Board of Directors

President

Sam Kaas • The Norwich Bookstore • Norwich, VT

Sam Kaas was previously the Events Manager at Seattle's Third Place Books, and Events Coordinator at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington. Before becoming a NEIBA bookseller, he chaired the PNBA's Education Committee and served on the PNBA Board of Directors. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, he loves his adopted homeland of New England but retains a fondness for strong coffee and long walks in the rain.

Vice President

Steve Iwanski •  Charter Books • Newport, RI

Steve Iwanski is the owner and general manager at Charter Books in Newport, Rhode Island. A native of Newport County, he got his start working summer retail jobs on and off the island. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, he taught high school English in the Mississippi Delta before becoming manager at Turnrow Books in Greenwood, MS. Since opening in 2021, Charter Books has been named Micro Business of the Year by the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce and won the Independent Spirit Award from BPRNE. Steve enjoys starting bar fights over Moby-Dick and spending time with family.

Treasurer & Clerk

Hannah Harlow • The Book Shop of Beverly Farms • Beverly Farms, MA

Since January 2020, Hannah Harlow is co-owner and operator of The Book Shop of Beverly Farms in Beverly, MA.  Prior to that, she spent 17 years working in publishing, mostly in the marketing department at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  She volunteers on the steering committee of the Newburyport Literary Festival, helping bring hundreds of authors to the North Shore of Massachusetts.  Her writing about books and bookselling has appeared in WBUR's Cognoscenti  blog and in a monthly column for the bookstore's local paper, The Manchester Cricket .  She also co-hosts the books podcast, Live from The Book Shop: John Updike's Ghost.  

Past President

Liz Whitelam •  Whitelam Books  • Reading, MA

Liz is the owner of Whitelam Books in Reading, Massachusetts. Prior to opening the bookstore in November of 2017, Liz spent a couple of decades in marketing, technology, project management, and consulting. Opening the store provided not only the opportunity to put all of the skills from a corporate career to use in a book-centric dream enterprise, but also was a natural extension of the ongoing volunteer work Liz does in her town, trying to create a stronger and more welcoming community for all. Liz is the mother of a delightful 18-year-old who works part-time in the bookstore, and the wife of a charming Englishman who does not. When not working or reading, Liz spends time volunteering with various town committees and organizations, and playing and singing with her oldies band.

Board Directors

Lisa Dugan • Macmillan Publishers

Lisa Dugan has been an Inside Sales Representative at Macmillan Publishers for the past four years, covering accounts across New England. Her bookselling career began during college at Oz Books in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Afterward, she worked at Barclay Booksellers in Pennsylvania before spending over 13 years at Koen Book Distributors in New Jersey, a wholesaler primarily serving independent East Coast stores. At Koen, she started in sales and marketing and later became the Children's Book Buyer. She was an active participant in NEIBA and NECBA meetings, even serving as NECBA Chair. Following her time at Koen, Lisa was the Picture Book Buyer for Barnes & Noble, working from their New York City corporate offices. Before joining Macmillan, she returned to frontline bookselling and managed the book fair program at Children's Book World in Haverford, PA.

Frederick Rossero • Oblong Books • Millerton, NY

Frederick Rossero (he/they) is a frontline bookseller of 5 years, who became obsessed with the industry starting on day 1, with no end in sight. They're deeply committed to making this a sustainable and welcoming career for people from all backgrounds, and learning everything they can about all sides of the industry. They currently serve on the NEIBA Advisory Council, have just termed off of the ABA's BAC, and have served on the Indies Introduce and Windows & Mirrors committees of the ABA and NEIBA respectively...and probably some other things; they love to say "yes.”

Benjamin Rybeck • House of Books • Kent, CT

Benjamin Rybeck has been a bookseller since 2014. He began at Brazos Bookstore in Houston as Marketing Director and then General Manager. In 2019, he helped open the bookstore at the Center for Fiction in Brooklyn. He took over management of House of Books in 2020, and worked with the ownership and architects on a major renovation project, completely rebuilding and redesigning the original space. He currently serves on the NEIBA Advisory Council.