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  Jennifer Harwood

  Executive Director

  Jennifer Harwood began her career in international development, working for AIESEC International in Australia and then the Middle East, facilitating youth leadership programs with a focus on cross-cultural understanding. Jennifer led the expansion of this program into Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman, setting up three local non-profits to become sustainable and self-sufficient. She then moved to the U.S. to work for City Year, an education non-profit working to bridge the education gap in high-poverty communities. Starting in the South Bronx and then going on to lead City Year's programs across New York, Jennifer was responsible for the execution of programs across 22 schools throughout the city. In 2012 Jennifer moved back to her hometown in Sydney, Australia and worked for Standards Australia. There, she led their national development team securing funding and partnerships with government, industry and other non-profits. In 2016, Jennifer joined the Reading Partners national team as the executive director of national and community service. Her team increased funding by over a million dollars and 100 AmeriCorps members. In 2018, Jennifer took on the role as executive director of Reading Partners New York. She is a tutor at PS 194. Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in organizational development.

  Contact:  jennifer.harwood@readingpartners.org

• Adrienne Evans

  Senior Program Manager

  Adrienne Evans (she/her/hers) is a native New Yorker, born and raised in The Bronx. From an early age, she knew that she wanted to be an educator and for over 15 years has been supporting the academic achievement of black and brown youth. She was a high school science and math teacher and then transitioned to the role of Education Coordinator for Children's Aid in Harlem where she developed and supported the implementation of literacy and STEM curricula. She has a Masters in Adolescent Education from Mercy College and a Doctorate in Health Education from Columbia University, where her focus was ADHD among African American youth.

• Steph Caballero

  Senior Community Engagement Manager

  Steph Caballero (she/her) grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but has called Queens home for many years. She attended The Boston Conservatory for her undergraduate BFA, and later continued on to graduate school at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a Master of Science in Education. Steph has worked in four out of the five boroughs as a former theater instructor, completed an Americorps year with Reading Partners as a Site Coordinator, taught 4th grade ELA in Baltimore City Public Schools through Teach for America, and spent two years on the Reading Partners New York program team before becoming the full-time Senior Community Engagement Manager. When Steph is not at work, she is trying to achieve her goal of reading 52 books per year, engaging in local politics, and organizing and volunteering in her community around education, racial, and food justice. You can reach Steph at Steph.Caballero@readingpartners.org

• Katie Hoole

  Senior Program Manager

  Katie is excited to be joining Reading Partners as a program manager serving 4 schools in Queens - PS 160, PS 48, PS 40, and PS 33 - and one school in East Harlem - PS 375. Before joining Reading Partners, Katie taught for 5 years - K-2 - in Brownsville, NY and Tulsa, OK. Katie got her start in teaching with Teach for America in Tulsa. Katie earned her Masters of Education in educational administration, curriculum, and supervision from the University of Oklahoma and her Bachelors of Arts in education policy from Syracuse University. Katie loves reading, eating spicy foods, and spending time in the Adirondacks.

• Allison Hoyle

  Program Director

  Alli is a program manager in NYC. Prior to joining Reading Partners, Alli taught third grade and first grade with Teach For America and was a middle school literacy coach in Miami, FL. Most recently, Alli completed a master's degree in public administration and social work at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH while working for the State Department of Education in the Office of Early Learning and School Readiness. Alli graduated from The University of Florida with a bachelor's in psychology and english literature. Originally from south Florida, Alli is happy to be living near a coast again and to be back in classrooms! You can reach Alli at allison.hoyle@readingpartners.org.

• Maddie Kahl

  Program Manager

  Maddie is a program manager in Harlem and the Bronx. She is originally from Miami but loves working and living in Harlem. She attended Florida State University where she studied literature, education, and law and received both her BA and MA. Maddie is a former Americorps site coordinator in Harlem and is excited to return to Reading Partners New York. She has previously worked as a first-year college composition teacher, specifically focusing on media, personal narrative, and research. Maddie loves going to concerts, eating dumplings, listening to crime podcasts, and drinking too much coffee. She's currently reading The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.

• Rhea Quinones

  Community Engagement Director

  Rhea is honored to join Reading Partners as the community engagement manager for the New York region. Rhea spent three years with Achievement First Charter School Network where she developed community partnerships in Brooklyn, ensured strong family engagement, and managed community outreach for student recruitment efforts. Prior to her work with Achievement First, Mrs. Quinones worked as a community organizer for a decade, supporting grassroots education, housing, and transit organizing in Mammoth Lakes, CA, Chicago, IL, Manhattan, NY, and Patterson, NJ. Rhea is committed to giving all students access to an amazing education and is passionate about using volunteers to help address critical problems facing our country.

• Megan Ross

  Director, New Business Development

  Megan joins the Reading Partners New York team as the first senior major gifts officer in the network. Most recently, Megan served for six years in a similar role at City Year New York. Megan's experiences focus primarily on individual giving, piloting national major gifts programs, and relationship development on all levels. Megan is thrilled to be joining a wonderful team in New York and is very excited about the prospect of developing a major gifts program both locally and nationally for Reading Partners. Megan lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children and has seen first hand the importance of developing strong literacy skills at a young age. Megan is honored to be working with a national nonprofit organization with a proven model and measurable results that will literally be changing the educational outcomes for countless of our country's youth. You can reach Megan at megan.ross@readingpartners.org.

• Danica Stewart

  Development Manager

  Danica Stewart is excited to be re-joining the Reading Partners New York team as the development manager. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, she started her career in research and healthcare. After volunteering with Reading Partners, she became fueled by impacting education and previously worked as an education manager with an NYC charter network. Danica served as an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners NY and is excited to be returning to Reading Partners as a staff member. Danica enjoys relaxing with a good book, spending time eating with good friends and traveling.

  Contact:  danica.stewart@readingpartners.org

• Janai Gilkes

  Program Manager

  Janai Gilkes is a program manager in Brooklyn and Queens. Janai is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. Over the course of her career in education administration spanning from the NYC Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood (DECE) to the City of New York (CUNY) Janai has focused on creating opportunities where students can pursue both their academic and socio-emotional goals allowing them to thrive and gain success. She was a teacher for both second and fourth grades with Grace Church School where she provided authentic, differentiated learning experiences that cultivated essential academic skills and knowledge for her students promoting their confidence and self-esteem. Janai is committed to giving all students access to an amazing education; she is truly excited about working with Reading Partners and its proven model and measurable results to change the educational trajectory for so many students, across the country. Janai has a MS.Ed in both General and Special Education K-6 from Bank Street Graduate School of Education and a BA in Psychology from Temple University. Janai loves going to concerts, enjoying apple-flavored foods, and reading because let’s face it- there’s nothing like the smell of a new book!

Advisory board

Matthew Baldwin, Board Committee Chair

Kerri Martin Bartlett

David Berg, Corporate Partner, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLP

Gillian Francis, Sustainable Solutions, Lockheed Martin Energy

James Hobson, Board Chair, Chief Executive Officer, Attune Insurance

Brandon Lower, Head of Financial Sponsors Group, William Blair & Company

Melissa Magner, Board Committee Chair, Director, BlackRock Solutions

Marshall N. McIntosh, Sr. Vice President, Head, U.S. GWM Internal Sales, PIMCO

Carlos Moreno, CEO & Founder, MonkeyBroker

Matt Perelman, Garnett Station Partners

Bill Ribbecke, The JPB Foundation, Vice President of Investments

Elise Rosenberg, Director – Capital Solutions, Barclays

Alexander Sloane, Trustee, Heckscher Foundation for Children; Garnett Station Partners

Amy M. Starck, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Alexis Strongin, Retired Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician

Andrea London, Senior Vice President – Business Development, Lexington National Land Services

Stephen G. Tomlinson, P.C., Partner, Real Estate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Daniel Zarkowsky, Managing Director – Middle Market Group, Goldman Sachs

Associate board

AJ Alexakos, Credit Analyst, Tetragon Financial Group

Sonia Bouclainville, Program Manager, The Chapman Perelman Foundation/ Green Beetz Inc

Zack Coleman, Associate, Odyssey Investment Partners, LLC

Angela Cui, Analyst, Blackstone Group

Joe Fiorie, Account Manager, Dealogic

Chris Gillings, Strategic Partnerships Team, OnDeck

Andrew Gothelf, Senior Manager, AppExchange Marketing, Salesforce

Raquel Grazi Fischer, Vice President at Mousse Partners

Heather Heinz, Investment Analyst, Real Estate, Kemnay Advisory

Ramyata Joshi, Associate Board Chair, Winton Capital

Katherine Schafler, Psychotherapist / Private Practice / In-house at Google

Anupama Yerramali, Associate, Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLP

Sam Zaretsky, Real Estate Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Tutor advisory council

Mahmadou Bah

Dana Bricken

Mary Gherty

Nancy Hemmes

Iris Keitel

Ingrid Leter

Christina Mason, former Tutor Advisory Council Chair

Anne Mullin

Devi Ramchandran

Darlene Reid-Dodick

Christopher Simon

Joan Stamler, Tutor Advisory Council Chair

Cindy Tannenbaum

Cinder White

Tom Wornom