51·çÁ÷

research-backed

From regular student assessment to contracting for independent studies, Reading Partners systematically collects, analyzes, and uses data to generate knowledge, improve programs, and report on impacts.

Learn more about research-backed term

science of reading

The established and growing research we have about how students learn to read, including systemic phonics education.

Learn more about science of reading term

individualized

A facet of high-dosage tutoring in which a tutor offers one-on-one attention to their student, resulting in targeted support, and personalized literacy learning.

Learn more about individualized term

high-dosage

The frequency of a learning experience. For example, Reading Partners students receive twice weekly tutoring for maximum growth.

Learn more about high-dosage term

educational equity

Ensuring every student, no matter their race, gender, socioeconomic level, or location has access to the resources and support they need to succeed in school and in life.

Learn more about educational equity term
Skip to main content
alt text

Our team

Executive team

Adeola (“Ola”) Whitney believes that all students deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential in school and beyond and that early literacy is a foundational driver of educational equity. Ola brings 20+ years of education leadership experience to the CEO role. Since returning to Reading Partners in the fall of 2020, Ola has led the organization through the development of a new strategic plan, the rollout of an online tutoring platform and several new partnerships, an increase in the size and diversity of the national board, and strengthening the organization’s commitment to race equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI). Ola was named one of the Top 100 Influencers in EdTech in the 2023-24 State of EdTech report, and in 2024 she was invited to be part of the highly selective Pahara Fellowship, a community of leaders working to transform and improve public education for all students. Ola rejoined Reading Partners from iMentor where she led the expansion and implementation of the college-success program and managed executive leadership in the Bay Area, Baltimore, Chicago, and New York City. In a prior role at Reading Partners as chief regional operations officer from 2013 – 2016, Ola oversaw 85 percent of the organization while managing over a dozen executive directors across the country. Ola has also held leadership and management roles with Playworks, Kaplan, and McGraw Hill. Ola earned a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in English and African-American studies.  

Kelli Doss, a talent specialist and a professional coach, has spent her career focused on serving youth, communities, and urban education systems in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Prior to joining Reading Partners, Kelli served as chief talent and equity officer for iMentor. In her role, she developed key organizational strategies focusing on performance management, internal talent recruitment, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and organizational culture building. Kelli leverages her professional experiences to help individuals refine and develop their leadership competencies and management practices and supports teams to improve interpersonal dynamics and build interrelational trust. Kelli received her undergraduate degree from Howard University and her J.D. from Tulane Law School. Following law school, Kelli worked as a law clerk for two years in Minneapolis, where she focused on tackling critical community issues. She launched her nonprofit career with the Children’s Defense Fund and developed and managed youth programs for the National Black Child Development Institute and the Harlem Community Justice Center. After that, Kelli honed her skills in recruitment and selection, human resources, and partnership development in education organizations including New Leaders for New Schools and the NYC Department of Education. Kelli also worked for Education Pioneers as the managing director of the New York/New Jersey office and subsequently vice president of human assets.

Since July 2011, Dean has guided Reading Partners’ curriculum, program development, and evidence-based practices, including the design and oversight of pilot programs as well as several internal and external evaluation studies. Beginning in 2020, he oversaw the development and implementation of Reading Partners Connects (RPCx), the organization’s first ever online tutoring program and platform. He is committed to improving the lives of children in families experiencing economic hardship and who face inequitable access to high-quality literacy instruction. For the past 22 years, Dean has held various roles in nonprofit leadership, program development and evaluation, and K-12 data analysis and policy. He is a Board member of the OMNI Institute in Denver, and has past experience in advisory roles for nonprofit and city-wide data and evaluation boards in Massachusetts. Dean has a joint MA degree from Tufts University in child development and urban & environmental policy and a BA degree in political science from Duke University. He is a lucky husband and proud father of two wonderful children.

Rosa is an accomplished finance and operations professional whose experience spans both corporate and nonprofit sectors. She joins Reading Partners to provide strategic leadership across all business and finance functions, including the management of its financial and capital resources, oversight of IT and HR operations, and all legal matters. Her career spans more than 30 years of experience in financial management, business leadership, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Reading Partners, Rosa led the finance, IT, logistics, and asset protection areas for Merlin Entertainments and before that she served as interim CEO of New-York-based nonprofit, Puerto Rican Family Institute. Rosa received her MBA in finance from Benedictine University, and she has earned the designation of Associate in Insurance Accounting and Finance (AIAF) and is completing the designation of Associate of Regulatory and Compliance (ARC).  A longstanding community leader and champion for people in underserved communities, Rosa sits on the board of directors for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, where she serves as treasurer and has helped usher in a new era for this iconic New York institution. She is also a board member for Cornerstone Family Healthcare and a member of its finance committee. Rosa believes that Reading Partners provides a critical service to communities by ensuring children have the opportunity to build a foundation for future learning through literacy. Rosa is an avid reader whose love of books provided not just an opportunity to learn but a vision of the world and all its possibilities. Rosa and her husband love to travel and have three amazing children.

Paul Nehring joins Reading Partners with experience in organizational strategy, leadership development, and program management. He spent the last five years as the chief of staff of iMentor, which builds mentoring relationships that empower first-generation students to graduate high school and succeed in their post-secondary pursuits, and originally joined the iMentor team in 2010 as a program manager in both the high school and post-secondary programs. Paul has also served as program director at Princeton AlumniCorps, engaging Princeton University seniors in post-graduate nonprofit fellowships to build the next generation of civic leaders, and he has a decade of experience in experiential education from a variety of roles in camp administration and outdoor leadership. Paul earned an A.B. in Politics from Princeton University. He volunteers with the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network which focuses on issues of identity on college campuses and as a mentor with iMentor. A native of Bismarck, North Dakota, Paul is now a proud ambassador of Jersey City, New Jersey where he lives with his partner, Julia, and two children.

As a senior executive with experience and a positive track record working in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, Phillip M. Robinson, Jr. has always had a passion for service. As the chief impact officer, Phillip is responsible for coaching, supporting, and managing all regional executive directors; overseeing more than 400 site and national operations staff; and building external partnerships and business development opportunities. Prior to his current role, Phillip served as the managing director and chief operating officer for Education Board Partners. In this role, Phillip was responsible for operations, strategy development, and leading the team in developing and delivering programs. Previously, Phillip served as the senior vice president of regional and site operations at City Year, Inc. In this capacity, Phillip oversaw all aspects of operations for 28 U.S. sites, including five regional vice presidents, more than 700 site staff, 3,000 AmeriCorps members and a total budget of $168 million. Prior to joining the national senior leadership team, Phillip was the executive director and vice president of City Year Cleveland. Under his leadership, City Year Cleveland underwent a complete turnaround, doubling its revenue, growing its operations by more than 20 percent, and winning Best of City Year three years in a row. Early in his career, Phillip served as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and then as an executive for several Fortune 500 marketing and public affairs firms. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Phillip currently serves as a state representative (House District 6) in the Ohio House of Representatives. In this capacity, Phillip serves as the ranking member on the education committee and sponsored legislation to help create jobs that was signed into law in his first term. Phillip earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The George Washington University and his Executive MBA from Case Western Reserve University. Also, he is a previous Pahara-Aspen Institute Next Gen Fellow, named a “Who to Watch in Education” in Cleveland and recognized as one of Crain’s Cleveland Business’s Forty Under 40. Phillip lives in Solon, OH with his wife, Elizabeth, and two young children.

Regional leadership

Kimberly Benavides is a passionate educational leader with 20 years of experience in public education. Kim’s work with students, families, and the community is fueled by her unwavering belief that children are our greatest asset, and literacy is the key to self-confidence and opportunity. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies from Texas Tech University, a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from The University of Texas at Arlington, and Doctor of Education from Abilene Christian University where her research focused on the sustainability of school-community partnerships.

Barry Omar Brinkley (he/him) is an education leader with over 20 years of experience as a teacher, school and systems administrator, and nonprofit leader. Most recently, Barry served as the Chief of Staff at DC Prep, a high-performing charter network in the District of Columbia. In addition, Barry served as the Founding Site Director at College Track DC Ward 8 – building and designing college access programming and support for students attending several DC Southeast-based schools. He previously served as the Executive Director of Equity in Student Achievement for Guilford County Schools in North Carolina and as a Student Support Consultant for Turnaround For Children in Washington DC. He started his career as a 4th grade teacher in Compton California. Barry has a MA in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Family and Child Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Barry was a member of the 2017 cohort of the School Systems Leaders Fellowship with Cambiar Education. He was also a 2018 American Express Leadership Academy Fellow with Campaign for Black Male Achievement. Barry currently serves on Teach For America’s National Advisory Board of The Collective, the organization’s national association for alumni of color, where he provides strategic guidance to Teach For America’s senior leadership.

Dyrell joins Reading Partners with more than 15 years of experience as a nonprofit leader with a strong track record of executing results. A Brooklyn, New York native and AmeriCorps alum, Dyrell has always had a passion for leadership and serving the community. Most recently, Dyrell served as a site director for Saga Education (specifically the Charleston region), a national education nonprofit that leverages dedicated staff and AmeriCorps members to provide high-impact, in-school tutoring. Previously, Dyrell served at City Year Columbia, in various capacities over the years, including as the interim vice president and executive director, director of student impact, and senior program manager. In each of these roles, Dyrell helped to lead and develop a full-time staff and team of 24 City Year AmeriCorps members to implement Whole School, Whole Child programming, which includes working with all students through Tier 1 initiatives. Dyrell attended Benedict College where he received his Bachelors in Business Management. While in college he became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., which led to his unwavering dedication to service. After graduating from college, Dyrell decided to further his education at Webster University and received his Masters in Counseling. We are especially excited about the fact that Dyrell started his career as an AmeriCorps member, serving at City Year Columbia. Also, Dyrell is passionate about our REDI work at Reading Partners and how it can support our students.

Zenobia comes to us with more than 20 years of experience as a nonprofit leader with a strong track record working in the public and private sectors, including in healthcare, housing, education, and family investment. Most recently, Zenobia served as the director of student life & residential for The SEED School of Maryland, a statewide college-preparatory public boarding school where students live and learn on campus Sunday–Friday. Prior to her current role, Zenobia served as the chief executive officer of a regional association focused on developing non-profit, private, and public service organizations. She has held many other leadership roles in large and small educational, health and human service organizations. Zenobia holds bachelorʼs degrees in business and behavioral sciences and a masterʼs degree in business and organizational management. When she is not working, Zenobia enjoys historical excursions and serving as an amateur family genealogist. She is married with two adult children.

Primo Lasana is honored to become the executive director of Reading Partners NYC. Primo joins Reading Partners after eight years with iMentor, a national college access program that leverages volunteers for student success. At iMentor, he held leadership roles in program implementation, volunteer recruitment, fundraising and national program expansion. He started his career at City Year Chicago, where he completed two years of service in Chicago Public Schools as an AmeriCorps member. Primo is proudly born and raised in New York City. Outside of work, he serves on Brooklyn Community Board 9 as the co-chair of the Youth Services Committee. In 2021, Primo graduated from NYU Wagner with an executive master’s in public administration and completed his bachelor’s degree at CUNY Hunter College.

Melissa Monforti joins Reading Partners with more than 20 years of experience as both an entrepreneur and nonprofit leader with a strong track record of executing results. Most recently, Melissa served as the founding executive director for BookGive, a nonprofit provider of free books, in fact providing high-quality books to many of the students Reading Partners Colorado serves. Prior to launching BookGive, Melissa owned three small businesses simultaneously over 15 years and served in every level of nonprofit leadership with organizations as diverse as the Taoist Tai Chi Society and The Center. Melissa earned a BS from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and holds a Masters of Nonprofit Management from Regis University as a Colorado Trust Fellow. Melissa is passionate about our REDI work at Reading Partners, sharing our commitment to equity in literacy. Melissa brings a serious commitment to finding joy in working together toward a bold vision. She is a certified spiritual director, singer-songwriter and recording artist, visual artist, and poet. Melissa enjoys traveling, and also hanging at home, with her husband, Lars, and their blended family of three adult children and their dog, Joey. Any day of the week she can be found hiking the foothills above her home in Golden, curled up with a good novel, cooking, gardening, or all of the above.

Joyce’s more than two decades in education have been centered around the belief that all young people deserve to be successful in their education and that a high-quality education is key to an equitable society. Joyce is honored to join Reading Partners as the executive director of our Seattle region and to lead an incredibly devoted and talented team. Most recently, Joyce served as the senior director of partnerships at an educational non-profit organization, Unbounded. As a founding team member, she led business development and school district partnerships for more than six years, significantly growing the organization’s impact on the field every year. Before this, Joyce worked at the Regents Research Fund in New York State, guided by the vision of Former U.S. Secretary of Education, John King. Joyce began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in St. John Parish, Louisiana teaching reading to high school students. Joyce lives in Seattle with her family and has loved watching her daughter develop a love for and an understanding of how to read. In their free time, they love to travel, explore the Pacific Northwest, and settle in for Friday family movie nights.

Olivia is a devoted advocate for education and the Tulsa community. She brings more than two decades of experience in teaching, school administration, development, and civic engagement to her new role. Olivia attended Tulsa Public Schools throughout her entire childhood. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Tulsa. Currently, Olivia is pursuing her PhD at the University of Tulsa in English Language and Literature with an emphasis on American literature. Olivia is fully committed to championing students, teachers, parents, and volunteers in the meaningful work of literacy for all children in Tulsa and the surrounding region. She envisions a dynamic future for Reading Partners Tulsa and looks forward to nurturing data-driven growth and collaborative partnerships in the service of students’ literacy and a life-long love of learning.

Chloe Oliveras is a nonprofit professional with experience in both community-building and fundraising. She has a passion for education equity, which has brought her both into the classroom and beyond. In her time at Reading Partners, she has built a robust volunteer program and worked with a number of collective impact groups and local community organizations to build strong ties to the neighborhoods surrounding LA’s Reading Partners tutoring centers. She has served on two Los Angeles young professional boards for reproductive rights organizations, as well as chaired Planned Parenthood LA’s signature Bingo For Choice fundraiser. She’s a proud University of Florida alum with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and gender studies.

Considered a key advisor and subject matter expert on account management, brand visibility, and nonprofit leadership, Hector has established himself as a true bridge-builder in the movement for educational equity. As a fervent pacesetter for mission-driven organizations, his professional efforts have landed him extensive experience in partnering alongside school eco-systems to impact change. He has over a decade of experience developing, managing, and implementing programs targeted at the advancement of underserved groups. Hector has led partnerships with multiple local and nationwide organizations including BACR, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, YMCA, and City Year. In his previous roles with Revolution Foods, Playworks, and most recently Eye to Eye National, Hector built lasting partnerships with multiple institutions with a shared goal of designing programmatic advancement relating to outcomes, impact, and user experience while enhancing leadership, school climate, and action planning. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Oakland, California’s Holy Names University (HNU). Hector is a family man first, spending his free time laughing through life with his wife and four children.

Brooke has dedicated her professional career to the belief that education is the lever by which we will change the world and the future for low-income individuals. As a member of the College Possible leadership team, she developed strengths in program management, curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation. Through multiple promotions as the organization grew from one region to a national organization, she effectively led the creation of the college program from inception to implementation across multiple sites. In 2011, Brooke received the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Catalytic Leader Award. Recognizing that reading is the foundation for educational success, Brooke took the opportunity to join Reading Partners as program director for the Twin Cities during its inaugural year in the region. She effectively led all programming and volunteer recruitment efforts, ensuring strong programmatic results for students, and helped Reading Partners Twin Cities more than double in size by year three. Brooke holds bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and Spanish, with a minor in english literature from Bethel University. A lover of laughter, Brooke gets plenty of it as a mom to one year old Josie (named after Jo March in Little Women).

National leadership

Alexis is an accomplished academic as well as a seasoned tutor committed to an inclusive and integrity-rich approach to education. She received a presidential scholarship to study at San Francisco State University and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in humanities. After her undergraduate studies, she worked for an after school nonprofit as a tutor and coordinator for a weekly self-esteem group for girls. In 2011, she received an international scholarship to complete a master’s in American studies in Norwich, UK, where she focused on children’s literature and gift theory. After receiving her master’s, she lived in Istanbul, teaching ESL to early learners, and then Seattle, where she began her relationship with Reading Partners. She’s served two AmeriCorps service terms with Reading Partners in Seattle and Baltimore and now serves full-time in Seattle as the community engagement and program manager.

Denise Blake has held key positions in nonprofit, corporate, and governmental organizations. At the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, she served as Education and Training Coordinator, where she was responsible for designing training curricula for adult learners. Also, she led important research on the philosophy of nonviolent social change. At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Denise managed the Foundation’s educational scholarship, internship, and fellowship programs. Denise then served as Associate Director for the FaithFactor program at the Interdenominational Theological Center. Later, Denise served as the Senior Project Director for The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections Media Outreach Initiative. She managed the charitable foundation for former Atlanta Falcons’ defensive tackle Rod Coleman, providing support to youth in foster care, and served as Project Director for the Twenty-First Century Foundation’s Black Men and Boys Media Outreach Campaign. In 2013, Denise became the Executive Director of WINGS for kids – Atlanta, where she oversaw delivery of WINGS’ award-winning social-emotional learning after-school program. Most recently, Denise served the United Negro College Fund’s Atlanta office as Senior Development Director and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as National Director of Field Operations. In her role at MADD, Denise managed and coached executive directors representing 14 states and was responsible for ensuring that revenue and programmatic targets were met in all regions. Denise Blake is a Northern California native and a graduate of Spelman College.

Chris Campbell has always been inspired to use his skills in finance and accounting to support organizations that work towards making a positive social change. He has both public and private accounting and financial analysis experience with a strong focus on the nonprofit sector. Chris started his career at Ernst & Young where he worked on financial statement audits for both start-up and multinational organizations. Following his public accounting work, Chris joined the education reform non-profit College Track as a finance manager. Chris joined College Track through the ProInspire Fellowship Program and worked on forecasting, budgeting and financial planning, and analysis tasks supporting College Track’s multiple sites across the United States. Following that opportunity, Chris worked at EdTec where he supported Charter Schools across California with their financials and budgets. Most recently, Chris was the controller at the national equity nonprofit PolicyLink where he lead the financial reporting and compliance efforts for the organization. Outside of work, you can find Chris training for an upcoming marathon race, or volunteering through one of the many other initiatives he supports.

Patia Ingraldi holds both PHR and SHRM-SCP credentials and has spent more than a decade of her career in multi-program, social service non-profit environments, including most recently as HR director for LifeWorks Austin where she oversaw all aspects of human resources. She has a passion for building and enhancing robust people operations systems and supports that empower excellence in service to the organization’s mission. Patia’s experience also includes translating data into action plans, leading initiatives from inception through implementation, and managing the people and cultural elements of organizational change.

Patia enjoys spending a quiet evening reading, writing, or working on cross-stitch projects, and on the weekends can be found browsing farmer’s markets and bookstores. She shares her current home in Austin, Texas with her husband and their trio of black cats, but is looking forward to relocating back to the East Coast.

Angela Quezada Padron is the new national director of curriculum and instruction at Reading Partners. She holds six college degrees, including an Ed.S. in Reading, M.A. in Instruction and Curriculum (Bilingual/Bicultural Education), M.Ed. in Educational Administration, MFA in Children’s Book Illustration, BA in Art, and AA in Music. Angela has been an educator since 1995. Her roles have included: elementary classroom teacher, art teacher, ESL/bilingual and reading resource teacher, literacy and writing coach, curriculum architect for digital courses, freelance developmental editor, curriculum writer, and illustrator and standards aligner for K-12 educational print and digital materials. Her areas of expertise are elementary education, bilingual education, English as a second language (ESL), world languages (Spanish), and art. In her spare time, Angela is an author and illustrator of children’s books, both fiction and nonfiction. She loves to sew, draw, sing and play music, and collect shells at the beach. She lives in Southwest Florida with her Air Force family: husband Alberto (Air Force vet), two stepsons Alberto Jr. and Andres (current Airman), 15-year-old son and future paleontologist Alonzo, and two fur babies Coco and Cici. Learn more about Angela at .

Our board of directors

Ian has more than thirty years of broadcast journalism experience, with 20 years in senior news management positions. Most recently, Ian was executive producer of ABC News’ This Week, the network’s leading in-depth political news and interview program. Prior to joining This Week, he was senior producer for broadcasts including ABC World News with Charles Gibson, ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and CBC’s flagship nightly news and current affairs program, The National. Before taking on news management positions, Ian spent five years between 1988 and 1992 as a news documentary producer for The Journal, covering major national and international events.

Ian Cameron served for six years on the Reading Partners board in Washington, DC. In his two years as board chair, Ian worked to adopt new fundraising strategies, increase the size of the board, and begin annual board retreats. Ian is also a Reading Partners tutor. In addition to his commitment to Reading Partners, Ian is a trustee on the Ford’s Theatre board and The Maret School board, a K-12 independent school in Washington, DC. Ian lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two children.

Brad Creswell is partner and co-founder-NCA Partners, LLC, a leading Pacific Northwest based private equity firm with over 20 years of experience successfully partnering with entrepreneurs, business owners, and management teams. NCA Partners specializes in buying and building industrial services businesses in northwest North America and currently manages $150 million of equity invested in four portfolio companies. He is currently on the boards of two privately held portfolio companies, NC Services Group and PTW Energy Services, Ltd. and on the board of Northern Frontier Corporation, a publicly listed company on the TSX Venture exchange (Toronto Stock Exchange). Brad also serves on the Northwest regional board of Thrivent Financial, a Fortune 500 financial services firm. Prior to joining NCA, he worked at Bankers Trust (subsequently acquired by Deutsche Bank) in the corporate finance department in New York City. Creswell started his career in the audit department of Arthur Young, where he earned his CPA. Brad holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He lives in Seattle with his wife of 32 years and they have two grown boys.

Kevin Capitani joined Pearson in 2016 as the President for North America. Kevin has been a driving force behind redefining what it means to put the customer at the center of an increasingly digital/services business. He is leading Pearson North America’s digital transformation to ensure customers have a better teaching and learning experience. His background is in developing collaborative teams and fostering growth in customer-focused businesses. Kevin has a history of managing and leading in global, highly matrixed technology organizations. Prior to Pearson, Kevin spent more than 20 years at SAP. He started as a functional consultant implementing software before becoming a global support manager for complex implementation and strategic consulting, including business and sales strategy development. Throughout his career, he has worked with Fortune 500 companies across multiple geographies and industries, and he’s managed large field-based sales teams. He has also had a variety of leadership positions, focusing on building and managing the most complex customer relationships. Kevin received his degree from the University of California Berkeley. More than anything, Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife, Carol, and their two daughters, Carmen and Tatum. Every day they remind him that there is always something new to learn, and he’s excited to be a part of a company that believes that too.

Dan Carroll is a founding partner of Brooklands Capital Strategies and an acknowledged pioneer in the Asian private equity industry. Prior to forming Brooklands, Mr. Carroll was a Partner of TPG Capital, joining the firm in 1995 when he co-founded TPG’s Asian investing business, formerly Newbridge Capital. Over 15 years, Mr. Carroll built the firm’s Asia-based investment team to 40 professionals in seven offices and was responsible for raising five investment funds with $7 billion in committed capital. Prior to joining TPG, Mr. Carroll spent nine years with Hambrecht & Quist Asia Pacific, a pioneer in the Asian private equity industry. Mr. Carroll holds a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard University and a master of business administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Melissa Connelly is the CEO of OneGoal, a national college access and success organization. Prior to becoming CEO, Melissa served as the organization’s first chief program officer. In this role, she was responsible for executing the programmatic vision to ensure all students have a legitimate opportunity to earn a postsecondary degree or credential. Melissa has spent more than a decade in education leveraging her experiences, empathy, and drive to make certain her accomplishments are not an anomaly, but the norm for underserved youth. Melissa earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Illinois-Chicago, a master’s of arts in teaching, and a master’s of education administration from Dominican University. She is also an alumna of the prestigious Surge Institute Fellowship for emerging leaders of color in education, but Melissa is most proud of the work she is doing as a mother to Ashland and Addae.

Tracy Hoover is an experienced nonprofit executive and social sector impact strategist. For more than 25 years, Tracy has been passionately committed to redefining civic engagement, community problem solving, and active corporate citizenship. As president and chief executive officer of Points of Light, Tracy led the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteerism. Tracy served as chief of staff and chief operating officer before taking the helm of the organization in 2013. Across a decade, Tracy and her teams raised tens of millions of dollars each year and partnered with many of the world’s most respected companies to invest in innovative new impact programs. Before joining Points of Light, Tracy was the executive director of Hands On Atlanta, a Points of Light affiliate. In her tenure, she helped to build the organization and replicate the model of “hands-on” volunteering—mobilizing thousands of volunteers each year in Atlanta’s public schools and nonprofit organizations. She also led a successful multi-million dollar capital campaign to purchase the midtown Atlanta building that would serve as the headquarters of Hands On Atlanta, Hands On Network, and later Points of Light.

Tracy has taken on a variety of volunteer leadership roles including a federal appointment to the Presidio Trust’s Fort Scott advisory council, service as an America’s Promise Alliance trustee, a member of the Voices for National Service steering committee and the National Black Arts Festival-Full House Commission. Currently, Tracy serves on the Earth University board of trustees, the Reading Partners national board of directors and as the founding director of Georgia Support the Vote. Tracy received a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Tennessee. She was a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2007, and a recipient of the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta’s Social Enterprise Initiative Scholarship.

Rachel Hutton is a passionate Reading Partners champion. Rachel was first introduced to Reading Partners as a high school student when she began tutoring at John Gill Elementary School in Redwood City, CA. She continued to serve as a volunteer tutor for six years throughout her collegiate years at Stanford University. Rachel’s experiences — through Reading Partners, internships on Capitol Hill, and as a legal assistant at Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP — inspired her to advocate for women and families, leading her to Georgetown University Law Center where she is currently pursuing a juris doctorate. Rachel is a member of the Women’s Legal Association at Georgetown, the Native American Law Students Association, and an ACLU student group. Outside of law school, Rachel serves as the chief finance officer of the Hutton Family Foundation and as the chair of The Reading Partners Literary Society.

Harris is committed to improving the educational experience of schools and students nationwide. He currently serves as the CEO of E-Therapy, a market leading tele-therapy company, providing speech tele-therapy services to schools and students across America. He has an extensive history of working with, and building, new businesses across several markets, including education technology, mobile applications, and interactive media. He is an active investor in the early stage technology market. He previously worked as the CFO/CDO of a $100M mobile media company; Motorola, where he launched mobile solutions worldwide; and IllinoisVentures, a seed technology venture capital fund. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business and a MA & BA in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Dr. Barbara Logan Smith has dedicated twenty years of service to building capacity and has contributed to the development of business executives, administrative leaders, educators, college students, and K-12 children across the country. Her roots as an educator began while serving elementary students in Milwaukee Public Schools. Her tenure involved a myriad of roles, including K-8 school administrator, classroom teacher, Title I teacher, technology teacher, programs implementer, and district trainer for efficacy, quality, and proficiency programs. Dr. Logan Smith served as vice president for the Efficacy Institute, a national nonprofit agency of education reform, dedicated to the mission of proficiency for all children in academics and character. In this role, she was responsible for the strategic development of training, marketing, and client management services. During her employment with the Institute, she trained approximately 10,000 teachers, certified over 200 teacher and parent trainers, and prepared more than 3,000 students to serve change agents in their schools through the Envoy Project, an Efficacy youth leadership program. Dr. Logan Smith served as the executive director of Teach for America Greater Delta: Mississippi & Arkansas. Currently, Dr. Logan Smith serves as chief of equity and belonging for Teach for America where she continues to fight for educational equity and excellence for all children. Dr. Logan Smith also facilitates training seminars for rising corporate executives and diversity and inclusion initiatives. She has trained approximately 1,500 participants from Edward Jones, The Partnership of Boston, Nestle Purina, St Louis Chamber of Commerce, and St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative. After earning an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduating cum laude with her B.S. degree in Education (K-8) and Psychology from Lakeland College, she earned her Ph.D. from the School of Education at Cardinal Stritch University in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service. She has also served as adjunct faculty, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, management, and business for the university. She lives with her husband, Christopher, an executive coach with higher education and adult learning expertise and Ph.D. Candidate, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Hilah Schutt is a new, but not young, comedian living and working in the Bay Area. She is taking her years of being a stand-up mom and spinning that perspective into material that leaves audiences nodding their heads in agreement, shaking their heads in wonder and appreciating that the middle-years aren’t all that bad. Hilah is a current tutor with the Bay Area Reading Partners region and has served as a volunteer with several schools in the area including as a trustee at Marin Montessori School. She graduated from the University of Colorado, with a Bachelor’s degree in History. After graduation, she lived and worked in Washington, DC in healthcare marketing with Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medstar Health Washington Hospital Center. She is in the process of working on a Masters degree in Nutrition Science. Hilah and her husband Jake have three young adult kids.

Richard Star is currently a principal and co-founder of NEXgistics LLC, a third-party logistics provider with locations in New York and Nevada. Richard was involved in several businesses prior to NEXgistics. He worked for fourteen years in senior positions at Cliffstar Corporation/Cliffstar LLC, a vertically integrated private label beverage company. The company was acquired by Cott Corporation in 2010. Richard remained at Cott through 2011, serving as VP of Grower Relations in addition to VP of Ingredient Technology.
Richard is a developer of commercial real estate in South Carolina and is a founding member of Dunes Commercial Properties, LLC. He is also a board member of several closely held firms including Vitamins Direct, LLC (Chair), Star Snax Holdings, LLC (Chair) and Portland Bottling Company.
Before moving to Charleston, Richard was a member of Young Presidents’ Organization – Empire State Chapter. He served on the board of the Buffalo Zoological Society, St. Mary’s School for the Deaf (NY) and the Cranberry Institute, among others. Richard currently is a board member of the Porter-Gaud School Foundation (Chair), Porter-Gaud School (Trustee), the Jewish Endowment Fund of Charleston (Secretary), Chabad of Charleston, the Duke University Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Reading Partners South Carolina (emeritus member and past Chair).
Richard earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and holds master’s degrees from New York University and Duke University (Fuqua School of Business).

Tiffany Taylor is a passionate, accomplished, and results-driven professional with 20 years of experience in the education, non-profit, and public sector. She served as the executive director of Teach For America–Detroit where she set a compelling vision and direction for the region, expanded the national and regional fundraising base, and ran a sophisticated and sustainable operation. Tiffany later supported TFA’s 51 regions across the country as the deputy chief people officer.

Tiffany is a partner and inaugural chief people and impact officer at Global Silicon Valley Ventures, a multi-stage venture capital firm focused on the $7+ trillion global education and workforce skills sector.

As an active member of her community, Tiffany currently serves on the board of directors of the Joyce Ivy Foundation, KIPP Michigan, Black Male Educators Alliance, Michigan Virtual Learning, Black Family Development Training Institute, and the AI Education Project. She is also a board observer for Tutored By Teachers, a governor appointee on the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority Board of Commissioners and a commissioner for the Economic Development Corporation of Clinton Township.

Because of her contributions to the education, non-profit, and public sectors, Tiffany has received numerous awards. The Walker’s Legacy Foundation honored Tiffany with the national “Women in Economic Development and Civic Leadership” award because of her work to champion policy and programs to advance economic development, entrepreneurship ecosystems, job opportunities, and innovation in education in her community. Most recently, Microsoft identified Tiffany as an inspiring civic leader and showcased her alongside 30 African American changemakers in the 2022 Microsoft Legacy Project.

A native Detroiter, Mrs. Taylor is a product of the Detroit public school system. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in Sociology and African + Afro-American Studies, a Master of Science in Education from St. Joseph’s University, and Master of Community Planning from the University of Maryland. Most recently, Tiffany completed the Leading Change and Organizational Renewal program at Harvard Business School.

Danielle Kristine Toussaint is the founder of Purple Haus, a boutique executive communications consultancy that offers fractional leadership, strategic advising, and coaching support to CEOs and their creative teams. Her book, Dare to Think Purple, shares leadership insights and inspiring stories from social entrepreneurs. Over her twenty-year career, she has partnered with leaders at global organizations, national philanthropies, and local nonprofits to unlock the power of narrative change and strategic communications for the greater good. Previously, she founded the creative agency, She Thinks Purple, and led brand marketing, partnership development, and communications strategy as chief external affairs officer for NewSchools Venture Fund, communicator in residence for Ascend at The Aspen Institute, and managing director of marketing and communications for both iMentor and KID Museum. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Huffington Post, Forbes.com, Business Insider, and TEDx. She holds a bachelor’s in political science and African American studies from Yale University and an M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Fun fact: Born in the US, with Caribbean family roots, she speaks Haitian Creole, Spanish (and a little French and Jamaican Patois, too).

Dr. Sally Ann Zoll, Ed.D, is an award-winning CEO, entrepreneur, and corporate strategist internationally recognized for spearheading significant organizational growth and program sustainment at the organizations she has served. As the CEO (Interim) for the​ nationally acclaimed nonprofit United Through Reading, Dr. Zoll serves as the chief guardian and spokesperson for the organization’s vision and mission, building and sustaining relationships with stakeholders and partners, and leads programs, finances, and the internal team. In her distinguished career, Dr. Zoll’s values for education are always evident. Sally’s doctorate in educational leadership and management and master’s degree in special education are from the University of San Diego. She also has a BA in elementary education from Purdue University. From her first position as an elementary school teacher to her current leadership role, Dr. Zoll has integrated her knowledge of education, educational technology, and the military with her talents for building and leading organizations of all sizes in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Before joining United Through Reading, Dr. Zoll was President of LearnStar and Vice President of Jostens Learning Corporation, both education software companies. She has worked extensively with the U.S. Department of Education as a consultant for 35 years, served on her Coronado community library’s Board of Trustees for almost nine years, is a member of the Dean’s Honors College Advisory Council at Purdue University, a member of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), and serves on the Board of the League of Wives Memorial Project. Speaker John Boehner honored her at the 2014 State of the Union Address for her work supporting military families. Most recently, the Armed Services YMCA in Washington, D.C., alongside Senator Elizabeth Dole, honored her for making a difference in the lives of military families. Under her leadership, United Through Reading received the inaugural Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Hero Award for Community Service and the Library of Congress American Award for Literacy.