President’s e-Letter – Spring 2014

Dear SSP Members,

I am delighted to announce the new officers and Board for 2014-2015. This year’s elections were very close, which is a testament to the excellent job done by Carol Meyer and the Nominating Committee as well as to the deep reservoir of talent and dedication among the volunteers and members of SSP. I’m immensely grateful to everyone who agreed to run – every possible result this year would have been a good one for SSP. And now, for the results.

Ann Michael, principal of DeltaThink and a well-known collaborator and leader in scholarly publishing and a current SSP Board member, is our next President-Elect. Ann served on the Executive Committee this year, on the Annual Meeting Program Committee in the recent past, and brings a wide ambit of knowledge from publishing, technology, strategy, and business models to the role, as well as her trademark energy.

Howard Ratner, Executive Director of CHOR, Inc., will take over as President at the end of this month, with the gavel passing to him at this year’s Annual Meeting. Howard is a well-known leader of major innovations (CHORUS, ORCID), as well as having experience across many publishers during his career. I’ve seen Howard at work as an SSP leader this past year, and it has convinced me that he will be an amazing President for SSP.

Byron Laws will be taking over as Treasurer next year, receiving the ledgers from Todd Carpenter of NISO, who has been our Treasurer during the past few years of high growth, which he managed with his calm hand and sharp eyes. Byron has served on many SSP committees over the years, most recently on the Education Committee, and will bring a lot of skill and energy to the role.

Joining the SSP Board for three-year terms will be our three new board members at large: Jocelyn Dawson, Emilie Delquie, and Marian Hollingsworth. Jocelyn and Emilie have chaired the Annual Meeting Program Committee for the past two years, and have done a tremendous job with this centerpiece of SSP’s programming. Marian Hollingsworth has served on the Education Committee and in other roles at SSP, in each case delivering great talent and energy. These three new Board members have all contributed greatly to SSP in their own ways and will provide fresh perspectives and ideas.

Our thanks go to Carol Anne Meyer, Eileen Kiley Novak, Kristen Fisher Ratan, and Adrian Stanley, who will be rotating off the Board this year after three years of excellent service. Given their dedication and talent, I hope that we can all look forward to their continued input and ideas.

Annual Meeting 

Ann Mehan Crosse and her staff at the Kellen Company are busy preparing for the upcoming Annual Meeting to be held May 28-30 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. The program has been finalized, and this meeting may be the largest meeting in the history of SSP, both in attendance and in exhibitors. The Annual Meeting Program Committee, headed by Emilie Delquie and Jocelyn Dawson, did an amazing job yet again! A meeting app will be available for download again, to help you select and track the sessions you want to attend.

It is not too late to get your registrations in. The SSP Annual Meeting is a can’t-miss event in our community. From the first keynote to the last panel on the last day, you will enjoy a steady diet of ideas, debates, reports, and challenges. Come prepared for engaging sessions, enjoyable networking, and informative exhibits. And please stop by the SSP Membership Booth to volunteer and get involved.

That’s a Wrap

This will be my final President’s Letter (for someone who writes so much, I only managed a few of these, I’m ashamed to admit). Despite my less than stellar word output, let me assure you that it has been a signal honor to serve in this role. Best of all, the Board and Committees accomplished a great deal this year, establishing the role of Program Director (already working well in the extremely capable hands of Margaret Reich), an Audit Committee (headed by Jennifer Pesanelli), and a clearer focus on some core strategic elements. I want to personally thank each member of the Board and all the Committee Chairs and Committee members for the incredible energy, dedication, and talent they gave SSP this year. The results are amazing. Thank you.

Warm regards,

Kent Anderson
SSP President, 2013-14