Jean Srnecz Dies in Plane Crash  

-- Publishers Weekly, 2/13/2009 9:55:00 AM

Jean Srnecz, senior v-p of merchandising for Baker & Taylor, was one of the victims of the Continental Connection Flight 3407 plane that crashed Thursday night, February 12, outside the Buffalo airport. Srnecz, who was on a trip to visit family, was a highly regarded and well-known member of the publishing industry and served on the boards of the Book Industry Study Group and Educational Paperback Association. B&T president Arnie Wright called Srnecz "the face of B&T to the publishing industry. She was instrumental in carrying out all our initiatives, but most importantly she was a true friend to those she worked with. If you start a list with the great people in the world she is at the top."

Srnecz had a B.A. in history from D’Youville College and an M.A. in political science from SUNY at Buffalo and later earned her M.B.A. in Finance from New York University. She joined B&T in 1975 as a children’s book buyer after spending three years in retail. In her most recent position Srnecz was responsible for all buying and inventory management activities including Children’s, General Interest Adult, Academic, Professional, Higher Ed, Mass Market and Audio. She was also responsible for Publisher Services, Publisher Sales Reporting, Inventory Analysis, Publisher Relations and Advertising in B&T publications.