GLIBA Names New Executive Director

The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association has hired Deborah Leonard, a publishing and bookselling veteran, to be the organization’s new executive director. She replaces Jim Dana, who in August announced his plans to retire following GLIBA’s fall show.

Leonard's appointment was announced by GLIBA President Sally Bulthuis, who said, “Deborah brings a wealth of knowledge from her many years of experience in the publishing industry. Her commitment to and enthusiasm for independent bookselling will be critical as we move forward during this transitional period.”

Leonard was most recently a sales manager at Cengage Learning. Prior to that, she held national account manager positions at Scholastic and Simon & Schuster. She began her career as a bookseller at Zibart’s in Nashville, Tennessee, and worked as a bookstore manager for seven years before becoming a children’s book buyer for Waldenbooks.

“I am excited about working with such a wonderful group of dedicated and knowledgeable booksellers,” Leonard said in a statement. “With publishing in such pandemonium, it is more important than ever for us to work together to identify new strategies to help independents compete. I am confident that we can solidify our position within the industry, and emerge from this paradigm shift even stronger than before.”

Both Dana and Leonard will be at GLIBA’s trade show on October 8 - 10 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan.

Dana’s last day on the job is October 15. Following his retirement, he will be working for the Peace Corps in Lesotho.