Board of Directors & Advisory Boards

Board of Directors

As a nonprofit organization, Reading Is Fundamental calls on a Board of Directors, a governing body designed to steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound governance and management policies, as well as by making sure the nonprofit has adequate resources to advance its mission.

RIF’s Board of Directors is comprised of leading executives and literacy advocates from various market sectors. The Board of Directors guides strategic planning and sets governance and financial management policies to advance RIF’s mission and ensure its sustainable future.

Image
Thomas Plath, the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, and the Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Global Citizenship of International Paper

Senior Vice President,
Human Resources & Global Citizenship
International Paper

Image
J.J. Johnson, the Secretary of the Board of Directors and a Senior Advisor for Fidelity Investments

Senior Advisor,
Fidelity Investments

Image
14615

President & CEO
Reading Is Fundamental

Image
Michelle Mesack, a member of the Board of Directors, and the Head of U.S. Government Relations for JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Head of U.S. Government Relations
JPMorgan Chase &Co.

Image
Michelle Murphy, the Vice President of Human Resources for Trane Technologies’ Commercial HVAC Americas business and member of RIF's Board of Directors.

Vice President of Human Resources,
Commercial HVAC Americas
Trane Technologies

Image
Kevin Smithson, the Strategic Initiatives Committee Chair for the Board of Directors, and the Washington DC Metro Office Managing Partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP

Washington DC Metro Office
Managing Partner
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Image
Joe Thornton, a member of the Board of Directors and the President of Scooter's Coffee

President
Scooter's Coffee

Advisory Boards

RIF’s advisory boards are comprised of children’s literacy and literature experts, educational leaders, and literacy advocates from across the country. The advisory boards guide RIF’s programmatic work and advise on content development.

Race, Equity, and Inclusion National Advisory Board

RIF is honored to be guided in our work by a Race, Equity, and Inclusion National Advisory Board comprised of diverse voices and subject matter experts.

Learn More

Middle School Family Literacy Advisory Board

RIF has engaged a powerful and diverse Middle School Family Literacy Advisory Board (MSFLAB) to guide its new program, “Race, Equity & Inclusion: Critical Support of COVID Learning Loss Recovery & Resilience in Middle Schools.”

Learn More