ABA Announces 2014 Election Results

The results of balloting by the bookstore members of the American Booksellers Association to elect three directors to serve three-year terms on the ABA Board (2014–2017) are now official.

Elected to her first three-year term as an ABA Director is Jamie Fiocco of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Elected to their second three-year terms on the Board are John Evans of DIESEL, A Bookstore, with locations in Brentwood, Larkspur, Malibu, and Oakland, California, and Matthew Norcross of McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan.

In keeping with the 2011 amendment to ABA’s Bylaws, which established two-year terms for Board officers, this spring Steve Bercu of Austin’s BookPeople and Betsy Burton of Salt Lake City’s The King’s English Bookshop will begin their second year as ABA president and vice president/secretary, respectively.

In addition, continuing on the 10-member Board will be Sarah Bagby of Watermark Books and Café in Wichita, Kansas; Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas; Annie Philbrick of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut; Robert Sindelar of Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington; and Jonathon Welch of Talking Leaves…Books in Buffalo, New York.

Leaving the Board is Ken White of Books Inc. in San Francisco, who is coming to the end of his second three-year term.

The Board of Directors transition will take place at meetings in conjunction with this month’s BookExpo America in New York City. All ABA members are encouraged to attend the Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, May 29, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Room 1E10/11 of the Javits Convention Center. The meeting will include the formal announcement of ABA’s election results, reports from the president and CEO, a membership and financial update, and the opportunity for members to bring old and/or new business to the attention of the Board.

The Annual Meeting will be preceded by the Town Hall, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., also in Javits’ Room 1E10/11. The Town Hall provides booksellers with the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns and to share ideas with ABA Board members and staff in a less formal setting.

To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during the Town Hall, a sign-up sheet will be prominently displayed starting Wednesday morning, May 28, in the ABA Indie Bookseller Lounge (Meeting Room 214 at the front of “200” aisle on the trade show floor). Booksellers will be called upon to speak at the Town Hall in the order in which they sign up.

ABA’s Consolidated Financial Statements (2013 and 2012) and tax form 990 are now available to members in the Governance section of BookWeb.

Questions about the Town Hall and/or the Annual Membership meetings should be addressed to Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith.

Information about all of ABA’s programming at BEA is available here.