Sarkis, a graduate of the MFA Program in Poetry at the New School University, is a Founding Editor and Publisher of Good Foot, a poetry magazine based in New York City. She has worked at a variety of area nonprofit organizations including The Queens Library and Long Island's Friends of the Arts. She has also done nonprofit event consulting. Before coming to CLMP, Sarkis was the Event Director for Cancer Care Incorporated, a social service and advocacy organization. Koester, whose background is in Internet Marketing, is currently pursuing an MFA in Fiction at the New School University.

CLMP Executive Director Jeffrey Lependorf, says of the hires, "Katherine Sarkis and Jessie Koester bring to CLMP considerable skills and energy beyond their immediate positions. We're very lucky to have both of them join the staff." He adds that Sarkis brings a significant background in development—"an essential skill in these difficult times"—and that Koester's extensive background in Internet marketing will be very helpful in maintaining the CLMP website. On a broader level, Lependorf says, "New staff means new ideas and new directions—it's an exciting time to be turning 35 as an organization!"

CLMP was founded in 1967 as the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines, adding presses to its constituency in 1991 and on-line publishers in 2001. For 35 years, CLMP has supported the country's diverse literary culture by promoting and advocating on behalf of its publishers and nurturing their business and organizational capacity. CLMP strengthens its membership by offering marketing and organizational workshops, hosting a national membership meeting, sponsoring technical assistance programs, representing the voice of its publishers in government and the media, maintaining a comprehensive website (www.clmp.org), and providing basic information services and publications. In addition, CLMP informs funders and other arts groups about the role of independent literary publishing in American culture, conducts research about the field, and ensures that literature has a voice in the politics of cultural policy.