BISG Adds a New Staff Member

Over the past eight years, BISG has continually invested in its ability to support committee and working group efforts to solve problems that affect two or more parts of the publishing supply chain. That investment involves planning, hosting, and following up on nearly 100 committee and working group meetings each year. It also includes marketing efforts to bring issues, opportunities, and recommendations to the industry as a whole.

Supported by two staff, the marketing and communications functions at times have lagged, a concern for BISG as it implements a strategic plan announced in April. In planning the FY2025 budget, which kicked off July 1, the BISG Board recommended and approved the addition of a new role, marketing & communications manager. We're pleased to announce that Liz Bartek will start in this position on September 3.

For the past decade, Liz has overseen marketing and events at RJ Julia, a respected independent bookseller based in Madison, Connecticut. There, she served as a member of the management team overseeing operations for three retail locations, one e-commerce affiliate, as well as strategic planning, budgeting, and staffing. In this role Liz oversaw all marketing strategy and activities, including content creation for social media, websites, and e-commerce, as well as e-mail newsletters, advertisements, product promotions, and more.

Liz has been responsible for community outreach to local businesses, non-profits, and schools and universities, building beneficial relationships and cross-promotional opportunities. She oversaw sponsorship relationships on behalf of the stores, and she served as RJ Julia's point of contact for publishers, publicists, authors, writing groups, local and national press/media, and customers. In her prior role as RJ Julia's events manager, Liz was responsible for scheduling and executing over 350 events across three bookstores.

Liz came to RJ Julia after eight years at Hebrew Health Care, where she served as corporate and foundation relations manager and (previously) development coordinator. Her responsibilities there included producing the organization's annual fundraising gala, as well as planning and hosting donor cultivation events, lectures, and annual meetings. These skills will play an important role as BISG implements its strategic plan.

At the end of June, BISG moved to a remote working environment, consistent with the all-virtual support of its committee and working groups implemented in 2017. As part of the interview process, BISG operations manager Brooke Horn, executive director Brian O'Leary, and incoming marketing & communications manager Liz Bartek have discussed how work across BISG will be supported in virtual settings. We expect that the new structure will be up and running quickly after Liz starts. Liz can be reached via e-mail at liz@bisg.org.