Laurent Linn has been elected president of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators board of directors. He has been involved with SCBWI for more than 22 years as faculty at global and regional conferences, a member of the SCBWI advisory council, and a committee member responsible for planning illustrator programming at global conferences.
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For more than 25 years, he has been an art director of picture books, middle grade, and YA books, with 16 years at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Prior to that, he was a creative director and puppet designer with Jim Henson's Muppets and an Emmy Award winner for his work on Sesame Street. He is also the author and illustrator of numerous children's books, including Draw the Line.
Linn joins board treasurer Jon E. Cawthorne, a librarian in the Wayne State University Library System; and board secretary Netta Rabin, v-p, publisher, and creative director of Klutz, a division of Scholastic.
Linn commented: "The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is truly that: a society--a rich community of creative people coming together to share and learn and grow. In my 22 years of involvement with SCBWI, I've experienced this remarkable community up close across regions in the U.S. and around the world, and I've seen how hard the staff and volunteers work to serve the needs of all members while welcoming new members as our publishing world evolves. I am deeply honored to step into the role of president of the board of directors and can't wait to help enrich and grow this giving and joyful community!"
Executive director Sarah Baker said, "I've had the privilege of working closely with Laurent Linn since I began working for SCBWI in 2011, and I've known him from SCBWI events for over 20 years.... I'm so excited about the innovations and contributions Laurent will bring to his new role, and I'm thrilled to welcome him as our board president."