Board of Directors

Erica Bailey, Books Committee Chair, Ready Readers; Department Manager –Enterprise Holdings EAN Services; Community Volunteer-100 Neediest Cases, Neighborhood Houses-Day of Caring, SPENSA, Dress for Success, Tour De Cure, Dine out for the Cure, Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Harvey Citerman, CPA, Principal, LarsonAllen, LLP; former Principal, Citerman & Tumbarello, P.C.; former Partner, Deloitte & Touche, LLP (and predecessor firm, Touche Ross & Co); Treasurer and Board member, Missouri Coalition for the Environment; former Board member and Treasurer of the following agencies: Jewish Community Centers Association., Life Skills Foundation, and Arts & Education Council; Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Derek Davenport, Head of Intermediate Education at the St. Louis Charter School; former school counselor at the St. Louis Charter School; former counselor and case manager at Therapeutic Interventions in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jennifer Demoff, an Independent Development Consultant currently working with The Magic House; former Acting Director of Annual Giving at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; former Associate Director and Acting Executive Director of Development at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture; member of the Friends Committee of The Magic House; member of the St. Louis Rams’ Women’s Organization; active volunteer at her children’s schools.

Ann Grove Dillon, Secretary, Ready Readers; Community Volunteer; former Chair of the New City School auction, licensed attorney.

Ryan C. Easley, Vice President and Fiduciary Manager for Northern Trust – St. Louis; certified trust and financial advisor; member of the City of St. Peters Parks, Arts and Recreation Advisory Board, Ronald McDonald House, Charities of St. Louis Planned Giving Committee and the Estate Planning Council of St. Louis.

Linda MacCarthy Finerty, Vice President, Ready Readers; Certified Financial Planner; former bank officer; Former Board of Directors, The Magic House ; Members Board of Directors, Missouri Botanical Garden; Board of Directors, AIM High; member, St. Louis Art Museum Friends’ Board; Board of Directors, Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund; former member, Board of Directors, Moneta Foundation; former member, Board of Directors, Junior League; former member, Board of Directors, Elliot Chapel Preschool; Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Elizabeth Kaplan Goldenberg, Treasurer, Chair of Finance Committee, Ready Readers; Certified Public Accountant; Vice President, The St. Louis Trust Company; 15 years experience in tax and financial planning for businesses, investment management and tax planning for individuals, and family office services.

Nahid Hashemi, Ph.D., Chair, Program Committee, Ready Readers; Executive Director of Early Childhood Education, St. Louis Public Schools; former Coordinator for Parents as Teachers Program, St. Louis Public Schools; former National Trainer and State Trainer, Parents as Teachers National Center; author of research project, “Attachment and Its Effect on Violence,” with Dr. Constantino, published 2001 in The Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect; former Instructor of Early Childhood Education at Maryville University and Washington University.

Matthew Leppert, Associate Attorney with Schuchat, Cook & Werner specializing in Employee Benefits; active member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) where he is a member of the Board of Governors and past Co-Chair of the Motion for Kids Committee; recipient of the President’s Outstanding Service Award from BAMSL; Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Paul Lints, Second Vice President, Ready Readers; Vice President, PNC Wealth Management; former Board member, Down Syndrome of St. Louis; former fundraiser, Asthma and Allergy Foundation, former Board member for South County Chamber of Commerce, Bachelor’s Degree from South East Missouri State

Lisa D. McLaughlin, Shareholder, Polsinelli Shugart PC.; Chancellor, Mo. Conference of the United Methodist Church; Trustee, Missouri United Methodist Foundation; Trustee, Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation; Board Member, Boys & Girls Town of Missouri; Chair Planned Giving Cabinet, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation; Board Member, Central Institute for the Deaf; Board Member and Executive Committee Member, Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School; Past Treasurer, American Red Cross, Missouri Area Chapter; Past Board Member, Epworth Children’s & Family Services; Past Board Member, Gifted Resource Council; Past Treasurer, Saint Louis University Library Associates; Past Board Member, St. Louis Planned Giving Council; Past Chair, Gift and Bequest Council, Saint Louis University; Past Member, Planned Giving Advisory Committee, Saint Louis Art Museum; Past President of the Board, Past Capital Campaign Chairman, Campbell House Museum.

Susan Nall, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and Director of Early Childhood Education, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Author, Lecturer, Researcher, and Consultant to numerous early childhood programs with an emphasis in early literacy, program development, and all-day kindergarten; Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Foundation Board of Directors; Metro Theatre Co; Board member, Women of Achievement, Board member; Advisory Committee, Webster University Early Childhood Program; Advisory Committee, University City Children’s Center; Co-founder, National All Day Kindergarten Network; Founder, Pre-K FORUM in Southern Illinois; Founder, the Leadership FORUM; Founder, Early Childhood Symposium; Woman of Achievement, 2002; Outstanding Alumna, Webster University; Love of Children Award, St. Louis Association for the Education of Young Children; Outstanding Service Award Missouri Association for the Education of Young Children.

Suzanne Siteman Phillips, Community Volunteer Essayist; former Assistant Director of Education, Boston Center for Adult Education; former Host Family Program Coordinator, Washington University; Siteman Family Foundation, Distribution Committee; Zoofari; current member, Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund; Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Mary Riew, Parent volunteer, John Burroughs School; former Board member, Forsyth School; former President, Forsyth Family Organization; member, Wellesley College Club of St. Louis; member of the Harvard Club of St. Louis; former member of the Junior League of St. Louis; former banking associate at JP Morgan; former strategic planning analyst for Kaiser Permanente. Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Missy Slay, Chair, Marketing committee, Ready Readers; Principal, Slay Event Management and Consulting (SEMAC), which produced Live on the Levee, NCAAR Men’s and Women’s Final Four tournaments, the Saint Louis Convention and Visitor Commission’s Holiday Magic event and other community festivals, corporate and non-profit events, and intimate fundraisers; St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 under 40″ (2000) and a “St. Louis Influential” (2005); recipient of the Sam Muchnick Sportsman Award from the MS Society.

Julie B. Stern, Adjunct Professor to student teachers at Saint Louis University; Community volunteer, Jewish Federation of St. Louis; JCCA Board Member; Curriculum and Instruction Advisor for Ladue School District; former third grade and gifted education teacher, Parkway School District; former third grade and kindergarten teacher, Chicago Public Schools, John T. McCutcheon School. Ready Readers volunteer reader.

Laura Winter, Independent consultant to non-profit organizations including Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and Fair St. Louis/Celebrate St. Louis…LIVE on the Levee. Former Program Associate, Danforth Foundation; former Vice President of Communications and Executive Editor, St. Louis Commerce Magazine, for the St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association (RCGA). Advisory Board Member, Urban Studio Cafe; Member of the Daughters of Charity Foundation Program Committee; Member, Greater St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone Community Council; Ready Readers volunteer reader.

M. Lynn Yearwood, President, Ready Readers; Independent consultant to business and non-profit management; former COO and VP of Information Technology, Healthlink; former VP Operations, General American Life Insurance Company/Great West Assurance Company; former English/Speech/Drama high school teacher and school administrator; former adjunct community college faculty; Board member, Saint Louis Charter School; Lead Volunteer with Social Ventures Partners, United Way allocations committee, Springboard for Learning/Young Audiences of St. Louis and BoardLink.