The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation this week announced the appointment of three new executive committee members to its board, as well as the addition of three new board members.
In a release, Binc officials said the board’s new executive committee will include Chris Morrow, former owner of Northshire Bookstores in Manchester Center, Vt., and Saratoga Springs, N.Y., as president; author Jonathan Putnam, as treasurer; and Calvin Crosby, co-owner of The King’s English Bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah, as secretary. In addition, immediate past president Annie Philbrook, from Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn., will serve an additional year on the committee as vice president.
The organization also noted that two board members have completed their service to Binc: Chuck Robinson, co-founder of Village Books in Bellingham, Wash., who served six years and most recently chaired Binc's governance committee; and Julia Cowlishaw, CEO of Vroman’s in Pasadena, Calif., and Book Soup of West Hollywood, who served on Binc’s executive committee and chaired the development and communication committee over a nine-year tenure.
“I am delighted to be a small part in the evolution of this incredible organization,” Morrow said in a statement. “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 people is 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."
In the release, Morrow announced the appointment of three new board members: Chriscynethia Floyd, Michael Jacobs and Emma Kaas (née Nichols). Morrow said the new members will "add significant talent, experience and humanity to the board."
Floyd is vice president and publisher of Our Daily Bread Publishing, and a 25-year-plus veteran of both secular and Christian publishing, having worked for Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and David C. Cook. She began her publishing career as a bookseller for Barnes and Noble.
Jacobs currently serves on the board of Abrams Books, where he served as president and CEO for almost two decades. He has also served as board chair of the Academy of American Poets and he National Coalition Against Censorship, and he recently joined the board of the Yaddo Corporation.
Kaas co-owns the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vt., with her husband Sam Kaas. She previously worked at Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle and WORD Bookstores in Jersey City, N.J., and Brooklyn, N.Y. Kaas has served on the Binc Finance Committee for more than six years.
“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.”
