91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – Laura Hicks and Kathy Lester will seek the 2022-2023 AASL presidential term during the 2021 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) election. The full slate of AASL candidates can be found at .

Hicks is currently the education specialist for school library media at the Maryland State Department of Education. She serves on the AASL Practice Committee and is a past member of the AASL Board of Directors and Executive Committee. She is also a member of 91´«Ã½ Council. At the state level, Hicks has served as the president of the Maryland Association of School Librarians and is currently on their board of directors.

"Thank you for the honor of being selected to run for president-elect,” said Hicks. “My state-level position gives me a broad view of the joys and challenges of school librarians and allows me to advocate for school libraries through working relationships with decision makers of all types. This spirit of cooperation is essential for the continued health and growth of our profession and is an important characteristic of AASL. Through my experience on committees and the boards of AASL and MASL, I have developed skills in collaboration, cooperation, and accord. If elected, I will use those skills to focus on cultivating and growing relationships that will benefit all our members.”

Lester is currently the school librarian at East Middle School in Plymouth, Michigan. She is a member of the AASL Practice Committee and the ASCD Task Force. She is a past member of the AASL Board of Directors. Lester is also currently serving on the 91´«Ã½ Committee on Library Advocacy and the 91´«Ã½ Ecosystem Subcommittee. At the state level, she has served as the advocacy chair for the Michigan Association for Media in Education and is currently a member of the association’s board.

"I am honored to stand as a candidate for the office of AASL president-elect,” said Lester. “If elected, I would work with the AASL Board and all of the members of AASL to move toward our vision of ‘every school librarian is a leader; every learner has a school librarian’ while keeping front and center our core values of learning; innovation; equity, diversity, and inclusion; intellectual freedom; and collaboration. In particular, with the new administration, I believe there will be an opportunity to advocate for our profession and our learners. I am ready to put in the hard work necessary to continue to implement our strategic plan through building relationships to influence education policy, advancing research to inform us, and activating leadership among our members.”

Ballot mailing for the 2021 91´«Ã½ election will begin on March 8, 2021, and the election will run through April 7, 2021. To vote, AASL membership must be current as of January 31, 2021. For questions regarding membership status, contact 91´«Ã½ Member Relations and Services at 800-545-2433 x 5 (International members should call +1-312-944-6780) or e-mail customerservice@ala.org.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.