After 10 years at the ABA, Gen de Botton, senior manager of children's bookselling programming and education, has left the organization to explore other opportunities in the bookselling industry. Her last day was July 8.
De Botton began her bookselling career in 2004 as the children's specialist at Borders Books & Music in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. In 2011, she was scouted by a community member to launch Little Joe's Books in Katonah, N.Y. In 2015, de Botton was hired by the ABA, where she worked closely with ABA's current COO, Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, and former development and publisher relationships officer Mark Nichols. Not long after, de Botton was promoted to manager of the children's group (formerly the ABC Group). In 2021, she was promoted to her most recent position.
During her time at ABA, de Botton made significant contributions to the culture of independent children's bookselling and has been a staunch advocate for the work of children's booksellers. Some notable programs de Botton led were #STEMReads and the Children's Institute. She also played a valuable role in fundraising efforts and organizing during ABA's 2020 #SaveIndieBookstores campaign at the onset of COVID-19. She may be reached via e-mail or @gendebotton.
After 31 years, Jill Perlstein, meetings and planning officer, has left the ABA to explore new opportunities. She began her ABA career in the marketing department, creating a catalog for the Booksellers Order Service to promote non-book products for bookstore members. Over the years, she worked with committees and contributed to numerous promotional campaigns. She also edited Out of the Mold: Independent Voices Breaking Out of the Mold, published in celebration of National Independent Bookstore Week. One of her proudest accomplishments was the Book Sense Gift Card program, the first of its kind to allow customers of indie bookstores to purchase a gift card in one store and redeem it in another.
In 2010, Perlstein moved into her most recent role, working behind the scenes at both the Winter and Children's Institutes, where she managed logistics and tracked thousands of details to ensure smooth, successful, and safe events. She looks forward to staying connected with friends and colleagues through LinkedIn or via e-mail.