Introducing Kate Brennan, ABA’s Membership and Office Assistant

Kate Brennan has joined the staff of the American Booksellers Association in the newly created full-time position of Membership and Office Assistant.

Brennan will be reporting to Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith, assisting her and Member Relationship Managers Elizabeth Roberts and Daniel O’Brien in four major areas: prospective member outreach, member retention, member renewal processing, and maintaining the accuracy and integrity of ABA’s membership database. Brennan told Bookselling This Week that this part of her job was conceived as another “hand on deck” to assist the department.

Brennan graduated from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland, where she studied economics and public policy. Before that, she worked at the Danbury Public Library in the children’s and teens’ department and worked on several educational farms assisting student groups.

“I like being able to support bookstores all over the country and help them succeed,” said Brennan. “I like having the opportunity to be around books and other people who share that mission.”

Brennan told BTW that she decided to apply for the ABA job because she loves visiting independent bookstores.

“I love to read, and when I’m traveling I always like to seek out indie bookstores. Where I used to live in New Hampshire, there was an independent store we went to a lot, The Toadstool Bookshop,” she said. “I read a little bit of everything, I’d say. I just finished Zadie Smith’s Swing Time, which was amazing. Another one of my favorites is A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.”

Brennan said she is very excited to meet booksellers at this year’s BookExpo, taking place May 30–June 1 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. She will be staffing the welcome desk (and in charge of the candy supply) at the ABA Member Lounge and Galley Room, located at Booth 721 on the trade show floor, where booksellers can relax and meet other booksellers, association staff, and ABA affinity partners.