National Board of Directors
Trude Haecker, MD
Chair
Chair
Medical Director, Global Patient Services, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Medical Advisory Committee Member
Philadelphia, PA
Trude Haecker, M.D., Medical Director of Global Patient Services at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), oversees medical care for CHOP’s international patients and coordinates with faculty, referring physicians and patients to provide comprehensive pediatric healthcare while families are here in the US. Dr. Haecker has 25 years of experience as a physician at CHOP and has worked to establish CHOP’s primary care center network. She is also the Medical Director of CHOP’s Reach Out and Read Program and has been the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia since the Affiliate’s establishment in October 2002. A general pediatrician, well versed in the developmental issues of young children, Dr. Haecker first brought Reach Out and Read to CHOP in 1996. Her outpatient practice focuses on children with chronic medical conditions, developmental delays, and care coordination. She has written about the medical care and developmental needs of young children at-risk and those in foster care. Dr. Haecker is the current President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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Laura Bailet, PhD
Vice-Chair
Vice-Chair
Chief Academic Officer (Retired)
Kaplan Early Learning Company
Jacksonville, FL
Dr. Laura Bailet is Chief Academic Officer for Kaplan Early Learning Company. She earned her B.A. in English at Wake Forest University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in communicative disorders from Northwestern University. She is a licensed school psychologist with expertise in early childhood development, literacy, and learning disorders. Prior to her position at Kaplan, she worked at Nemours Children’s Health System for 30 years, where she fulfilled clinical, research, leadership, and community outreach roles. She created the Nemours BrightStart! program to promote reading success for all children. By combining the fields of neuroscience, population health, child development, and education, Nemours BrightStart! created powerful tools that level the playing field for all budding readers. Dr. Bailet has conducted research and published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She has won multiple community awards, including Jacksonville’s 2006 EVE Award for Employment, and is a current member of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Board.
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Claudia Aristy, BA
Director, Reach Out and Read and the H.E.L.P. Project, Children of Bellevue
New York, NY
Claudia Aristy has been Director of Children of Bellevue’s Reach Out and Read Program and The HELP Project since 2013. Her career at Bellevue Hospital began in 2000 as a bilingual Parent Educator in both programs. Aristy was instrumental in developing all aspects of HELP including its Instructional DVD’s. She was also responsible for training bilingual HELP volunteers and for translating and field-testing Spanish language materials for HELP and for the HELPix low literacy medication sheets.
Currently, Aristy oversees both programs–from administration to staff and volunteer training. Her passion for her work inspires staff and volunteers as well as the many professionals and media representatives who visit the programs. She serves on the Advisory Board of Leyendo Juntos-a National Reach Out and Read initiative, as well as on the Advisory Board of Reach Out and Read of Greater NY. In 2018, Aristy was awarded the prestigious Joan H. Tisch Prize from Hunter College. Aristy has a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from Hunter College.
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Nathan Chomilo, MD, FAAP
Medicaid Medical Director, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Pediatrician, Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners
Minneapolis, MN
Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo is Medical Director for the State of Minnesota’s Medicaid & MinnesotaCare programs and practices as a General Pediatrician and an Internal Medicine Hospitalist with Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners. He received a Zoology degree from Miami University (Oxford, OH) and graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He completed his combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and was the Pediatric Chief Resident at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital. His advocacy work has included the impact of early childhood intervention and healthcare access have on the long-term prospects of our children and how physicians and health systems can address racial & health equity. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Early Childhood and the Section on Minority Health, Equity & Inclusion, is one of the Early Childhood Champions for the MN chapter of the AAP where he also serves on the board of directors, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, co-founded the organization Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity (MDHEQ), was formerly appointed to the Minnesota Governor’s Early Learning Council and previously served as the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Minnesota. He is on the board of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) and the steering committee of the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative. His advocacy work has been recognized by Reach Out and Read National which awarded him the 2018 Medical Champion Achievement Award, and by the City of Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights which recognized him as a 2019 History Maker at Home recipient.
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Mark Del Monte, JD
Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, American Academy of Pediatrics
Itasca, IL
Mark Del Monte, JD serves as the CEO/Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In this capacity, Mark leads a strong executive team for the organization which serves 67,000 pediatrician, pediatric medical subspecialist, and pediatric surgical specialist members. Prior to this role, Mark served as the AAP’s Chief Deputy and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and External Affairs where he directed the organization’s communications, public relations and advocacy activities.
Before joining the AAP’s Washington, DC office in 2005, Mark served as Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families, a national organization advocating for children and families with HIV/AIDS. Mark began his career working as a lawyer in his home state of California, providing direct legal services to low-income children and families affected by HIV.
Mark holds a law degree from the University of California (Berkeley) and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Gonzaga University.
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Thomas G. DeWitt, MD, FAAP
Professor and Associate Chair for Education, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH
Thomas G. DeWitt, MD, FAAP, is the Carl Weihl Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the Division of General and Community Pediatrics and Associate Chair for Education, in the Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He has served as President of the Academic Pediatric Association and Chair of both the American Academy of Pediatrics Steering Committee of the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) network and Committee on Pediatric Education. Dr. DeWitt has served as a member of the United States Preventative Services Task Force and the ACGME Transition Year and Pediatric Residencies Review Committees. He has pursued innovative and effective approaches to graduate education, including an innovative online Masters in Medical Education program. With over ninety-five peer reviewed publications and senior editor of two general pediatric textbooks, he is nationally and internationally known for his publications and presentations in the areas of faculty development and community-based education and research.
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Ruby Dey, MD, MPH, FAAP
General Pediatrician
Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
Columbia, MD
Dr. Ruby Dey is a general pediatrician who has practiced with the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG) in the Baltimore Service Area for the past 17 years.
Prior to joining the Reach Out and Read Board of Directors, Dr. Dey was Chief of Pediatrics for MAPMG in the Baltimore Service Area. During her six-year tenure as Chief, Dr. Dey incorporated Reach Out and Read into the Mid-Atlantic service area for Kaiser Permanente. She created a comprehensive plan to obtain annual funding, established program infrastructure and ongoing distribution of books among 38 medical facilities across Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia. This also allowed for the expansion of Reach Out and Read into the northern portion of Maryland.
Dr. Dey holds a Doctor of Medicine from Howard University College of Medicine, a Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science from University of Maryland College Park.
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Curtis L. Gray, MBA
Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Administration (Retired)
BAE Systems, Inc.
Arlington, VA
Curt Gray is Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Administration for BAE Systems, Inc., responsible for all human resources and employment-related activities for the company’s U.S.-based operating groups, which collectively employ some 50,000 employees in the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Israel, Germany, Mexico, and South Africa and generate annual sales in excess of $10 billion. His background encompasses a broad array of businesses including information and communications, commercial airplanes, and both commercial and defense electronics. Previously, Gray was director of the People organization for the Boeing Company’s Phantom Works. He also supported the Engineering Process Council and represented Phantom Works on the Company People Process Council. Gray holds a bachelor’s degree in personnel administration from the University of Colorado, and an M.B.A. and a master’s degree in organization development from Pepperdine University.
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Jordan Haviland, MBA
CEO of Brattle Point, LLC
Cambridge, MA
Jordan Haviland is the CEO of Brattle Point, LLC. In this role, he leads a diversified holding company of scientific technology, industrial and service businesses. His primary responsibilities include setting strategic direction and directing capital allocation across the organization as well as leading new mergers and acquisitions. He received his AB, Cum Laude, from Harvard University where he was captain of the Division I Varsity Baseball Team. He later received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Jordan’s support of Reach Out and Read is in honor of his late sister and late brother-in-law, Dr. Courtney Haviland and Dr. William Shrauner, two exceptional doctors who were passionate about supporting children and literacy.
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Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Dr. Nia Heard-Garris is a pediatrician and a physician-investigator at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and in the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She examines the influence of social adversities experienced in childhood and subsequent child and adolescent health. Dr. Heard-Garris is also interested in the factors that contribute to a child’s ability to thrive despite these experiences. In August 2019, she received her career development award (K01), which is funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and with this award she plans to investigate adolescent cardiometabolic health. She believes in using research to better inform clinical practice and policy that supports children, their families, and their communities. Dr. Heard-Garris is also an active member in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and serves as the Chair and founding member of the Section of Minority Health, Equity, and Inclusion. Dr. Heard-Garris completed a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She earned her Master of Science in Health and Healthcare Research. She received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Howard University College of Medicine and helped to launch the student-run free clinic serving DC residents. Dr. Heard-Garris earned her Bachelor of Science in biology at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Shana Hoffman, MBA
President & CEO, Lucet Health
New York, NY
Shana Hoffman is President & Chief Executive Officer of New Directions. Her background combines a unique understanding of the healthcare industry through her experience in Fortune 500, private equity-backed and early stage healthcare companies. Prior to joining New Directions, Shana served as both senior vice president of Corporate Transformation and Chief Operating Officer of the Tri-State Mid-Atlantic Region at Beacon Health Options. While in this role, she led client and provider operations for a region serving over 20 health plans and state direct customers and over nine million members. She improved operational performance for clients and the organization overall.
Before joining Beacon, Shana directed client development and growth efforts at Kyruus, a leader in provider search and scheduling solutions for hospitals and health systems. While there, she was instrumental in establishing key client relationships and developing a go-to-market strategy. During her tenure, she increased revenue five-fold. Earlier in her career, Shana worked at DaVita Inc. in the corporate strategy group and began her career at Deloitte Consulting.
Hoffman also was the co-founder of CareSolver a senior care technology startup helping family caregivers of seniors manage and coordinate care.
Shana graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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Evan Keyser, MBA
Operating Advisor, Nautic Partners
Nashville, TN
Evan Keyser is an Operating Advisor with Nautic Partners, a middle-market private equity firm with a focused investment strategy targeting the health care, industrial, and services sectors.
Evan previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of LifePoint Health, a leading health care company that owns and operates community acute care and behavioral health hospitals, physician practices, outpatient centers, and post-acute facilities across the country. In this role, Evan oversaw LifePoint’s growth strategy and led the overall development initiatives, strategic acquisitions, and partnerships for the organization.
Prior to joining LifePoint, Evan spent nearly 10 years with Citi’s Global Healthcare Investment Banking group, where he was involved in the successful execution of numerous capital raising events and M&A transactions for prominent health organizations. Before Citi, Evan was part of the health care investment banking groups at Stifel and Cowen, both middle-market financial services firms.
Evan received his MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and his BS in Architectural Engineering from Kansas State University.
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Caleb B. King, Esq.
Judicial Law Clerk
U.S. Court of Appeals
New York, NY
Caleb B. King is a judicial law clerk at the U.S. Courts of Appeals. He previously worked as a M&A associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Affiliates where he advised public and private companies, as well as private equity sponsors, on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spin-offs, going-private transactions, and other corporate matters, including SEC compliance, shareholder activism and corporate governance. He also maintained an active pro bono practice, focusing on criminal justice reform and civil rights impact litigation. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and Davis Polk Leadership Fellow and received his B.A. from Wesleyan University.
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Perri Klass, MD, FAAP, National Medical Director
Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics
New York University
New York, NY
Perri Klass, MD, FAAP, led the National Center from 1993 to 2006, during which time Reach Out and Read grew from a single program into a national network of more than 3,000 program sites. She is a professor of journalism and pediatrics at New York University, where she works in the pediatric clinic at Bellevue Hospital. Klass received her M.D. from Harvard University and completed her training in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, and in pediatric infectious diseases at Boston City Hospital. She received the 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics Education Award for her work with Reach Out and Read, and the 2011 Alvarez Award from the American Medical Writers Association. She writes frequently about children’s issues, including the weekly “The Checkup” column for the New York Times.
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Tiffany R. Kuehner
Vice President & Banker
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Greenwich, CT
Tiffany R. Kuehner is a Vice President and Banker in the Greenwich, Connecticut office of J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Tiffany partners with her clients to help grow, protect, preserve, and enhance their wealth across their balance sheet. She delivers direct access to the strengths of J.P. Morgan, including banking, lending, investing, estate planning and charitable giving.
Having grown up in a multi-generational entrepreneurial family with shared philanthropic commitments, Tiffany understands the financial agency that results from informed decisions and strategically deployed assets. She is passionate about working alongside individuals and families to transform their life goals into a deeply impactful legacy.
Tiffany spent the first part of her career in leadership roles within the global nonprofit sector, championing sustainable solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems. She is a Board Emeritus Member and former Board Chair and CEO for Hope for Haiti, an organization founded by her grandmother, which works to improve the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children. She serves as a National Board Member for Reach Out and Read, a pediatric literacy model providing a foundation for success through relational health and education.
An alum of Georgetown University, Tiffany earned a B.A. in Women’s Studies with a specific focus on International Development. She is a graduate of Leadership Collier, an SVP Partner and a member of the Young Presidents Organization.
Tiffany and her husband, Mikey, reside in Connecticut with their two daughters. She loves to read, explore art and nature, be active, savor meaningful meals and conversation, travel, dance, care for her backyard chickens — and most importantly — celebrate life with family and friends.
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Paul LeBlanc
Vice President, Paper
Boise Paper, A Division of Packaging Corporation of America
Lake Forest, IL
Mr. LeBlanc has served in this role since October 2015. Previously Mr. LeBlanc was Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Boise Paper, A Division of Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), and held various positions in marketing and category management for the office papers and printing papers businesses in his 15 years with Boise/PCA. Prior to Boise/PCA, Mr. LeBlanc spent 18 years in the consumer goods industry in various R&D, manufacturing, and marketing positions, mostly with The Clorox Company and Tyson Foods. Mr. LeBlanc received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from San Jose State University.
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Terri D. McFadden, MD, FAAP
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Georgia
General Pediatrician & Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
Medical Director of Primary Care
Hughes Spalding Campus, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Dr. McFadden is a General Pediatrician and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics of the Emory University School of Medicine. She serves as Medical Director of Primary Care at the Hughes Spalding campus of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where she sees patients and teaches medical students, pediatric residents and allied health students. She is also the Medical Director for primary care with the Emory Department of Pediatrics PARTNERS for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health program. She is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), where she serves on the Executive Committee of the Council on Early Childhood. She also serves as Vice-President and President-Elect of the Georgia Chapter of the AAP. McFadden has served as the Medical Director Reach Out and Read Georgia for over 10 years and worked to strengthen the Reach Out and Read program at her on site for more than 20 years. Her academic and professional interests include comprehensive care for the underserved, early brain development and preschool literacy promotion, breastfeeding promotion, childhood injury prevention, and medical education. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Spelman College and a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
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Leora Mogilner, MD
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Greater New York
Director, Advocacy and Community Pediatrics Rotation
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Dr. Mogilner is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She serves as Director of Advocacy for the Department of Pediatrics and oversees the resident Advocacy and Community Pediatrics rotation. Dr. Mogilner founded the Reach Out and Read program at Mount Sinai in 1997 and is Medical Director and Vice-Chair of the Board of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York and a member of the Board of National Reach Out and Read. She is a member of the AAP Committee on Early Childhood Education Subcommittee on Early Childhood Literacy. Dr. Mogilner serves as Co-Director of the New York State Pediatric Advocacy Coalition, a consortium of the 30 pediatric residency training programs in New York State dedicated to improving resident training in community pediatrics and advocacy. She is a co-chair of the Academic Pediatric Association’s Advocacy Education Special Interest Group and is a faculty member and cohort co-leader of the APA’s Educational Scholars Program. She oversees the pediatric social determinants of health screening program at the Mount Sinai pediatric clinic and is involved in research on social determinants of health, early literacy, and medical education.
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Dipesh Navsaria, MD, MPH, MSLIS, FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin
Madison, WI
Dipesh Navsaria is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and a Clinical Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Human Ecology. He has practiced primary care pediatrics in a variety of settings with special interest in underserved populations. He is the founding medical director of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin. Dr Navsaria is involved in both training and in the practice of child health advocacy — writing and speaking publicly locally, regionally and nationally on early brain and child development, early literacy, and advocacy to a broad variety of audiences.
He also works with the American Academy of Pediatrics on a state level, and is currently the immediate past president of the Wisconsin Chapter. He also has served nationally on a number of committees, including being the founding co-chair of the Early Literacy Subcommittee of the Council on Early Childhood. He regularly writes op-eds on health-related topics, does radio and television interviews, and frequently speaks locally, regionally and nationally on early brain and child development, early literacy, and advocacy to a broad variety of audiences. He is also the host of the Reach Out and Read Podcast!
He describes himself as a pediatrician in the public interest, blending the roles of physician, occasional children’s librarian, educator, public health professional and child health advocate. With graduate degrees in public health, children’s librarianship, physician assistant studies, and medicine, he brings a unique combination of interests and experience together. Dr. Navsaria received his Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and his Physician Assistant training from The George Washington University in DC. He practiced as a pediatric physician assistant in East Central Illinois before attending medical school at the University of Illinois in Urbana. He also completed a master’s in library and information science at the University of Illinois, focusing on children’s librarianship.
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Robert Needlman, MD, FAAP
Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Professor of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Pediatrician, MetroHealth Medical Center,
Cleveland, OH
Robert Needlman, MD, FAAP, is co-founder of Reach Out and Read and President of the Greater Cleveland Reach Out and Read Coalition. He is the author of “Dr. Spock’s Baby Basics” and co-author of the ninth edition of “Baby and Child Care,” Dr. Benjamin Spock’s classic parenting manual. He has also been a columnist for Parent and Child Magazine, and has written for parents online at DrSpock.com, parenting.com, and as a Yahoo health expert. His published academic work includes studies on pediatric literacy promotion, the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure, iron deficiency, maternal depression, and resident training. A graduate of Yale College (English Literature) and the Yale School of Medicine, Needlman practices and teaches Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland and is Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
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Judy Newman
Chief Impact Officer, Scholastic Inc.
New York, NY
As Chief Impact Officer, Judy Newman leads Scholastic’s efforts to amplify its mission and expand its reach to ensure equal access to book choice and literacy for all children through partnerships with non-profits and other organizations. She most recently served as President of Scholastic Book Clubs—the company’s unique, school-based book distribution channel that has been a treasured tradition for teachers to earn supplies for their classrooms, and for students to choose their own books. Since joining the Company in 1993, Judy has worked to champion teachers and position Scholastic as a trusted literacy partner to meet their students’ evolving needs. Judy also has extensive leadership experience in the non-profit space: she is a board member of Reach Out and Read and was Board Chair for eight years. She is Board Advisor to Book Trust; Chair of the Board of the M.R. Robinson Foundation; advisor to Pajama Program; and former president of the Ruby Bridges Foundation. Judy co-chairs Scholastic’s DEIB Leadership Task Force; leads the Company’s Black Educator Advisory Board; and drives The United States of Readers initiative, to activate private philanthropy and alternative sources of funding to leverage Scholastic’s strengths and partner with teachers in Title I schools and reach students with the greatest need of literacy support. Judy holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business; and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University.
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Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP
President and CEO, National Association of Community Health Centers
Dr. Kyu (“Q”) Rhee joined the National Association of Community Health Centers in 2023 to lead efforts to advance health equity and support the mission of community health centers, which provide high-quality, affordable, transdisciplinary primary care services to more than 31.5 million people at over 14,000 sites across the nation.
As a purpose-driven physician executive, scientist, teacher, and entrepreneur, Dr. Rhee has a reputation synonymous with leadership, innovation, and transformation across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Throughout his career, Dr. Rhee has actively worked to advance primary care, public health, and health equity for underserved populations. Before joining NACHC, Dr. Rhee held the position of Senior Vice President and Aetna Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health. He led a team of over 1,500 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals in the integration and delivery of clinical and population health solutions to improve the health and deliver the “Quintuple Aim” for up to 65 million people via commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, behavioral health, digital health, student health, vision, dental, and voluntary health plans. Dr. Rhee served for a decade as the Chief Health Officer at IBM, where he and his team led IBM’s global efforts to transform health using data, analytics, artificial intelligence, services, and research.
During the time of the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Rhee held the office of Chief Public Health Officer at the Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr. Rhee also worked at the National Institutes of Health as the Director of the Office of Innovation and Program Coordination.
Prior to his public service, Dr. Rhee was Chief Medical Officer at Baltimore Medical System and worked as a National Health Services Corps primary care physician and Medical Director for Unity Health Care.
Dr. Rhee was Chief Resident and completed his medical residency training in both internal medicine and pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with dual-board certification. He earned his medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Rhee also holds a master’s in health care policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale University in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry.
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Carly Roberts
Associate Program Director for Out-of-School Learning, Overdeck Family Foundation
New Jersey
Carly Roberts is the Associate Program Director for Out-of-School Learning at Overdeck Family Foundation, where she manages the Foundation’s grantmaking in early childhood and informal STEM education. Before joining the Foundation in 2014, Carly worked in education throughout her career and in her graduate studies, with experience spanning direct impact, research, and policy. She coordinated comprehensive services for children and families in Washington, D.C. and later held consultative roles for school districts, Head Start research, Robin Hood Foundation, and the Newark Trust for Education. Carly earned a Master’s of Public Administration and Master’s of Public Health from Columbia University and graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University with a B.A. in Psychology. She is a proud parent of two young children and loves reading with them every day.
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Benita Somerfield, MA
Chair of the International Committee of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards
Vice-Chair of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg, Germany
New York, NY
ex-officio
Benita Somerfield was the Founding Executive Director of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, serving the Foundation from 1989 to 2012. Prior to that, Benita held several roles at Simon & Schuster Publishing, including Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications; and President, Workplace Resources. Her government work includes serving as Special Advisor in Adult Literacy at the U.S. Department of Education, and member of the Presidentially-appointed Board of the National Institute of Literacy. In addition, Benita has worked for a number of public/private literacy programs in workplace, community, and prison settings.
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Trude Haecker, MD
Chair
Chair
Medical Director, Global Patient Services, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Medical Advisory Committee Member
Philadelphia, PA
Laura Bailet, PhD
Vice-Chair
Vice-Chair
Chief Academic Officer (Retired)
Kaplan Early Learning Company
Jacksonville, FL
Claudia Aristy, BA
Director, Reach Out and Read and the H.E.L.P. Project, Children of Bellevue
New York, NY
Nathan Chomilo, MD, FAAP
Medicaid Medical Director, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Pediatrician, Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners
Minneapolis, MN
Mark Del Monte, JD
Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, American Academy of Pediatrics
Itasca, IL
Thomas G. DeWitt, MD, FAAP
Professor and Associate Chair for Education, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH
Ruby Dey, MD, MPH, FAAP
General Pediatrician
Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
Columbia, MD
Curtis L. Gray, MBA
Senior Vice President, Human Resources & Administration (Retired)
BAE Systems, Inc.
Arlington, VA
Jordan Haviland, MBA
CEO of Brattle Point, LLC
Cambridge, MA
Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Shana Hoffman, MBA
President & CEO, Lucet Health
New York, NY
Evan Keyser, MBA
Operating Advisor, Nautic Partners
Nashville, TN
Caleb B. King, Esq.
Judicial Law Clerk
U.S. Court of Appeals
New York, NY
Perri Klass, MD, FAAP, National Medical Director
Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics
New York University
New York, NY
Tiffany R. Kuehner
Vice President & Banker
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Greenwich, CT
Paul LeBlanc
Vice President, Paper
Boise Paper, A Division of Packaging Corporation of America
Lake Forest, IL
Terri D. McFadden, MD, FAAP
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Georgia
General Pediatrician & Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
Medical Director of Primary Care
Hughes Spalding Campus, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Leora Mogilner, MD
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Greater New York
Director, Advocacy and Community Pediatrics Rotation
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Dipesh Navsaria, MD, MPH, MSLIS, FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Medical Director, Reach Out and Read Wisconsin
Madison, WI
Robert Needlman, MD, FAAP
Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Professor of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Pediatrician, MetroHealth Medical Center,
Cleveland, OH
Judy Newman
Chief Impact Officer, Scholastic Inc.
New York, NY
Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP
President and CEO, National Association of Community Health Centers
Carly Roberts
Associate Program Director for Out-of-School Learning, Overdeck Family Foundation
New Jersey
Benita Somerfield, MA
Chair of the International Committee of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards
Vice-Chair of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg, Germany
New York, NY
ex-officio