I joined the Literacy Alliance as Executive Director because a life-long career in nonprofits led to several encounters of seeing first hand the impact on adults that struggle with literacy and numeracy. I got to know their stories. Like the truck driver who was a personal family friend and who, while driving a big rig, couldn't read the street signs. He knew roughly where the speedometer should be. He would ask for directions and pay close attention to the numbers of turns or ask for landmarks and disregard mentions of street names. He managed, but he was held back in developing the career he wanted and always wished he could have done more for his family. I couldn't directly help him then, but today I hope to help others like him.

I built a livlihood largely on writing and have become keenly aware of the doors it can unlock. I hope you will help me in this effort. Thank you for your consideration.