornerstone of our ability to compete and prosper in a difficult retail environment. He has served on ABA’s Bookseller Advisory Council and has completed one term on the ABA Board.

Tom Campbell is the co-owner and co-founder of The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, NC, which opened in 1976 as a 1600 square-foot store and has expanded twice to its present size of 7,500 square feet. Like many independent booksellers, Tom does many things at The Regulator, from buying to working the register to paying bills. He has served on the ABA Board since 2007. Prior to that, he was a member of the ABA’s Bookseller’s Advisory Council and the BookSense.com Advisory Panel. A winner of the Haslam Award for Excellence in Bookselling, he also served two four-year terms on the Durham City Council. Other than reading, he enjoys gardening, hiking, and indulging an enthusiasm for European football. His priority for the ABA is to continue its focus on providing practical help and education to booksellers—including financial planning, digital, and shop-local initiatives, and creative marketing ideas—to help ABA members maintain a viable role in their communities and in the world of publishing.

Sarah Bagby began her career in bookselling as a part-time clerk at Watermark Books and Café’ in 1979. She is now the majority partner and has seen the store through two moves and the addition of a built-from-scratch cafe. Sarah currently serves as a member of the Midwest Booksellers Association board, where she served as president for the past three years. She has served on advisory boards in the publishing industry, has participated in many educational panels, and was on ABA’s Booksellers Advisory Council. Sarah is active in the Wichita community, serving on numerous community and professional boards over the years. She looks forward to fostering the collective voice of independent stores in the face of dramatic change in the industry. Some of her main concerns include how books will go from author through distribution channels to readers, pricing issues, and achieving a level playing field in the e-distribution market. Sarah feels that keeping bookseller’s mindshare in balance with market-share is a challenge requiring innovation, flexibility, and constant diligence.