SPEAKERS

Sarah Bayliss -Senior Features Editor, SLJ 

Tom Bober is a school librarian at Captain Elementary in St. Louis, MO. He is a Library Journal Mover and Shaker, former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress, and author of the books Building News Literacy, Elementary Educator's Guide to Primary Sources, as well as his newest co-written title, Literature and Primary Sources: The Perfect Pairing for Student Learning. He is a member of teacher advisory boards for the National Portrait Gallery and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Tom has written the popular Picture Books and Primary Sources posts for AASL’s Knowledge Quest blog and hosts The Primary Source Podcast. Tom works with students and educators to promote the love of nonfiction, information literacy, and historical literacy. His foundation is built on over twenty years in public education as a classroom teacher and school librarian. 

Todd Burleson is an accomplished school librarian and author currently serving at the Skokie School in Winnetka, Illinois. With over 32 years of experience in education, he is a certified school librarian who holds both a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in education. Known as the "Willy Wonka of school librarians," Burleson has transformed traditional library spaces into dynamic learning environments, including the creation of the IDEA Lab at Hubbard Woods School, which emphasizes project-based learning in STEAM disciplines. He has presented at conferences around the world, sharing his innovative practices and insights. A lifelong learner, Burleson is continually exploring, reading, and discovering new ways to inspire students and educators alike. Honored as the 2016 School Librarian of the Year by School Library Journal, he remains deeply committed to fostering a love of reading and integrating technology into learning in his current role. 

Becky Calzada is the District Library Coordinator in Leander, Texas and the 24/25 AASL President. She is a co-founding member of Texas #FReadom Fighters, recipient of several intellectual freedom awards, and was honored by People Magazine in their 2023 Women Changing the World portfolio. Becky is a UABB cadre member within the ALA Policy Corp, a past member of the ALA Intellectual Freedom committee, on the Legislative Committee for the Texas Library Association, and Past Chair for the Texas Association of School Librarians. Becky is the co-author of Prepared Libraries, Empowered Teams: A Workbook for Navigating Intellectual Freedom Challenges Together which was published by ALA Editions in June 2024. 

John Chrastka is co-founder and executive director of EveryLibrary, the national political action committee for libraries, and the EveryLibrary Institute, a public policy and education policy think tan for libraries. Since 2012, EveryLibrary has supported public libraries in numerous funding negotiations, politicized challenges, and over 130 election days, winning over $2.8 billion dollars in stable tax money for libraries. Its SaveSchoolLibraians.org campaigns help ensure the future of school library work, and its FightForTheFirst.org site supports over 100 local and statewide anti-censorship and anti-discrimination campaigns. The EveryLibrary Institute supports funding-focused research and training for library leaders and outreach to the public about librarians. 

Shelley Diaz is School Library Journal’s reviews director. She began at SLJ in 2011, while studying for her MLIS at Queens College, NY. With a brief tenure as a selector at BookOps, the technical services for NYPL and Brooklyn Public, she returned to SLJ in 2020 as the reviews editor. Shelley chaired the 2022 Pura Belpré Award committee and is currently serving on ALSC’s 2025 Children’s Literature Legacy Award committee. 

Donna Gray is currently the chair of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association & School Library Journal’s Children & Young Adult Literary Awards, an executive committee member of Project Cicero, and an adjunct at St. John Fisher University. She holds master’s degrees in Library Science from Queens College and Educational Leadership from Bank Street College. 

Amanda Hunt, aka TheNextGenLibrarian, is a 6th-8th middle school librarian in New Braunfels ISD and is the Secondary Lead Librarian for NBISD. She’s been a librarian for 14 years at both elementary and secondary campuses. She was the chair for the Mavericks Graphic Novel Reading List Committee for TLA from 2021-2023 and is presently the TxASL Councilor through 2025. She is also on the AASL Standards Committee for the new book releasing in 2025. Amanda is a certified Apple Teacher and Apple Learning Coach, as well as a Google certified Trainer and Coach. She is also an Adobe Innovator and Trainer.  Follow her across social media @thenextgenlibrarian 

Jonathan Hunt is the Coordinator of Library Media Services at the San Diego County Office of Education and the Teacher Librarian Program Coordinator at San Jose State University. 

Gay Ivey, PhD, is the William E. Moran Distinguished Professor in Literacy at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.  She studies reading engagement among children and young adults and the consequences of meaningful literacy experiences on their academic lives and wellbeing. She has written about her research in journals such as Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, The Reading Teacher, Language Arts, and Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.  Her most recent book (with Peter Johnston) is Teens Choosing to Read: Fostering Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Growth Through Books (2023, Teachers College Press). She is a recipient of the P. David Pearson Scholarly Influence Award, a past president of the Literacy Research Association, and an elected member of the Reading Hall of Fame. 

Kathy Ishizuka is Editor in Chief of School Library Journal and directs partnerships and innovation for both SLJ and sister publication Library Journal. She was named among FOLIO's Top Women in Media in 2019, A member of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, Ishizuka is a graduate of AAJA’s Executive Leadership Program.

Jennie Liu is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and was brought up with an ear to two cultures. Her work includes the young adult novels The Red Car to Hollywood, Girls on the Line, and Like Spilled Water and the middle grade novel Enly and the Buskin’ Blues. She lives in North Carolina with her family. www.jennieliuwrites.com 

Natalie Lloyd lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She collects old books, listens to bluegrass music, and loves exploring quirky mountain towns with her dog, Biscuit. She is the author of A Snicker of Magic and The Key to Extraordinary. 

Elissa Malespina is an award-winning school librarian in New Jersey, an educational consultant, and certified special education advocate. She writes The AI School Librarians Newsletter, where she shares insights on leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance library services and educational outcomes. Known for her innovative approach, Elissa has successfully implemented technology-driven initiatives that enrich student learning, such as virtual debates. Her work in educational equity includes a role as a school board member. Elissa is also featured in the book "Trouble in Censorville: The Far Right's Assult on Public Education and the Teachers Who are Fighting Back." Additionally, she runs her consulting company and provides professional development. Learn more about Elissa and her contributions at elissamalespina.com. 

Jandy Nelson is the New York Times bestselling author of I’ll Give You the Sun, which received the Printz Award, was a Stonewall Honor Book, and was named one of TIME’s 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Her critically acclaimed debut, The Sky Is Everywhere, is now an AppleTV+ and A24 original film starring Jason Segel and Cherry Jones, for which Jandy wrote the screenplay. Together, Sun and Sky have sold well over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than thirty-eight languages. Both have been YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks and on multiple best of the year lists, have earned many starred reviews, and continue to enjoy great international success. Her latest novel is When the World Tips Over. Currently a full-time writer, Jandy lives and writes in San Francisco, California, not far from the settings of her novels. 

Jose Pimienta was raised in Mexicali, Baja California and now resides in Los Angeles, CA where they work on comics and storyboards for animation and film. Suncatcher was their debut YA graphic novel and ended on many 'Best of' lists. Their second graphic novel, Twin Cities received four starred reviews and Jose's work with students, in both English and Spanish, has made they a great guest at many school across the US. In their stories, they focus on the importance of Latinx culture and the experience of growing up on the border. 

Monifa Robinson ~ Leadership Coach | Speaker | Author ~ As owner of Within Your Reach Consulting Services, Monifa brings a unique perspective and wealth of knowledge and expertise to the field of capacity building and executive-level coaching. She is dedicated to helping industrious professional women discover and ascertain CLARITY, BALANCE, and PURPOSE and is dedicated to helping leaders experience internal and visible transformation. Her desire is to empower women to become ethical leaders and agents of change. 

Kristy Sartain has twelve years of experience as a secondary librarian and is the current President of NCSLMA. She has wanted to be a librarian since 2nd grade and is thrilled to be in her dream career. When not librarianing, she is immersed in the MCU, reading scifi or fantasy, or hanging out with her kids and friends. 

Sherri L. Smith is the prolific author of multiple award-winning children's books, including The Blossom and the Firefly, Flygirl, Orleans, and several books in the Who Was series. She has written for Bart Simpson comics, James Cameron's Avatar comics, and Wonder Woman. Her books have been named as Junior Library Guild, Children's Book Council, and American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults selections. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner and a disreputable cat. 

Sarah Steiger-With 15 years of experience in teaching & learning, instructional technology, and strategic messaging in librarianship, Sarah is constantly looking for ways to evolve and grow the library to be culturally responsive in collections, space, policy, programming, and hiring practices. When Sarah is not working with colleagues to break down systems of oppression in our libraries, I’m foraging and identifying mushrooms in the wild! 

Julie Stivers is the Upper School Librarian at Carolina Friends School in Durham, NC. Her work has been published in Knowledge Quest, School Library Journal, and YALS. She is the author/editor of Include (ALA, 2022) and a co-author of the upcoming Manga Goes to School (ALA, 2024). As an ALA Emerging Leader, she helped develop AASL’s Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries. She's the 2022 North Carolina School Library Media Coordinator of the Year and the 2023 School Librarian of the Year. Her research and practical interests center inclusive library spaces, culturally sustaining pedagogy, reimagining school book fairs, and exploring the power of manga and anime with her students. 

Mychal Threets is a librarian, literary ambassador, and the library’s number one fan (according to himself, admittedly). He was raised in his local library as a home-school kid. He got his first library card at the age of five and was hooked on libraries from there. He got his first library job as a library shelver at the library he grew up in and worked his way up to become Supervising Librarian of that very same library. He talks about mental health in hopes that it’ll help others in their mental health journey. He is a recipient of the 2024 “I Love My Librarian” award from the American Library Association, is one of Library Journal’s 2024 Movers and Shakers, and is one of TIME Magazine’s 2024 Next Generation Leaders. 

Julia E. Torres is a nationally recognized veteran language arts teacher, librarian, and teen programs administrator in Denver, Colorado. Julia facilitates teacher development workshops rooted in the areas of anti-racist education, equity and access in literacy and librarianship, and education as a practice of liberation. Julia's work has been featured on NPR, AlJazeera’s The Stream, PBS Education, KQED’s MindShift, Rethinking Schools, Learning for Justice Magazine, School Library Journal, American Libraries Magazine, and many more. Her co-authored title Liven Up Your Library: Design Engaging and Inclusive Programs for Teens and Tweens is just the first of many forthcoming publications for librarians and educators. 

Kerry Townsend is the Library Media Coordinator for Columbia Public Schools in Columbia, MO and a former middle school librarian. She is also a PhD Candidate at the University of Missouri with a focus on effective school libraries, media and digital literacy and mediated communication. She holds graduate degrees in Education Technologies (MEd) and Educational Leadership (EdS) from the University of Missouri. She loves learning and hopes you do too. 

Carolyn Vibbert is a practicing school librarian in Northern Virginia with over 20 years of experience as an educator. She holds National Board Certification in K-12 Library Media and currently facilitates learning sessions for teachers pursuing initial certification. As a Senior Lecturer with Antioch University Seattle she adjuncts in the Library Endorsement Program. She has presented at local, state, and AASL National Conferences; served the Virginia Association of School Librarians as president, and is currently co-chair of the AASL National Conference Committee.  

Kara Yorio, Senior Editor, News, SLJ