The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association announced yesterday that the organization has hired Liz Hottel as executive director to succeed Eileen Dengler, who is retiring in 2026 after serving since 1999 as NAIBA’s first and only executive director.

Hottel has already begun her training in all aspects of NAIBA’s operations and will work alongside Dengler throughout next year to ensure a smooth transition. Dengler will continue her work with NAIBA’s Professional Booksellers School through 2027.

The Silver Spring, Md.–based Hottel was a television and documentary producer before shifting to bookselling, spending nearly a decade at Politics & Prose, where she focused on event management and creative programming.

According to NAIBA’s release, Hottel “generated new event programs at the Union Market and Wharf stores and established far-ranging venue and cultural partnerships,” before leading the pivot to virtual programming during the pandemic. Hottel most recently worked as head of programming at Bold Fork Books, a culinary bookstore in Washington D.C.’s Mount Pleasant area, where she drew local and national media attention with innovative programming that spotlighted A-list authors and speakers.

Hottel has also freelanced since 2021 as a consultant to indie bookstores and other cultural institutions, advising them on best practices for more clearly defining their visions and strengthening their bottom lines.

“Eileen has done an incredible job shepherding NAIBA from inception to the strong organization it is today, “ said Hannah Oliver Depp, NAIBA’s board president and the owner of Loyalty Bookstores in the Washington, D.C., metro area. “I am ecstatic that our organization is now in the capable and enthusiastic hands of Liz Hottel, who blew away the NAIBA Board with her competence, clarity, and joy. Our next chapter is in excellent hands.”

NAIBA is the regional association for booksellers in New York state, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. and the metro area surrounding the District.

“This is the best job anyone could ask for, and Liz will be wonderful at it and make our little universe even better for booksellers,” Dengler said. “She is experienced in bookselling, she is passionate about the work, and she’s compassionate about the people. I wish her a long and storied career.”

“Being a bookseller in this climate is an impossible thing,” Hottel said, “and yet we do it every day out of love for the simple act of sharing stories and creating community. I’m in awe of the resourcefulness, determination, and fearlessness of booksellers. And above all, I’m honored to be given the opportunity to be an advocate in the fight to make bookselling a sustainable career path."