ABFFE Announces New Board Members

On June 21, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) announced the election of three new Board members. Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books, Coral Gables, Florida; Matt Miller of The Tattered Cover, Denver; and Wendy Strothman, executive vice president of Houghton Mifflin, have joined the ABFFE Board. Each will serve a three-year term.

Mitchell Kaplan	Matt Miller	Wendy Strothman

"I look forward to working with ABFFE and supporting all of the great work that they do," Kaplan told BTW. "From direct experience, I know how wonderful ABFFE is and how proactive they can be."

Kaplan, who is currently the vice president/secretary of ABA, will serve as the vice president of ABFFE. Tattered Cover’s Miller recently completed his term as an ABA Board member. Strothman, former director of Beacon Press and a former member of the Association of American Publishers’ Freedom to Read Committee, recently announced that she would be stepping down from her position at Houghton.

The new directors are replacing current ABA President Ann Christophersen of Women & Children First in Chicago; Joyce Meskis of Tattered Cover; and Rhett Jackson of the Happy Booksellers in Columbia, South Carolina.

ABFFE President Chris Finan told BTW that "this is the best of times and the worst of times for the ABFFE Board. You can't lose directors like Joyce Meskis, Rhett Jackson and Ann Christophersen without deep regret. On the other hand, we are very excited that Mitchell, Matt, and Wendy are joining us."

For a full listing of ABFFE’s Board of Directors, click here.