Three book industry leaders have joined the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation board of directors. They bring a variety of experience, from store ownership and frontline bookselling to leading publishing houses. In addition, the board’s new executive committee is Chris Morrow, former owner of Northshire Bookstore, president; historical fiction author Jonathan Putnam, treasurer; and Calvin Crosby, The King’s English Bookstore, secretary. Immediate past president Annie Philbrook, Bank Square Books, will serve an additional year on the committee as vice president.
“I am delighted to be a small part in the evolution of this incredible organization,” said Morrow. “Frontline book and comic sellers are the lifeblood of the industry. Any way we can ease the burden of difficult times for book and comic peopleis a blessing for all of us. I look forward to learning from this incredible board and to offering my energy to ensure Binc will prosper in the coming years. I am excited to welcome three fantastic human beings to the board: Chriscynethia Floyd, Michael Jacobs and Emma Nichols. They will add significant talent, experience and humanity to the board, and we are very grateful for their time and energy.”
Floyd is vice president and publisher of Our Daily Bread Publishing. Her 25+ year career spans both secular and Christian publishing, where she has served as a vice president in sales, marketing and editorial for organizations like Simon and Schuster Publishing, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and David C. Cook. She started her career in publishing working as a bookseller for Barnes and Noble. Chriscynethia is also a classically trained singer who has traveled the world performing for dignitaries such as Desmond Tutu and U.S. presidents.
Jacobs is on the board of ABRAMS Books, where he served as president and CEO for almost two decades. Prior to ABRAMS he was senior vice president of Scholastic’s trade book group where he orchestrated the publishing, marketing, sales and distribution of the first five Harry Potter books. He began his career at Penguin as a trade sales representative, moving through sales and marketing roles. He served as board chair of the Academy of American Poets and he National Coalition Against Censorship and recently joined the board of the Yaddo Corporation.
Kaas (née Nichols) co-owns the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont, with her husband Sam Kaas. Prior to moving to Vermont to buy a bookstore she worked at Elliott Bay Book Co in Seattle and WORD Bookstores in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. When not at the bookstore Emma can usually be found reading, baking or tinkering with spreadsheets. She has served on the Binc Finance Committee for more than six years.
Two board members completed their service to Binc. Chuck Robinson, co-founder of Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, and an active member of several book industry organizations, served six years. Most recently he chaired the Governance Committee. Julia Cowlishaw, CEO of Vroman’s of Pasadena, CA, and Book Soup of West Hollywood, CA, served on Binc’s executive committee and chaired the Development and Communication Committee during her nine-year tenure.
“I am grateful for all of the talented individuals on the Binc board who lend their expertise to make certain the Foundation is prepared and ready to help those in need,” said Binc Executive Director Pamela French. “They give generously of their time, and their insights and experience are invaluable.”