Angela Erickson – Committee Chair – is a former Head of Middle School English who currently works as the Head of Libraries at United World College in Singapore. She is interested in how educational leadership, curriculum design and workshop pedagogy can be integrated to create a school culture of reading, thinking and writing. For the past few years, she has been working to create systems to articulate classroom and departmental libraries with the central school libraries to support the needs of all readers. When she is not reading, Angie is an aspiring mountaineer and a terrible cellist. 

Anthony Tilke – Committee Member – spent 25 interesting years in international schools and 40 overall in libraries and information science. His doctoral thesis (Charles Sturt University, Australia) examined international school library impact on the IB Diploma Programme (DP), which was accepted without amendment. This inspired the writing of his book, The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and the School Library: Inquiry-Based Education, and various academic articles. He works with the IB, has been school library adviser for the then Library Association, in London. Involved with various book awards, he especially treasures memories of being a judge for the UK Carnegie Medal.

Frances Sims-Williams – Committee Member – is a bookseller, a small-time bookstagrammer, and a great lover of books – particularly of the fantastical variety. She has an undergraduate degree in Classical Studies from the University of Wales, Lampeter, and a postgraduate diploma in the same subject from the University of St. Andrews, where the focus of her studies was on Classical languages and literature. She can most often be found on Instagram (@nightjarreads), where she likes to chat about all the books she’s reading (or planning to read), and leaves the occasional review.

Emilia Packard — Committee Member — has been a freelance book reviewer for a decade or so, writing for Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews. Previously, she worked as an historical archivist and received her MLS from the University of Illinois. In 2019, she relocated with her family from Texas to Tokyo, and over the course of their 6 years there, ended up with three bilingual children who read voraciously in Japanese and English. She hopes to bring to the committee the perspective of a parent reading and selecting youth literature through a cross-cultural, multilingual lens.

Kim Tyo-Dickerson — Committee Member — is the Head of Libraries and Upper School Librarian at the International School of Amsterdam, with over 25 years of experience across North America, Europe, and Africa. She holds an MLIS from Syracuse University and an MA in English from Miami University. Her practice is deeply informed by her Ethiopian American family and is centered on social justice, the freedom to read, and fostering environments of belonging. A seasoned advocate for global literature, Kim has served as a guest editor for GLLI’s #WorldKidLitMonth and contributed to the UN #SDGLitMonth and #IntlYALitMonth review projects. Kim’s professional and personal journey is rooted in the belief that language and literature are the essential tools for making sense of our world through the stories we share.

Tim Pruzinsky – Committee Member — is a high school English teacher at the American International School of Budapest where he passionately experiments in his classroom with implementing reading and writing workshop pedagogy within an IB framework.  He also teaches “The Imperfect Art of Living,” a Global Impact Diploma course.  Tim is a co-writer on the InThinking DP English A: Language and Literature website and is heavily involved with the IB as an examiner and workshop leader.  But most of all, Tim is determined – now more than ever in our AI saturated world – to turn teens into readers and if they are already readers, to nurture their love of books in high school. 

Becky Blackburn – Adjunct Committee Member — is thrilled to be working on this award! With a strong foundation in media and library sciences, she has a knack for creating engaging learning experiences as a programming librarian. Outside of her professional life, Becky is a passionate reader and lifelong learner who loves to bake, craft, and quilt. This blend of creativity and dedication to education makes her a champion for literacy and cultural awareness. She can’t wait to bring her skills and enthusiasm to the GLLI community, fostering a love of learning in others!