Gilbert Garcia has been manager of the Southwestern Campus Store, Southwestern Community College District, Chula Vista, CA, for the past two years. During that time he spearheaded an initiative to introduce pickup parcel lockers at four locations across southern San Diego to streamline students’ access to essential materials and improve service.

He was previously employed at the Bay Tree Bookstore, University of California Santa Cruz, for seven years. He started out as a student employee and then worked his way up to general merchandise and technology buyer and ultimately to operations manager.

Garcia has served as a NACS trustee since 2021 and has also been tapped to serve on the California Association of College Stores Board of Directors.

“I’m excited to continue to serve on the NACS Board in a different capacity because of my deep passion for this industry and my commitment to its ongoing success,” Garcia says. “Despite the challenges we’ve encountered in recent years, I firmly believe that difficult times can be a breeding ground for innovation and growth. It’s crucial that we realign our mission to harmonize with the needs of our academic institutions, particularly in the pursuit of making educational materials more affordable. By prioritizing our students’ well-being and educational needs, I’m confident that all other aspects will naturally fall into place.”

LuAnne Kelly has been manager of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Bookstore, St. John’s, NL, Canada, for the past 20 years. Previously she managed a Chapters bookstore for three years and also has 12 years’ experience in the food service industry.

She has volunteered for NACS in a number of ways. She is finishing the final year of her term on the NACS Foundation Board of Directors and served on the committee that developed the new industry standards recently approved by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS). She also served on the NACS Education Committee.

Kelly was also president of Campus Stores Canada in 2013-14 and hosted a course materials conference. In addition, she served on CSC’s Education Committee, Annual Conference Committee, and Advocacy Committee.

“I am so pleased to be involved in discussions with diverse people with differing opinions and perspectives,” Kelly says. “The thoughtful processes for making decisions on the boards that I have served has better prepared me for working collegially with differing, and sometimes difficult, parties in my store role.” She describes herself as a “fierce advocate for students, as well as the bookstore” at the university, adding, “One of my favorite things about working in the campus store industry is the energy that surrounds campus and the young demographic that we serve and work with daily.”

Terri Mitchell has been director of the Bulldog Bookstore, Navarro College, Corsicana, TX, for approximately nine years, with a total of 40 years’ experience in leadership/management roles. She previously managed a retail store in her local community for several years and was awarded the Store Manager of the Year in 2007 when her store was ranked number one out of 782 stores in 42 states. While previously managing her local retail store, she also served on the college’s business advisory board for 10 years and completed her bachelor’s degree in business management. Since joining the Navarro staff, she has served on the Dancing for Our Stars committee, helping to raise $2 million for student scholarships.

She served as president of the Southwest Association of College Bookstores in 2021-22, in addition to nine years as a SWACB trustee. She is also active with the New England Buying Consortium.

Mitchell regularly takes part in meetings with the district president plus a host of executive administrators, deans, and faculty. “These relationships and opportunities have helped me gain valuable insight and the knowledge needed to promote and show the importance of the independent bookstores to the industry I represent and the value that associations like NACS have on the institutionally owned stores,” she says. In her time at Navarro, she’s worked with three different presidents and has seen turnover in several key vice presidents, which she gives credit to contributing to her professional growth.

She also describes herself as being “very enthusiastic and passionate about education and serving our students, faculty, and community, and I always go the extra mile to help as much as possible with every step of the student journey. My goal has always been to see as many students graduate and go on to successful careers where they can contribute and give back to the communities they live in.”