Congratulations to Kerry Slattery and Mary Williams at Skylight Books, Los Angeles, Calif.: effective in January, Williams will become general manager, and Slattery, who is the longtime general manager and co-owner, becomes managing partner.
"I have thought long and hard about what Skylight needs today, and I believe Mary has the right combination of leadership, vision, practicality, knowledge of books and the book industry, the ability to create teams, and the willingness to do whatever it takes," Slattery said.
"Eighteen years ago when we opened, we had six employees and one storefront--and no one knew who we were," she continued. "Now we have 20 employees, a popular Arts Annex, and we are included on best bookstore lists around the world. But there are new kinds of challenges, and we are constantly looking for ways to serve our customers better, become more efficient and improve our profitability. One of the first items of business will be to create a strategic plan to define where Skylight is now and where it should be in five years."
|
|
| Kerry Slattery | |
Slattery added that at age 70, "I'd like to focus on some writing projects I've been thinking about and to take longer camping trips with my life partner, Ben DiGregorio, in our home-made teardrop trailer (Deadwood, South Dakota, is next on our list)!"
Williams has worked at Skylight for more than six years, most of that time as events manager. (The store has more than 300 in-store and off-site events per year.) She is immediate past president of the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association and has been on the SCIBA board for four years.
 |
|
| Mary Williams | |
Before coming to Skylight, Williams was a freelance copy editor for academic journals, an assistant publicist at Newmarket Press in New York City and a bookseller at the Strand Bookstore. She studied English literature and creative writing at UCLA, where she was arts & entertainment editor at the Daily Bruin. She facilitates a private book club and continues to write; she's working on a novel.
"As a lifelong book lover, I can think of no job I would enjoy more than managing an independent bookstore," Williams said. "What Kerry has created in Skylight is a community gathering place, a hub of Los Angeles literary culture, and a venue where some of my favorite authors have come to speak. It's been a pleasure joining her team and working with such a talented staff for these past six years, and it's a real honor and privilege to take on this new role. I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead and carrying on the work that Kerry has done so exceptionally."