Global Committee

The Global Committee actively supports and promotes international children’s literature research by broadening the spectrum of primary and secondary literature discussed at the annual meetings and in the publications of ChLA. To encourage scholarly examination of texts originally written in languages other than English and/or created by authors and illustrators from communities, including global indigenous communities, beyond Anglo-American children’s and YA publishing traditions, the committee organizes a panel for the ChLA conference that alternates between specific geographic or topological focal points and experiential or psychological themes that encourage transnational discussion of children's and young adult literature. The Committee also organizes the Global South Speaker Series, co-sponsored by New York University’s Georgiou Library, and selects the recipients of the Vivian Yenika-Agbaw Global Scholarship Grant. 

Composition of the Committee:

The Global Committee consists of six rotating members elected for three-year terms and a chair appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board for a term of three years. Terms begin immediately following the ChLA annual business meeting.

Committee Members:

Chair: Deirdre McMahon, Drexel University, 2024-2027
Maria Truglio, Penn State, 2023-2026
Bornali Nath Dowerah, Manohari Devi Kanoi Girls' College, 2023-2026
Samira Abdur-Rahman, The College of New Jersey, 2023-2026
Chengcheng You, University of Macau, 2024-2027
Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, University of Glasgow, 2024-2027
Tharini Visnawath, University of South Carolina, 2025-2028

ChLA Board Liaison:

Ngozi Onuora, Eastern Illinois University

ChLA Awards and Grants Coordinators:

Pete Kunze, Tulane University
Poushali Bhadury, Middle Tennessee State University
Gabrielle Atwood Halko, West Chester University

The official blog of the Global Committee of ChLA