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The State of the Union of Literacy in America

New York, 26 September 2025

Join the World Literacy Foundation during the UN General Assembly for a special side event: “The State of the Union of Literacy in America.” Over 80 national literacy leaders will gather to exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and address the U.S. literacy crisis.

Join us - Free Event

Policymakers, educators, and advocates will come together to shape the future of literacy in America. The event will foster the exchange of ideas, build meaningful partnerships, and strengthen our collective response to the nation’s literacy crisis.

RSVP via email

info@worldliteracyfoundation.org

Speakers

Susan Neuman

NYU, Childhood & Literacy Education

9:20am to 10:00am

Specialist in early literacy development; whose research and teaching interests include early childhood policy.

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Andrew Fletcher

Director of Literacy in District 7, NYC

10:00am to 10:45am

In this role, he supports leaders and teachers across 25 schools to improve literacy outcomes for all students.

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Pam Allyn

LitWorld Executive Director

10:00am to 10:45am

Award-winning literacy educator, author, and advocate for children.

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Katie Egan Cunnigham

Professor, Sacred Heart University

10:00am to 10:45am

She has degrees from Princeton University, New York University, and Columbia University

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Dr. Molly Ness

Literacy Advocate

11:00am to 12:00pm

She is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator.

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Kelly Griffin

Vice President of Nonprofit Partnerships at First Book

11:00am to 12:00pm

She has helped complex organizations navigate significant strategy and culture shifts for more than two decades. 

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Claudia Aristy

Director of Children of Bellevue’s Reach Out and Read

11:00am to 12:00pm

Her career at Bellevue Hospital began in 2000 as a bilingual Parent Educator in both programs.

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Dr. Raymond Sanchez

Superintendent, Tarrytown NY

1:30pm to 2:15pm

He started as a classroom teacher then progressed through building, curriculum, and district leadership roles.

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Dr. Tolga Hayali

SANY Superintendent

1:30pm to 2:15pm

He started as the school director at Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School (SASCS) in 2008.

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Dr. Don Green

President, Gordon State College

1:30pm to 2:15pm

He has served as president of Gordon State College since May, 2023. Green, who most recently served as president of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

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Will Crawford

Follett Education

2:30pm to 3:15pm

He is the first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Director at Follett Higher Education.

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Alicia Levi

Reading is Fundamental

2:30pm to 3:15pm

She has transformed RIF through a bold and innovative vision—leveraging technology.

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Sam Whitaker

StudyFetch, Head of Social Impact

2:30pm to 3:15pm

His work bringing AI education to Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and underserved communities.

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Meghan O’Rourke

Professor at Yale University and author of The Invisible Kingdom

2:30pm to 3:15pm

She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness and The Long Goodbye.

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Kevin Renshaw

Vice President of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships

3:15pm to 3:40pm

He started his career journey over thirty years ago as a temporary cashier with Follett at Irvine Valley College

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Rebecca Kate Silverzweig

TinyIvy

3:40pm to 4:00pm

She is the Chief Operating Officer of TinyIvy, the education company behind the patented TIPS® reading system

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Susan B. Neuman is a Professor of Teaching and Learning at New York University specializing in childhood education and early literacy development. Previously, she has been a Professor at the University of Michigan and has served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education under George W. Bush. She has served on numerous boards of non-profit organizations, and as Co-editor of Reading Research Quarterly (2011-2018), ILA flagship research journal.  Her research and teaching interests include early childhood policy, curriculum, and early reading instruction, prek-grade 3 for children who live in poverty.   Neuman has received life-time achievement awards for research in literacy development, and is a member of the Reading Hall of Fame, and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.  She has written over 100 articles, and authored and edited 12 books.  Her newest book is the “Handbook of the Science of Early Literacy” (2023) published by Guilford Press.

Mr. Andrew Fletcher is currently a Director of Literacy in Community School District 7 in the South Bronx within the New York City Public Schools. In this role, he supports leaders and teachers across 25 schools to improve literacy outcomes for all students. Prior to this role, Andrew led the city’s Universal Literacy Initiative, dedicated to the effort to ensure every student is reading proficiently by the conclusion of their second-grade year.  He also led the city’s tutoring efforts as Director of Strategic Partnerships.

While holding these roles at the central office, Andrew co-founded the CUNY Reading Fellows, an effort dedicated to providing pre-service teachers with early literacy tutoring experiences as well as the “Let’s Learn” television program, a production of The WNET Group that provided supplemental remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic to students in pre-kindergarten to grade two.  The show continues to air to this day.  He is also an adjunct lecturer at both Brooklyn College/CUNY as well as Fordham University in their respective schools of education.

Prior to this all, he taught and was a literacy coach in District 7 and although a native New Yorker, Andrew has also taught in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Andrew holds a M.S.Ed. in Curriculum and Teaching from Fordham and hopes to one day finish his Ph.D. there (ABD), or somewhere!

Pam Allyn is an award-winning literacy educator, author, and advocate for children. She is the author of 27 books for educators, leaders and families on reading, writing, and learning, including Every Child a Super Reader with Dr. Ernest Morrell.

Pam is the Founder and Executive Director of LitWorld, a groundbreaking global literacy organization serving children and families in more than 60 countries. With her team at LitWorld, Pam created World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) to celebrate the power of reading aloud and advocate for literacy worldwide. WRAD is now an annual event in over 170 countries, and celebrated by 293 million people worldwide in 2025 alone.

She is the Founder and CEO of Dewey, an innovation hub for new programs and ideas to impact the learning lives of children. She is the winner of numerous awards including the Children’s Village Legacy of Service Award and the Kent Williamson Exemplary leadership Award.

Dr. Katie Egan Cunningham supports teachers to bridge the science of reading with the joy of learning. She is a Professor and Program Director of Teacher Education at Sacred Heart University where she teaches courses in foundational literacy skills, dyslexia, children’s literature, and social and emotional learning.

Katie is the author or co-author of five books for educators including Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. She has degrees from Princeton University, New York University, and Columbia University. Katie lives with her husband, two sons, and Golden Doodle in the woods of Connecticut.

Molly Ness is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She spent 16 years as an associate professor at Fordham University in New York City. The author of six books, Molly served on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association and on the New York State Dyslexia Task Force.

Dr. Ness has extensive experience in reading clinics, consulting with school districts, leading professional development, and advising school systems on research-based reading instruction. She provided literacy leadership for nationally recognized literacy non-profits, as well as major educational publishers.  A frequent speaker and presenter, her happy place is translating the science of reading to schools and teachers. In 2024, she founded Dirigo Literacy, (deer-ǐ-gō) a literacy consulting firm supporting schools, districts, and states align with and implement the science of reading.

Griffin has helped complex organizations navigate significant strategy and culture shifts for more than two decades. She leads organizations in clarifying their strategies, improving their strategic agility, building bridges to successful execution, and driving toward measurable outcomes. She is currently Vice President of Nonprofit Partnerships at First Book, where she builds strategic relationships between the social enterprise and other nonprofits – from community organizations to libraries, early childhood centers, faith-based entities, and health clinics – to amplify each’s mission.

Before coming to First Book, Griffin was an independent strategy consultant guiding organizations with missions like ending hunger, correcting policing inequity, improving workforce development, and curing disease. She previously led strategic planning and field resource development at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and held strategy positions at KABOOM!, AmeriCorps (formerly Corporation for National and Community Service), and AARP. She is the author of “Solve, Not Serve: What Other Nonprofit Management Books Won’t Tell You” (New Degree Press 2022), an International Association of Facilitators-Endorsed Facilitator, and a certified executive coach.

Claudia Aristy has been Director of the Reach Out and Read Program at Health + Hospitals/Bellevue  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 materials. 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 National Board for Reach Out and Read,  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.

Following her passion and interest in early relational health, Aristy alongside her team, developed a prenatal educational program called, My Reading Promise, which encourages the pregnant patients to start bonding with their babies by talking, reading and singing to them. Aristy is also a Parent Leader in the Family Network Collaborative for Nurture Connection, which seeks to advance and promote Early Relational Health so that all families can experience the joy and lifelong health benefits that come from strong, positive, and nurturing relationships in early childhood.

In an effort to continue spreading the message to all areas of the hospital, Aristy and her team, launched a new program in the NNICU at her site called, Our Story Begins. This early-literacy initiative encourages families within the NNICU to utilize their voice to support bonding, language and cognitive development. Nurses provide books to the families upon admission and discharge as well as for every month the baby is hospitalized. In addition to the books, nurses educate families on the benefits of voice stimulation for their babies’ growth and development.

 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.

Currently, Dr. Raymond Sanchez is the Superintendent of the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns. Dr. Sanchez started as a classroom teacher then progressed through building, curriculum, and district leadership roles before being appointed as superintendent of the Ossining Union Free School District in 2013, a position he held for over 10 years.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Sanchez has built bridges between the school and the community while developing a strong educational setting for both teachers and students. He has maintained a solid focus on the instructional core and made data-driven decisions to upgrade curriculum, set instructional direction, and strengthen overall services. Dr. Sanchez led a district of more than 5,000 students during a period of tremendous growth in student population, successfully conveying both internal and external messages to inform, educate, and garner support for initiatives. By fostering community connections, Dr. Sanchez created a framework for student achievement and positioned Ossining as a leader in the educational equity movement.

Dr. Sanchez has been widely applauded for his efforts in promoting instructional equity, closing achievement gaps, and initiating programs that encourage community involvement in meaningful ways. He has received numerous awards and peer recognition for his leadership, vision, and outreach, including NYS Superintendent of the Year. His commitment to meeting the needs of children and their families is further reflected in his vast community work where he currently serves on the boards of several organizations. Dr. Sanchez is also a leader among his colleagues as a board member, advisor and delegate on numerous professional organizations while contributing to the next generation of educators as an adjunct professor at Manhattanville College and Bank Street College of Education and member of the Future School Leadership Academy advisory board.

Dr. Sanchez received his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College, earning the Doctoral Outstanding Leadership Award in 2019. He also holds advanced education degrees and certificates from Fordham University, Columbia University and Long Island University. He earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Dr. Tolga Hayali proudly serves as the Superintendent of Science Academies of New York Charter Schools (SANY). He started as the school director at Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School (SASCS) in 2008, overseeing 340 students in grades 7-12.  Dr. Hayali spearheaded the expansion of SASCS into the Science Academies of New York Charter Schools with his stakeholders and team, now a network of four K-12 charter schools across eight campuses. Today, SANY serves over 3,400 urban students with a dedicated team of more than 420 staff members across three cities: Syracuse, Rochester, and Utica.

With almost 30 years of experience in education, Dr. Hayali’s career began as a chemistry teacher before he transitioned into various administrative roles, where he excelled in founding and managing charter schools. Over the past 17 years in Central New York, he has been deeply committed to fostering partnerships with community organizations and higher education institutions to support educational initiatives and strengthen the bond between students and their communities.

Dr. Hayali has been honored by the United States Congress for his service in the Greater Utica area, received the Education Award from the New York State Assembly, and was granted an Image Award by the Syracuse/Onondaga Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Additionally, the Mohawk Valley Chapter of the United Way acknowledged him as one of the 100 community heroes for his positive impact in the Mohawk Valley. Dr. Hayali also served on the New York State Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures.

Dr. Hayali graduated from Bogazici University Chemistry Teaching, received his M.A. and C.A.S. in School Counseling from SUNY Oswego, an executive MA in Public Administration from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a Doctorate of Education, Leadership, Management, and Policy in K-12 School Administration from Seton Hall University. He completed the Executive Leadership programs of Public Leadership, Public Policy, Economic Development, and the Senior Fellow Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Dr. Hayali resides with his wife and four children in Fayetteville, New York. He enjoys reading, spending time with family, walking, and volunteering. One of his favorite quotes is, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” by Friedrich Nietzsche.

Dr. Donald J. Green has served as president of Gordon State College since May, 2023. Green, who most recently served as president of Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. has 34 years of leadership experience in education, ten of them with the University System of Georgia. Prior to taking the helm at Point Park, he served as president of the University System’s Georgia Highlands College (GHC). The USG’s Board of Regents named Green as the fourth president of GHC in September 2014.

Currently, Green is focused on increasing student retention, graduation and expanding Gordon State’s impact on economic development for the Central Georgia region. His strategies include expanding college access, tutoring, intrusive advising, community partnerships in business and healthcare, and the expansion of Gordon’s curriculum with more career-ready degree programs intended to provide local employers with the talent necessary for growth. He endeavors to be the most accessible president in higher education.

Green holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Michigan State University, a master’s in labor and human resource management from Ohio State University and a doctor of educational leadership degree from Western Michigan University. He and his wife, Cathy, have two sons and a daughter who are all busy with their own careers. The Greens live in Barnesville with their dog, Remi.

Robert William (Will) Crawford III is the first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Director at Follett Higher Education in the company’s 150-year history. With more than two decades of leadership in higher education, he has supported over 250,000 students through academic and campus employment opportunities. As ESG Director, Will led Follett’s first greenhouse gas inventory across 1,100 stores, an industry first, and authored the company’s inaugural ESG mission.

He also helped launch Follett’s 501(c)(3) foundation and serves on the AASHE Advisory Council. Will is pursuing a Master’s in Sustainability at Harvard University and holds a B.A. in Business Sustainability from Arizona State University.

Alicia Levi currently serves as President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s leading children’s literacy organization. Since taking the helm in 2016, Alicia has transformed RIF through a bold and innovative vision—leveraging technology, expanding strategic partnerships, and launching forward-thinking programs to ensure every child has the opportunity to read, learn, and grow.

Under Alicia’s vision and leadership, RIF has increased its digital presence by offering innovative literacy solutions to meet the needs of the children RIF serves, developed a greater depth and breadth of community engagement resources, and managed the growth of program offerings including RIF’s eBook library, Skybrary and as well as an enhanced focus on the importance of race, equity and inclusion within children’s literacy. During Alicia’s tenure, RIF reached the milestone of serving its 100 millionth child. Throughout her career, Alicia has been focused on education and has worked to transform the lives of children through smart strategies to improve academic outcomes.

Sam Whitaker is the Vice President of Social Impact and Strategic Initiatives for StudyFetch, an industry-leading AI learning platform. His work bringing AI education to Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and underserved communities here in the US reflects his belief that AI can be the greatest equalizing force in the history of modern education. StudyFetch, through partnerships with NVIDIA, College Board and others, is working to realize that dream around the world.

Meghan O’Rourke is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness and The Long Goodbye, as well as the poetry collections Sun In Days, Once, and Halflife. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, and more. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Fellowship, and a Whiting Nonfiction Award, she resides in New Haven, where she teaches at Yale University and is the editor of The Yale Review.

Kevin started his career journey over thirty years ago as a temporary cashier with Follett at Irvine Valley College and has held a variety of store operations positions and sales positions with strengths in developing team members, building strategic sales plans and delivering exceptional customer service.

Kevin brings a creative and collaborative solution focused problem-solving approach to building long lasting relationships with our campus partners.  With a long track record is a thought leader in campus service retail, Kevin’s communication and program building skillsets provide our partners with a trusted advisor ready to bring innovation and inspiration to the campus retail operation.

In prior roles with Follett, Kevin was a Marketing Vice President responsible for client relationships with more than 200 higher education accounts in the southeast. As a Regional Manager, he was responsible for the sales and operations for accounts throughout the Southeast. Kevin has also served as a store director positions in two-year, four year, public, private and Ivy League universities. Kevin’s business background also includes serving as a Territory Manager for Gateway Country Stores covering New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.  Kevin not only managed retail stores for Gateway, he led a sales team in the education and small business channels. 

Kevin served as a decorated airman and public affairs/broadcast specialist in the United States Air Force during Operation Desert Storm and completed tours of duty in Turkey and Greece. Kevin was recognized for as Airman of the Year while at Incirlik and also the USAFE Volunteer of the Year while stationed in Crete.

As an artist, Kevin is a writer, actor, director and producer who remains active in the greater Atlanta arts and theater community having served as the President of the Mountain View Arts Alliance and Artistic Director of CenterStage North Theatre.

Kevin has a B.A. in Fine Arts, Theater Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an A.A.S. in Public Affairs from the Community College of the Air Force, and an M.B.A. from Montclair State University in New Jersey. Kevin holds certificates in Professional Sales and Account Management from Kennesaw State University.

Rebecca Kate Silverzweig is the Chief Operating Officer of TinyIvy, the education company behind the patented TIPS® reading system. She leads the expansion of programs that help children learn to read 3–5x faster, building partnerships with schools, families, and correctional facilities nationwide. Through her leadership, TIPS® is becoming a transformative force in literacy—turning reading from a barrier into a bridge to confidence and opportunity.