IAS Annual Humanitarian Award 2025
IAS Honors Elaine Petrocelli
On October 17, 2025, IAS will be honoring Elaine Petrocelli — founder of the independent Marin and San Francisco bookstore Book Passage —with its Annual Humanitarian Award. Elaine exemplifies the vital role local business owners, and especially independent booksellers, can play in cultivating a values-rich community culture where authors are active participants. Through her bookstores, Elaine has created a community venue where all are welcome to hear speakers, take classes, find nourishment for mind and soul, and share together meaning, entertainment, and personal growth. The number of lives she and Book Passage have touched is extraordinary.
Among her accomplishments and awards, Elaine has been named “Bookseller of the Year” by Publishers Weekly and honored as a “Woman Making History” by the International Women’s Forum. Her recognitions also include the “Creative Achievement Award” from the City of Mill Valley and the “Inspiring the Future Award” from the Marin Education Fund. In tribute to her lasting impact, she has been inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame.
The award will be presented at IAS’s Annual Inspiration Dinner, taking place at 7:00 p.m. on October 17, 2025 at the Spinnaker restaurant in Sausalito, California.
Ticket sales coming soon.
IAS Humanitarian Award Honorees
Learn more about the history and founders of the IAS Humanitarian Award and Annual Dinner, and read about all past award honorees.