MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 5 – March 12, 2009 Edition
Former Congressman
Tom Allen to Head
Publishers Association
WASHINGTON, DC/Authorlink News/03/02/09–Former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, who has served as President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers since June 1997, announced last Friday that she will be leaving AAP on May 1, 2009 “to sail uncharted waters.” The AAP Board of Directors has chosen Tom Allen, a former six-term Congressman from Maine, to succeed her.
“I’m still in the process of composing my life and while there’s always a certain amount of sadness at leave-taking, this is the right time for me to move on,” Mrs. Schroeder said. “I’m delighted to leave AAP and the industry it serves in Tom Allen’s capable hands.”
As a Member of Congress, Mr. Allen served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Budget Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Government Reform Committee. Highly regarded by Congressional colleagues on both sides of the aisle as a thoughtful and effective legislator, Mr. Allen is a former Rhodes Scholar with a law degree from Harvard.
“In this age of rapidly changing technology, we must not lose sight of the biding importance of the written word to our culture, society and our democratic institutions,” Mr. Allen said. “AAP advocates on issues of paramount importance ranging from free speech and education to the protection of intellectual property rights and international freedom to publish. I am excited about tackling the challenges of this new position and its responsibilities to the publishing industry and the reading public.”
AAP Chairman Richard Sarnoff (Bertelsmann Inc.) said: “Pat’s boundless energy and creativity have served AAP well for the past twelve years. We have every confidence that as he takes the helm, with his distinguished background and his passion for books, Tom will provide the visionary and solid leadership we need to keep AAP’s momentum going in this rapidly evolving environment.”
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services.
