Our Team

Melissa Monforti

Executive director, Colorado
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.
Brett Butler

Deputy program director
Brett has worked in education for the last 8 years and this will be his 5th year with Reading Partners! Brett is excited for Reading Partners to grow and expand this year! Brett graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in English and religious studies before attending Princeton Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity. He then worked as a director of Christian Education before relocating to Denver to pursue classroom education. Brett loves hiking, skiing, and biking, and is an avid cook and traveler.
Hannah Belich

Community engagement manager
Hannah joined the Reading Partners team in 2019 as a Volunteer Coordinator. Her passion for education and civic engagement made Reading Partners feel like the perfect fit. After her service year with Reading Partners, Hannah worked for the University of Colorado Denver as a recruiter, managing a portfolio of 5 in-state institutions and students from 13 states. In her role as Community Engagement Manager, Hannah uses her years of recruiting experience and knowledge of the Colorado education landscape to attract diverse and motivated tutors. Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Hospitality from Colorado Mesa University and is a proud Denver native. When she’s not recruiting new volunteers, you can find Hannah hiking, reading, and exploring new places with her pup, Louise.
Josh Ehrlich

Program manager
This will be my second year at Reading Partners. My first year was a year of service where I was a Program Coordinator. My Reading Center was located in Dora Moore Elementary in Denver, CO. That year of service changed me. It shifted my passions. Both in my career goals and in life. Seeing the impact this program had on the kids in my center and nationwide was truly astounding! Also, getting to work with the wonderful people who volunteer their time to help with this great mission was inspiring! It is what motivated me to see how I could continue to work for this wonderful company. I am now moving into the role of Program Manager for the CO region. I couldn't be more excited and hope my past experiences can help what is already an amazing team and organization! I relocated to Denver 8 years ago for my previous job where I also worked for a non-profit. Prior to living here, I lived the majority of my life in Florida. This will explain my sports fandom. If there is a Tampa (Rays, Bucs, or Lightning) or Florida State game there's a 99% chance I am somewhere watching it. When that's not happening, I have 3 dogs that I love to take out and enjoy all the wonderful outdoor activities Colorado has to offer. In the wintertime, you will catch me most weekends (that aren't gamedays) snowboarding. I am not very good so you will usually catch me the following Monday and Tuesday after hobbling around due to injury.
Kalian deBruyn-Taylor

Community engagement associate
Kalian deBruyn joined Reading Partners in 2018, where she served a year as an AmeriCorps site coordinator at MacArthur Elementary. Kalian first joined the Reading Partners full-time staff as a community engagement coordinator of operations in July of 2019 and is now excited to continue working with students and volunteers in a new capacity as Community Engagement Associate in Colorado. Prior to Reading Partners, Kalian studied international community development with a focus on nonprofit work. She worked at the Tulsa City-County Library, which exposed her to the world of books and the magic of early childhood literacy development.
Mia Smith

Development associate

Mia joined Reading Partners in 2020 as a program coordinator and is excited to bring her 4 years of experience in nonprofit management to the team as a development associate. Mia graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in entrepreneurship before attending Denver University for her master of nonprofit leadership with a focus on mission-driven operations and management. As a lifelong reading lover and an advocate for education, Reading Partners was a perfect fit for Mia as she continues to pursue education-based nonprofits.
Erika Stewart

Senior program manager
Erika joined Reading Partners in 2018 as a site coordinator at Columbine Elementary. She is passionate about educational equity and continuing to improve our program to be the very best for our students! Originally from Massachusetts, Erika has a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Northeastern University. In addition to working with Reading Partners Erika coaches synchronized swimming, and in her spare time, she enjoys hiking, swimming, baking, and hanging out with her husband.