The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is pleased to welcome Krystle Dandridge of RVA Book Bar in Richmond, Virginia, and Bunnie Hilliard of Brave + Kind Bookshop in Decatur, Georgia to the SIBA Board. Both incoming board members will start their three-year terms on January 1, 2023. They replace Jamie Rogers Southern, Executive Director of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, and Jamie Fiocco of Flyleaf Books. As the outgoing Board President, Jamie Southern will remain on the board as a non-voting member in an advisory capacity.

Dandridge and Hilliard join the SIBA Board at an important time when the organization is evolving to better meet the needs of its members in the current economy and political climate. Among the projects the SIBA Board has been working on are updating SIBA's bylaws to reflect contemporary realities faced by SIBA member stores, refining the definition of a SIBA "Core Member Bookstore" to recognize the growing diversity of business models in the SIBA region, and supporting innovative programs launched by SIBA such as the joint conference and programming with NAIBA, its sister organization to the north, under the New Voices New Rooms Partnership.

SIBA booksellers can meet with their current board members at the SIBA Annual Meeting to be held on zoom this fall (date to be announced) or at the SIBA Board Office Hours, scheduled for November 9 at 7:00 PM. Check the SIBA Event Calendar for more details.

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