2024 Children’s Literature Assembly Board Elections: Meet the Candidates

By Ruth Lowery, Chair of CLA's Nominating Committee

Children's literature remains an important vehicle to introduce young children to the diverse world around them. Young readers get excited as they explore their lived world through exposure to works like The Snowy Day (Keats, 1962), Goodnight Moon (Brown, 1947), Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Martin & Archambault, 1989), and Thank You, Omu! (Mora, 2018). They learn the nuances of storytelling, sounds and word recognition, and simply how to live in the moment as they discover the beauty of listening, then discovering their universe. 

The Children’s Literature Assembly (CLA) continues to champion the value of literature for young readers. The CLA advocates for a “teacher's privilege and responsibility to help students discover the joy of reading, while they also teach students how to internalize the skills and strategies of fluent reading." Literature advocates want children to be critical citizens of the world, so we advocate for sharing high quality, culturally diverse books with them. 

Although some groups want to limit children’s access to books based on their content, working to remove diverse books from library shelves, we concur with the International Literacy Association (ILA) that children have the “basic human right to read." So, as we embark on the 2024 election season for the next three board members who will be selected to serve the CLA for a three-years term, we are excited to share with you the slate of nominees. These nominees are book lovers and reading advocates, eager and willing to take the mantle and continue this work of sharing wonderful books with young readers, librarians, teachers, teacher educators, authors and illustrators, and all stakeholders interested in reading and sharing quality children’s literature. ​

Meet the Candidates

Suriati Abas
State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta

​Dr. Suriati Abas is an assistant professor teaching children's literature and literacy education at SUNY Oneonta. Her research encompasses promoting diverse children’s literature through collaborative community-based work involving pre-service teachers, elementary-age children, teachers, public libraries, and picture book authors and graphic novelists. As a CLA Board Member, Suriati hopes to focus on developing strategies to combat censorship, expanding CLA's outreach to educators, and initiating conversations on critical multimodal approaches to children's literature.

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Mary Ellen Oslick
Stetson University
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​Dr. Mary Ellen Oslick is a literacy faculty member at Stetson University in Florida. Her research focuses on the transformative power of literature. She has been involved with CLA in various capacities including serving on the Early Career Award committee and chairing the Bonnie Campbell Hill National Literacy Leader Award committee. As a CLA Board Member, Mary Ellen wants to continue to emphasize the vital work of supporting the integration of high-quality children’s literature in all classrooms for all readers.

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Rebecca Stortz
The University of Texas at San Antonio
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​Dr. Rebecca Stortz is a literacy faculty member in the educator preparation program at UTSA. An active member of CLA, she amplifies and uplifts the voices of authors and illustrators from diverse perspectives through her teaching of children’s and young adult literature. She is also passionate about developing innovative and effective ways for preservice and inservice teachers to delve deeply into stories and bring them to life for their own students. As a CLA Board Member, Rebecca hopes to encourage literacy research surrounding children’s and young adult literature, seeking ways to promote our assembly’s work and knowledge via non-traditional avenues such as exciting new virtual education spaces.

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Dorian Harrison
The Ohio State University
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​Dr. Dorian Harrison is an associate professor of literacy at Ohio State University. Her research is grounded in equity and social justice, as she utilizes literature as a tool for critical explorations of self and the world. She has been active in CLA, serving as a member of the Notables Children's Books in the Language Arts (NCBLA). As a CLA Board Member, Dorian wants to play an active role in continuing to help champion access to great literature.
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Jennifer Slagus
Brock University (Canada) & University of South Florida

Jennifer Slagus is a librarian at the University of South Florida. She is also completing her doctoral dissertation at Brock University. Her research focuses on neurodivergent representation in middle grade literature. She has been involved with CLA, serving as chair of the student committee and on the organizing committee for the inaugural CLA Research Conference. As a CLA Board Member, Jennifer hopes to provide early-career perspectives on policies and decision-making to continue strengthening the impact that the organization makes on the literacy field.

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Meghan Valerio
District Literacy Coach, Canfield Local Schools, Ohio

Dr. Meghan Valerio, a District Literacy Coach (K-12), sees children’s literature as essential in children’s lives. She currently serves as co-chair of the 2024 CLA Breakfast Committee and has served CLA in various capacities. Meghan’s research explores children’s and YA literature through various textual formats, seeking patterns and pathways that can provide teachers and young readers with frameworks for understanding. As a CLA Board Member, Meghan wants to continue to advocate for teachers as they integrate authentic and diverse children’s literature in their curriculum.

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We invite you to visit CLA's Elections Page to learn more about these candidates. Also, we encourage CLA members to watch their email inboxes for a link to vote. Voting will be September 30 - October 10, 2024, and accessing the ballot will require logging in to CLA. The newly elected Board members will be announced during the CLA Breakfast at the 2024 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Convention in November.

Ruth Lowery is Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Faculty Affairs in the College of Education of the University of North Texas. She is immediate past president of CLA and chair of the Nominating Committee.