Reading Partners Names Edwin Goutier as its First-Ever Chief Innovation & Technology Officer, Signaling Major Investment in Reading Innovation

[Oakland, CA] — Reading Partners, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening early literacy outcomes for students across the country, today announced the appointment of Edwin Goutier as its first-ever Chief Innovation & Technology Officer (CITO). Goutier will join the organization on January 12 and lead its long-term strategy to scale impact through innovation, data, and technology. 

The new Chief Innovation & Technology Officer role shows Reading Partners’ commitment to investing in and leveraging effective, research-based literacy instruction to help students develop the skills and confidence to read proficiently by fourth grade. 

In this role, Goutier will manage the technology, data, and innovation strategy for the literacy leader that was founded in 1999. The focus will be on improving program delivery, enhancing the experience for tutors and staff, and making sure that the organization’s systems grow alongside its expanding national presence.

“Establishing a Chief Innovation & Technology Officer role is a clear signal of where Reading Partners is going,” said Adeola Whitney, CEO of Reading Partners. “We are building toward the future of literacy impact—one that combines proven instructional models with thoughtful innovation, strong data systems, and technology that truly serves students and educators. Edwin’s leadership and experience make him uniquely suited to help us do exactly that.”

Goutier brings more than a decade of experience in technology, innovation, and social impact. He recently served as CEO of LaunchPath Innovation, a platform for nonprofits, where he integrated generative AI tools for effective community solutions. Previously, he led innovation and strategy at United Way Worldwide, guiding the organization through digital transformation to meet community needs.

“Technology should never replace human connection—especially in education—but it can absolutely strengthen it,” said Edwin Goutier. “At Reading Partners, the opportunity lies in building smart, mission-aligned systems that support tutors, educators and families, deepen learning outcomes, and enable the organization to operate more efficiently as it grows. I’m excited to help advance a technology and innovation strategy that makes Reading Partners even more effective at closing literacy opportunity gaps nationwide.”

Goutier holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Florida and currently lives in the greater Washington, DC area with his wife and two young children who are beginning their own literacy journeys.

About Reading Partners

For more than 25 years through its core tutoring program, Reading Partners has supported student growth and confidence in school and beyond by engaging community volunteers to provide proven, individualized literacy tutoring. Since its founding, the national nonprofit organization has directly mobilized over 100,000 community volunteers to provide more than 3 million individualized literacy tutoring sessions—both in person and online—to nearly 90,000 elementary school students in over 600 under-resourced schools and 120 districts across ten states and the District of Columbia. Visit readingpartners.org to learn more about Reading Partners’ program impact and how the organization is using its online tutoring platform, licensing and training partnerships, family workshops, and other program innovations to positively impact more students. Connect with Reading Partners on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. Reading Partners is a proud AmeriCorps service partner and has been endorsed by The New York Times and featured on The TODAY Show, GMA, and PBS NewsHour.