Board of Directors awards Baker a two-year renewable term
February 9, 2022 – LOS ANGELES, CA The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Board of Directors elects Sarah Baker as the organization’s new Executive Director for a renewable two-year term as of February 1, 2022. Baker previously held the role of associate executive director and has worked for SCBWI since 2011. The SCBWI Board formed a transition committee composed of three members of the board to oversee the transition plans.
Lin Oliver, co-founder of SCBWI, retired from her role as executive director on January 31, 2022.
Baker’s promotion to executive director and Oliver’s retirement were reviewed and voted on by the SCBWI Board of Directors. The transition plan was vetted by outside counsel from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Baker will address the SCBWI membership and children’s book community today with a letter listing objectives for her first term, with a focus on inclusion, transparency, collaboration, and community feedback. Oliver will also issue a letter to the SCBWI community as well.
Baker remarked, “Alongside our members, I hope to make improvements that are rooted in community feedback and good process so that our changes are lasting and meaningful…The world and our industry are changing quickly, and I promise, both as SCBWI’s executive director and as a children’s book creator myself, to lead a team that is always growing and learning, and searching for new ways to elevate the art and reach of children’s literature.”