ABA Announces 2026 Board Candidates

The petition process is now open, which means members may write in candidates to stand for election. Find more information below.

The ABA Board of Directors met last week and approved the ABA Nominating Committee’s recommendation of a candidate to stand for election to a three-year term as director on the ABA Board as well as the slate for ABA Board Officers. The election will fill one vacancy: Board Director Tegan Tigani's (Queen Anne Book Company) second term on the Board is coming to an end.

In the latest Board meeting, the Board also appointed Donya Craddock of The Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth, TX, effective immediately, in order to fill a currently vacant seat. 

Recommended to stand for election to three-year term (2026–2029):

• John Cavalier, Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs and Lafayette, LA
• Donya Craddock, The Dock Bookshop, Fort Worth, TX (recently appointed, running for her first term)

Other Directors on the current Board are up for re-election:

• Diane Capriola, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA
• Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Greenlight Bookstores, Brooklyn, NY
• Lisa Swayze, Buffalo Street Books, Ithaca, NY
• Holly Weinkauf, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN

A ballot for the 2026 Board elections will be sent to ABA members via email in March, at least 60 days prior to the Annual Membership Meeting. The ballot will include space for write-in candidates.

Once voting concludes, the new Board of Directors will be announced in BTW.

The virtual ABA Membership Meeting will be held on May 28, 2026, at 2:00 pm ET.

In accordance with the ABA Governance Policy Manual, any bookstore member may submit petitions to have the names of additional candidates for Board Officers and/or Directors added to the ballot. Should bookstore members wish to submit a petition, the following apply:

• A candidate must be an employee or owner of an ABA regular, used, or online member bookstore. The member bookstore must be in good standing, and the individual candidate must have at least three years of recent experience as a bookstore owner or employee.
• Each petition can present only one candidate and, to be valid, must name a candidate who meets the qualifications for office established in the ABA Governance Policy Manual.
• Booksellers who wish to petition to be put on the ballot should ask their supporters to email [email protected] with their endorsement of the petitioner; the supporters will then be asked to send their original signature to ABA by mail. Petitioners are also asked to email the Nominating Committee Chair to let them know that their petition is on the way. Emails should be sent to both no later than February 27, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET. (Note: a response confirming receipt will be sent.)
• The names on the petition in support of the candidate must reflect at least two percent of ABA Bookstore Members as of January 1, 2026; that is a minimum of 65 signatures. The petition must contain original signatures and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of bookstore members in at least five states, with representatives of no one state constituting more than 50 percent of the total number of petition signatures.
• Upon receipt of a valid petition, the candidate’s name will be added to the ballot sent to ABA membership.
   

The ABA Board would like to thank this year’s Nominating Committee:

• Diane Capriola, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA
• Lily Clay, Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island, WA
• Revati Kilaparti, Old Firehouse Books, Fort Collins, CO
• Kalli King, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID
• Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Greenlight Bookstores, Brooklyn, NY
• Lisa Swayze, Buffalo Street Books, Ithaca, NY

John Cavalier

John Cavalier is the co-owner of Cavalier House Books with his wife, Michelle. Together, they run two independent bookstores rooted in Louisiana culture and guided by a belief in books as vital community anchors. John is deeply committed to supporting regional voices, independent publishing, and Louisiana’s literary culture.