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OUR LEADERSHIP

Improving literacy rates across the country

We believe that improving literacy is the key to solving everything—which is why we’re fighting to give everyone in America an opportunity to take a second chance on education.

British A. Robinson
President and CEO

British A. Robinson is a visionary leader with more than 20 years of experience leading initiatives in international and domestic health, corporate social responsibility, public-private partnerships, government relations, and advocacy and policy development.

As the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, British oversees the strategic direction and all operations of the public charity, which was established by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989.

Prior to joining the Barbara Bush Foundation, British was founding CEO of the Women’s Heart Alliance, where she oversaw all aspects of the initiative, including its education/awareness campaign, advocacy and fundraising efforts, operations, program implementation, and strategic alliances. Her extensive nonprofit leadership experience also includes service as Senior Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives at Women for Women International and as Vice President of Global Strategy and Programs at Susan G. Komen. British also served at the U.S. Department of State as the Deputy Coordinator/Director of Private Sector Engagement for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), where she was responsible for the U.S. Government’s successful establishment of public-private partnerships at the international, national, and enterprise levels to strengthen HIV/AIDS initiatives.

Additionally, during her tenure at the State Department, she held a special assignment as Director and Special Advisor to the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, where she established and managed alliances and partnerships committed to advancing the rights of women and girls around the world.

Earlier in her career, British worked for the Jesuit Conference/Jesuit Refugee Services USA as the Director of Social and International Ministries, Citigroup/Citibank in retail banking, and served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC).

Christopher C. Robinson
Major Gifts Officer
Lauren Sproull
Vice President of Communications
Sarah Cacicio
Director of the Adult Literacy & Learning Impact Network
Evangeline Fields
Chief Financial Officer
Clare Bonsignore
Vice President of Development
Andrew Roberts
Chief Operating Officer
Pamela Cote
Senior Director of Curriculum and Training
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bringing expertise to America’s literacy crisis

From left to right: Back row: Chris Frangione, Tricia Reilly Koch, Jeb Bush, Jr., British A. Robinson, Jean Becker, Christine Pina, Governor Bob Wise, Gwynn Virostek. Front row: Lori Wachs, Doro Bush Koch, Peggy Conlon, David Beré
British A. Robinson, President and CEO

British A. Robinson is a visionary leader with more than 20 years of experience leading initiatives in international and domestic health, corporate social responsibility, public-private partnerships, government relations, and advocacy and policy development. Read More

Doro Bush Koch, Honorary Chair

Author, philanthropist, and businesswoman Doro Bush Koch inherited her mother’s belief in the power of literacy to change lives, and stepped into the role of honorary chair for the Foundation in 2014. She is also the author of a book about her father, former President George H. W. Bush, and is a founding partner in BB&R Wellness Consulting.

LaMar Bunts, Treasurer

LaMar Bunts has spent much of his career driving growth and global expansion at technology companies like Dell, Silicon Graphics and ITM Software (acquired by BMC Software). More recently, he has been a leader in several innovative education technology startups and is currently the CEO and co-founder of The Beanstalk Initiative, an organization devoted to empowering youth by strengthening their financial capability and enabling wealth generation.

Jeb Bush, Jr.

Jeb Bush, Jr., grandson of President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush, represents the third generation of Bush family members to provide leadership and guidance for the Foundation. He currently serves as managing partner of Jeb Bush & Associates, a consulting and private equity firm that specializes in business development and strategic advisory work.

Chris Frangione

Christopher Frangione has more than 20 years of innovative strategic planning, market development, operational execution, and leadership experience. Currently the managing director of Frangione and Associates Innovation Advisors, he previously held leadership and advisory roles at organizations including XPRIZE and National Geographic.

Lynn Hirshfield

Lynn Hirshfield is a leader in the entertainment industry, with deep experience in film, television, and publishing. She currently serves as senior vice president of strategic alliances at Participant Media, the world’s leading media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change. She is also the author of three award-winning books for young readers.

Michael Levine

Dr. Michael Levine is a globally recognized leader in education and digital innovation research, policy, and philanthropy. He currently serves as Senior Vice President, Learning and Impact, for Noggin, Nickelodeon’s direct-to-consumer interactive learning service for preschoolers and elementary age children. He previously spent more than a decade in leadership positions at Sesame Workshop, most recently serving as Chief Knowledge Officer.

Rachel Mushahwar

Rachel Mushahwar is a global business executive with more than 25 years of experience helping businesses deliver top line growth, navigate transformations, and prioritize innovation. She currently serves at Amazon Web Services as Managing Director – Americas Channel and Partner Chief.

Christine Pina, Vice Chair

Christine Pina has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, fundraising, stewardship, and community outreach. Currently serving as the chief advancement officer for Miss Porter’s School, she previously held fundraising leadership roles at educational institutions including University of Hartford and Wesleyan University.

David Risher

David Risher is the CEO and co-founder of Worldreader, a nonprofit that cultivates reading in vulnerable and underserved communities around the globe. Using his vast experience in leading large-scale technology efforts, Risher has expanded the organization to serve more than 13 million children in 46 countries with content in 52 languages. Prior to founding Worldreader, he held leadership roles at Microsoft and Amazon.

Honey Skinner

Honey Skinner is a retired partner of the Sidley Austin law firm, where she specialized in the representation of large hospital systems. She continues to engage in health care as the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Chair of Policy and Advocacy Advisory Council in Chicago, an Executive Committee Member of the Boca Grande Health Clinic Board of Directors in Boca Grande, Florida, and as a Director of Pathways.org.

Denine Torr, Secretary

Denine Torr has 20 years of experience in corporate philanthropy. She currently leads strategic development and execution of national, regional, and local philanthropic-related programs and initiatives for Dollar General’s 17,000+ store communities, corporate headquarters, and distribution center network, and serves as the executive director for the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. She also serves on the boards of the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and the American Indian College Fund.

Gwynn Virostek

Gwynn Virostek is an accomplished financial services and nonprofit leader, with more than three decades of service in banking leadership across the nation for institutions including Washington Mutual, Wachovia, and TD Bank. Her strong commitment to volunteerism includes service on the board of the Volunteer Florida Foundation, Big Bend Hospice, and Guardian ad Litem.

Lori Wachs, Chair

Lori Wachs is a consumer analyst and fund manager with more than 20 years of benchmark-beating investment experience. After beginning her career as an analyst for Goldman Sachs, she spent nearly two decades as a portfolio manager for Delaware Investments. She currently serves as co-founder and partner of Springboard Growth Capital.

2021-2022 Board Committees

Audit Committee

Gwynn Virostek (Chair)
LaMar Bunts
Rachel Mushahwar

Executive Committee

Lori Wachs (Chair)
LaMar Bunts (Treasurer)
Doro Bush Koch (Honorary Chair)
Christine Pina (Vice Chair)
Denine Torr (Secretary)

Finance Committee

LaMar Bunts (Chair)
Christine Pina
Lori Wachs

Investment Committee

Raquel Rodriguez (Chair)
Edward Antoian
Richard Kelly
John Rhee
Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz
Lori Wachs

Nominating and Governance Committee

Lori Wachs (Chair)
Chris Frangione
Doro Bush Koch
Honey Skinner
Gwynn Virostek

Program and Marketing Committee

Denine Torr (Chair)
Jeb Bush, Jr.
Chris Frangione
Lynn Hirshfield
Michael Levine
David Risher

Development Committee

Christine Pina (Chair)
Jeb Bush, Jr.
Lynn Hirshfield
Doro Bush Koch
Lori Wachs

Compensation Committee

Christine Pina (Chair)
Gwynn Virostek

Advisory Councils

Corporate Advisory Council

AT&T – Rick Welday, Executive Vice President and General Manager – Enterprise Markets

Bessemer Trust – Walter Montaigne, Principal

Business Roundtable – Dane Linn, Senior Vice President of Corporate Initiatives

Colgate-Palmolive – Gillian Barclay, Vice President, Global Public Health and Scientific Affairs

ConocoPhillips – Andrew D. Lundquist, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs

Dollar General – Denine Torr, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy

Humana – Dr. Nwando Olayiwola, Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President

Intel – Daniel Gutwein, Director, N50 Project and Education Vertical IoT

Vertical Bridge – Daniel Marinberg, Esq., Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Walgreens – Alethia Jackson, Senior Vice President of Environmental, Social, and Governance and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer

Technology Advisory Council

Chuck Dages, Executive Vice President of Emerging Technology, Warner Bros. (Retired)

David Dean, CEO, DGDean

Orion French, Quantitative Strategist

Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner, Backstage Capital

Nia King-Rubie, Managing Partner, Immersive Strategies

Kristen Lawson, Chief of Staff, Anthem Digital Health Platforms

Shannon Lucas, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Catalyst Constellations

Erin Mote, Executive Director, Innovate EDU

Kimberly Marshall, Investor and Advisor, Goldman Sachs’ Launch with GS

Rachel Mushahwar, Managing Director/General Manager – Americas Channel and Partner Chief, Amazon Web Services

Shelley Peterson, Director – Principal Program Manager, Microsoft

Kirby Salerno, Chief Revenue Officer, Boclips

Andrew Sugerman, President, Sketchy