Emerging Leaders Scholarship Winner Named

Jennifer McPheeters of Sarasota News & Books, in Sarasota, Florida, is the winner of the American Booksellers Association's Emerging Leaders Scholarship, covering the cost of registration and a five-night hotel stay at this year's BookExpo America in Washington, D.C. ABA is also sponsoring a meeting of The Emerging Leaders Project -- a group of booksellers and industry professionals working together to identify the next generation of industry leaders -- at BEA. The reception will be held in the Lincoln Ballroom at the Hotel ABA, The Doubletree Crystal City, on Wednesday, May 17, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

"I just found out that I won, and I'm very excited," said McPheeters, who was chosen by The Emerging Leaders Project. "Andrew [Foley, owner of Sarasota News & Books] nominated me without my knowledge. I was totally taken aback and very pleased and honored. He told me about Emerging Leaders after he attended ABA's [Winter Institute], and it sounded near and dear to my heart." McPheeters, who has been in bookselling for two years, said she will attend the Emerging Leaders reception to find out more about making bookselling, her "labor of love," a viable career path.

"We're thrilled that the ABA is supporting The Emerging Leaders Project with a scholarship to BEA," said Allison Hill of Vroman's in Pasadena, California, one of the group's founders. "Giving booksellers who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to attend BEA the chance to attend seminars and the trade show, meet their peers, and learn more about the industry, is the kind of support that's critical to nurturing emerging leaders.... We look forward to congratulating the winner."

Hill said Emerging Leaders grew out of an ongoing conversation among herself and several other booksellers: Julia Cowlishaw of Shaman Drum Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Cindy Dach of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona; and Neil Strandberg of Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver. "We were looking to see who was in the new group of booksellers moving up behind us, and we couldn't see who they were. We thought we needed to create an opportunity for the next generation to find each other," Hill said.

The group's first meeting, at the Winter Institute in Long Beach, California, drew over 50 booksellers. The conversation covered the ups-and-downs of bookselling, ideas for future financial seminars, bookstores of the future, mentoring and peer networking, and other issues, said Hill.

At the BEA reception, the Emerging Leaders Project will discuss its newly created Mission Statement:

To find out more about Emerging Leaders, or to be added to the mailing list, e-mail emleaders@gmail.com. --Karen Schechner