The California Independent Booksellers Alliance is seeking a new executive director. The move comes after co-executive director Kristin Rasmussen announced that she is leaving the organization in mid-December to become a district sales manager for Scholastic. Co-executive director Ann Seaton had already planned to leave the association at the end of the year, although she will now continue in an advisory capacity while CALIBA searches for a new executive director.
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| Kristin Rasmussen | |
Rasmussen, who will continue her work with CALIBA's Golden Poppy Book Awards through January, said. "It has been my great pleasure to work with the CALIBA board, Ann Seaton, our CALIBA office, and the Golden Poppy committees over the past two-plus years. I feel strongly that we've made important progress in strengthening the organization through various programs and outreach. There is so much to be optimistic about moving forward in 2024. Anyone who joined us in South San Francisco this past September for our fall trade show can attest to that. The energy and enthusiasm of our booksellers and publishing partners is inspiring and will continue to inspire me in all I do moving forward." Before joining CALIBA, she managed {pages} a bookstore in Manhattan Beach.
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| Ann Seaton | |
Seaton worked as a bookseller, buyer, and manager for more than 30 years in various independent bookstores, including Hicklebee's in San Jose, before joining the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association in 2015 in administration, then becoming operations manager a few years later. She was hired as co-executive director in August 2021. She plans to expand her work with her local Friends of the Library in getting books into the hands of families in rural California, create connections between other Friends associations in the region, and tackle a couple of side projects that have been too long on the back burner.
Valentina Moberg, who was recently named CALIBA's operations manager, joined the office in early 2020 and has worked on several important initiatives, and has served as the liaison with publishers and authors for all of CALIBA's live and virtual programming. Emma Marie will continue to work on CALIBA's marketing and promotions programs.
Melinda Powers, CALIBA president and head buyer at Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, said, "While this is a moment of big change for CALIBA, it is also one of opportunity. The efforts that Ann and Kristin have made to bring together and solidify our statewide bookselling community provide an excellent platform from which to continue to shape and grow the organization. We wish them both well in their future endeavors and thank them for their hard work and dedication, words truly personified in Ann and Kristin. We will miss their care and enthusiasm, even as we look forward to the promise that lies ahead for the Alliance.
CALIBA is looking for candidates who value diversity, equity, and inclusion in the book community and who are excited to lead bookstores into a strong, innovative, and united California future. For a full job description, click here.