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Steve Potash Receives Inaugural Book Industry Ambassador Award
BookExpo America has created a new award which will single out one individual each year for their achievement in connecting people, concepts and organizations. The recognition is designed to reflect the values of BEA and underscore the show’s importance as a meeting ground where industry professionals gather to connect and interact with other industry professionals. The first-ever Industry Ambassador Award, BEA 2011 has been granted to Steve Potash, President and CEO of OverDrive, Inc. The award itself is made of glass and is engraved with the recipient’s name. In commenting on the Industry Ambassador Award, Steve Rosato, Show Manager for BEA, states: “It is only appropriate that BookExpo America, the leading book industry event in North America, recognize an individual from the industry we serve. Once I made the decision to create this award, determining who should be the first recipient was relatively easy. The qualities the award represents and that we honor describe Steve Potash to a tee. He uses his platform in the industry to advance the interests of publishing as a whole. We seek to honor a person who is a true ambassador for the industry and Steve is the perfect person to be the measuring stick to initiate this award that we expect to grow in stature and prominence in the future.” Steve Potash comments: “The Industry Ambassador Award is a surprise and humbling experience. While the publishing and bookselling industries have changed dramatically over the past few years, BEA and its associated activities have been a strong reason why I enjoy hundreds of long-standing relationships with leaders in this industry. BEA does a great service to all by consistently bringing stakeholders for the book community to New York each spring.” ABOUT STEVE POTASH: Steve Potash founded OverDrive, Inc, a digital book software developer and distributor in 1986. Under his leadership, OverDrive has been at the forefront of dozens of eBook and digital reading innovations for more than two decades. Today OverDrive distribute over 600,000 copyrighted digital book titles and provides managed eBook and digital audiobook services for over 15,000 schools, libraries and institutions worldwide. Steve has participated with BookExpo America (and its predecessor conference) since the early 90s. He is credited with helping form the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and served on its Board of Directors and as its President for many years. Steve has authored numerous articles on software and copyright issues and has been a featured presenter at dozens of domestic and International publishing, book, and intellectual property conferences. Steve and his wife of 36 years Loree Potash (an attorney and former librarian) and their three adult children are all active in digital publishing, education and library activities.