USBBY
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    • USBBY
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    • IBBY
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    • Join / Renew Your Membership
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  • Awards & Lists
    • Bridge to Understanding Award
    • IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award
    • Alida Cutts Lifetime Membership Award
    • Outstanding International Books
    • Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities List
The purpose of the USBBY State Ambassadors Program is to promote the use of literature to build international understanding and to spread the word about USBBY as a professional organization.
We hope to involve more of our current members in activities related to our mission within their states as well as gain new members. These activities might include distributing information on state listservs, creating displays, presenting sessions at local conferences, organizing book discussion groups, or promoting International Children's Book Day.
​
Currently, the following states have ambassadors:
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  • Alabama: Jamie Naidoo and Wendy Steadman Stephens
  • California: Joan Schoettler
  • Connecticut: Yvonne de St. Croix
  • Georgia: Danilo Baylen and Petros Panaou
  • Illinois: Susan Corapi, Jen Cullerton Johnson, and Linda Wessels
  • Iowa: Taraneh Matloob Haghanikar
  • Kentucky: Diana Porter
  • Maryland: Shanetia Clark, Patricia Dean, and Elizabeth Lewis
  • Massachusetts: Bindy Fleischman
  • Minnesota: Pam Were
  • New Mexico: Yoo Kyung Sung
  • New York: Susan Polos and Catherine Sorenson
  • North Carolina: Elizabeth Swaggerty
  • Ohio: Robin Gibson
  • Oklahoma: Sue Christian Parsons
  • South Carolina: Yang Wang
  • Tennessee: Heather Matthews
  • Texas: Ragina Shearer, Denise Davila, and Marion Rocco
  • Utah: Lauren Liang
  • Virginia: Doris Gebel
  • Washington: Margaret Vaughn
  • West Virginia: Isaac Willis Larison
  • Wisconsin: Marilyn Ward
​If you would like to learn more about becoming a state ambassador,
​contact Evie Freeman at [email protected] or Kathy Short at [email protected].
The United States Board on Books for Young People

The U.S. National Section of International Board on Books for Young People
​
Building Bridges Through Children's and Young Adult Books
Contact Us

USBBY Secretariat
​Center for Teaching through Children´s Books
National Louis University
1000 Capitol Drive
Wheeling, IL 60090
​USA


Junko Yokota, Executive Director

[email protected]

Connect With Us

​© COPYRIGHT 2024.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • About
    • USBBY
    • Patrons, Sponsors, and Partnerships
    • Twinning Partners
    • IBBY
  • Get Involved
    • Join / Renew Your Membership
    • Donate
    • Join Our Email List
    • Volunteer with a Committee
    • Become a State Ambassador
  • News & Events
    • News
    • 2025 IBBY Regional Conference
    • Co-Sponsored Sessions
  • Projects & Publications
    • Twinning Updates
    • Bridges Newsletter
    • Bridges to Understanding Book Series
    • International Children's Book Day
    • Jella Lepman Autobiography
  • Awards & Lists
    • Bridge to Understanding Award
    • IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award
    • Alida Cutts Lifetime Membership Award
    • Outstanding International Books
    • Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities List