Our Boards
Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF’s) boards help to shape our strategies and programs, ensuring that we are a sustainable, impactful nonprofit organization. Meet the leading executives, literacy experts, visionary educators, and other professionals united by our mission to disrupt the U.S. literacy crisis.
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors steers RIF towards a sustainable future by strategizing and driving sound governance, management, and financial policies. The Board of Directors advances RIF’s mission, which is centered around inspiring the joy of reading—driving the reading frequency, motivation, and engagement that puts children on the path to becoming skilled readers.
Thomas Plath, Vice Chair
Senior Vice President,
Human Resources & Corporate Affairs
International Paper
J.J. Johnson, Secretary
Senior Advisor
Fidelity Investments
Alicia Levi
President & CEO
Reading Is Fundamental
Angela Y. Jones
Global Chief People Officer
ACCO Brands
Michelle Mesack
Managing Director, Global Head of Government Relations
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Michelle Murphy
Vice President of Human Resources,
Commercial HVAC Americas
Trane Technologies
Kevin Smithson
East Region Market Leader
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Joe Thornton
President
Scooter's Coffee
Simone Wu
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & External Affairs
Choice Hotels International
Race, Equity, and Inclusion National Advisory Board
Our Race, Equity, and Inclusion (REI) National Advisory Board provides diverse voices and expertise that guide RIF’s many diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This work includes putting diverse books, voices, and stories in the hands of children—to reflect their own experiences while providing a powerful window into the experiences of others.
Kathy Burnette
Founder, Brain Lair Books
Charnaie Gordon
Diversity & Inclusion Expert, Here Wee Read
Dr. Violet Harris
Professor Emerita, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Nicole A. Johnson
Owner, Extraordinary Changes
Carmen Rubin
Author; Founder, One Blue Village; Founder & President, Peppermint Candy Publishing
Don Tate
Author & Illustrator
Middle School Family Literacy Initiative Advisory Board
Our Middle School Family Literacy Initiative (MSFLI) Advisory Board provides strategic guidance on the books and resources developed to support RIF’s program, “Race, Equity & Inclusion: Critical Support of COVID Learning Loss Recovery & Resilience in Middle Schools.” Through this initiative, RIF provides our Books for Ownership program to middle schools in priority communities, helping to drive family reading engagement and address drops in reading scores due to the pandemic.
Erin Bailey
Vice President, Literacy Programs & Research
Susan Browne
Professor
Rowan University
Rubén Cáceres
English Educator and Teacher Leader
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Sabrina J. Curtis
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia
Laurie Hahn Ganser
Literacy Specialist & Doctoral Student
University of Minnesota
Charnaie Gordon
Children's Book Author
Here Wee Read
Shana Haines
Professor
University of Vermont
Rosalind Hudson
Assistant Professor
Louisiana State University
Jessica Jones White
Middle School Assistant Principal
Inspired Teaching Demonstration School
Terra McCrae-Greene
Bilingual Program Coordinator
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Daris McInnis
Assistant Professor
West Chester University of PA
James Morgan
Executive Director
Higher Achievement
Karly O'Brien
Senior Associate, Professional Development
Reading Is Fundamental
Kip Plaisted
English and Social Studies Content Leader
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Aryanne C. Young
English Language Learner Teacher
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Early Childhood Education Advisory Board
Our Early Childhood Education (ECE) Advisory Board supports the development of the curriculum, professional development, family engagement, and research components of RIF’s Read for Success Early Childhood program. This early literacy program is designed to enhance emergent reading skills for birth to age 5 learners through increased access to books and play-based literacy programming.
Liane Alves
First Grade Teacher
Beauvoir
David Barry
Assistant Professor
West Chester University of PA
Meghan Fitzgerald
Founder
Tinkergarten
Elizabeth Hadley
Associate Professor
University of South Florida
Valarie Lee
Associate Professor
Rowan University Reading Clinic
Marjorie Madden
Associate Professor
Rowan University
Daris McInnis
Assistant Professor
West Chester University of PA
Dowan McNair-Lee
Assistant Professor
Urban Education UDC
Judy Paulick
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia
Jill Pentimonti
Director of Research Advancement
University of Notre Dame
Rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion
RIF’s work incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in everything we do, from the communities we serve to the stories we tell, to the authors and illustrators we feature. Closing the equity gap has been the driver of our work since our founding in 1966. To reinforce our DEI approach, we created the Race, Equity, and Inclusion (REI) Initiative and REI National Advisory Board.