Leadership Team
Pam Allyn
Executive Director & Chief Storyteller
Pam is widely known as a motivational speaker advocating for reading and writing as human rights that belong to all people. Her personal quest to bring literacy to every child stems from a deeper desire to bring dignity to every child, and to empower children to read and write powerfully, effectively and with passion in ways that will change their worlds and the worlds of others. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah Radio, The Huffington Post and in The New York Times.
Pam is the Executive Director and founder of LitWorld, and is also the Executive Director and founder of LitLife, a national organization dedicated to school improvement. She is the author of the acclaimed and award-winning "What To Read When: The Books and Stories To Read With Your Child-And All The Best Times To Read Them" (Penguin Avery) and the Complete Year Series (Scholastic), among other titles. Her most recent books are "Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys: How To Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives" (Scholastic), "Your Child’s Writing Life" (Penguin Avery), and "Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving the Common Core State Standards" (Pearson).
Pam is the Global Ambassador for Scholastic's Read Every Day, Lead a Better Life Campaign, she is on the English Language Arts Scope and Sequence Advisory Group for the New York City Department of Education, and the Advisory Boards of the Dream Charter School in Harlem, the Amherst College Center for Community Engagement, James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead, Penguin Publishing’s We Give Books and the Millennium Cities Initiative Social Sector.
Emefa Ansah
Accra & Volta Regional Coordinator
Emefa has been working with LitWorld since she began leading a Girls LitClub in Accra, Ghana in 2011. She is now leading and managing a network of LitClubs in Accra and Volta while running the non-profit organization Ceinode Ghana, where she is the Founder & Executive Director. Emefa is also currently pursuing a Masters degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Ghana. She holds a Bachelors degree in Operations and Project Management, a Diploma in Adult Education, and a Teachers Certificate ‘A’ diploma. Emefa's specific interests include gender and literacy promotion, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS education. She has facilitated numerous workshops and trainings including presenting on Development Cooperation during "De Afrikadag" (Africa Day) in The Netherlands, and on the Global Teenager project at the John Kooji Fellowship Networking Event in Ghana. Emefa won the UNESCO KING HAMMAD BIN ISA-AL KHALIFA ICT Award for the Global Teenager Project Ghana in 2008 under the ministry of Education, Ghana. She has also worked as a research assistant with Noghuchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research and the Institute for Statistical Social and Economic Research, and is member of networks including the Ghana National Coalition for Education and the Network of Literacy Promoters. Emefa draws her motivation from working with young girls and seeing their lives improve. She is married with two children.
Madison Graboyes
Global Community Builder
Madison first joined the LitWorld team as an intern in the spring of 2010 while a student at New York University. Passionate about ensuring that all young women have the opportunity to speak their minds, Madison launched Girls LitClubs in both New York City and Accra, Ghana, before joining the team full-time in the summer of 2011. She currently focuses on the expansion of LitClubs nationally and internationally and growing the LitCamp program. Madison grew up in Philadelphia, PA, and when not in New York City, can be found enjoying her five dogs, Philadelphia sports, and adventures through New England.
Leah Joseph
Community & Gratitude Cultivator
Leah Joseph joined the LitWorld team as an intern and Girls LitClub facilitator in the spring of 2011. She traveled to Israel as a LitWorld Ambassador for the 2011-2012 academic year, where she established coexistence LitClubs, bringing Jewish and Arab students together. She is currently focusing on bringing our inspiring LitClub curriculum to communities around the United States and all around the globe. Leah is also a passionate yoga teacher, dedicated to infusing her teaching with breath, mindfulness, and joy.
Megan Karges
Social Media & Development Coordinator
Megan joined the LitWorld team as an intern in the fall of 2011 while studying International Development at Humber College. She grew up in Ontario, Canada, and before joining the LitWorld team she worked primarily with numbers, making use of an undergraduate degree in Math. She was drawn to LitWorld because of the value placed on the power of story to create human connection and to equalize opportunities for all people, everywhere. She is currently focusing on LitWorld’s social media and development strategy. Every now and then she still enjoys solving for x.
William Krupman
Chief Advisor
William Krupman holds a BA from Amherst College, an LL.B from the University of Michigan School of Law, and an LL.M. in Labor Law from New York University Law School. He works with the LitWorld team to cultivate networks of support for the work and also leads our thinking in strategic vision and goal setting. He is also the Strategic Planning Advisor and Relationship Builder for LitLife, a professional development organization. Bill served as Chairman of the Board for The Children's Village, one of LitWorld's core partners, and for many years was managing partner for the national employment law firm Jackson Lewis.
Dorothy Lee
Creative Director
Dorothy joined the LitWorld team in 2009 with a focus on web, video, and graphic design exploration and communications. Dorothy now manages strategic partnerships and oversees LitWorld's general operations. She first worked with Pam Allyn in her Books for Boys program at Children's Village during the summer of 2004 while she was a student at Amherst College. Dorothy grew up working behind the scenes with her parents at their Mettawee River Theatre Company in New York City and upstate New York, and she maintains an eclectic array of skills.
Lindsey Manwell
Illuminator
Lindsey teamed up with LitWorld right after graduating from art school, in 2009. Since then she has joyfully created artwork for LitWorld's changing needs year-round. Lindsey deeply believes in LitWorld's philosophy that 'Words Change Worlds,' and her hope is to use her artistry to change worlds, however small those changes or worlds might be. She is represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary. You can also find her pictures for sale online at Serena and Lily. Lindsey is from a small town in California called Marysville, but these days she lives beside the sea in San Francisco. If you like her work please visit her at lindseymanwell.com.
Rose Mureka
Bungoma Regional Coordinator
Rose began working with LitWorld in 2008 as a participant in literacy workshops with the Children of Kibera Foundation in Kibera, Kenya. Rose led the first Girls LitClub in Kibera and has since moved to Bungoma Province in western Kenya where she is leading and managing a network of Girls LitClubs while working as a teacher at Lubunda R.C Primary School as a member of the Teachers Service Commission. Rose is also currently pursuing a degree course in Early Childhood and Primary Education at Moi University, Kenya. Rose is the ninth born in a family of twelve children and she grew up in a society where corporal punishment was a major correctional method and a silent disease at home and in school. Her desire to bring change in learning institutions brought her to Meru Teachers' College, Kenya Institute of Education, and Red Rose School and the Children of Kibera Foundation. At Red Rose School, Rose transcended her role as a teacher and became a guardian and a counselor. Her greatest pleasure is in offering and sharing her experience and her wisdom with her students.
Prisca Mutemi
Kibera Regional Coordinator
Prisca has been with the LitWorld team since she first arrived at Children of Kibera Foundation in 2011 and fell in love with the LitClub program. In her role as Regional Coordinator, Prisca oversees the Kibera Innovation Hub network of programs, including 6 clubs at the LitWorld Hub, the Ugandan Community Libraries LitClub Network, and independent LitClubs throughout Nairobi. She also oversees LitWorld's community library in Kibera and mentors her own girls LitClub members on their path to success. Prisca is also the Programs Officer at the Children of Kibera Foundation. Prisca's all time favorite story is Matilda by Roald Dahl, and her dream for the future is to continue a travel and to be a role model for the girls she works with.
Japeth "Jeff" Okoth
Kibera Regional Coordinator
Jeff facilitates LitWorld's Boys LitClubs in Kibera, coordinates the Kibera Moms LitClub, conducts trainings for local organizations, obtains and maintaining supplies for the Hub center, and oversees all LitWorld programming in the Kibera Innovation Hub region. Jeff is also the Projects Coordinator and Manager of Children of Kibera Foundation. At CoKF Jeff is responsible for receiving and hosting guests, training and supervising interns and short-term volunteers, developing relationships with partner organizations and schools, facilitating the selection and mentorship of CoKF scholars, and manages social media communications. Having grown up in Kibera, Jeff is very involved with the community, its schools, and the future leaders that he so thoughtfully mentors and pushes to greatness. Jeff has recently been recognized in Teach Magazine for his exceptional work as a notable face in Kibera, and is currently receiving his degree in Project Management at the Kenya Institute of Management.
Pascale Solages
Port au Prince Regional Coordinator
Pascale began working with LitWorld in January 2013. She manages the Port au Prince Innovation Hub programming and supplies, and oversees the network of LitClubs in the region. Pascale is also the Project Coordinator for the TOYA Foundation, where she has been a member since 2007. Pascale is the TOYA representative in the Haitian Coalition for Women and AIDS and the sector of women in the Multisectoral Coordinating Committee of the Global Fund in Haiti. She graduated in Finance from the University Quisqueya and studied gender and development in Belgium. Pascale has a degree in journalism and worked in television and radio for 6 years in Haiti. Pascale leads workshops and trainings on a range of topics related to gender including gender-based violence, women's rights, and gender and communication. She worked for a year as a communications officer at the Haitian Red Cross and has a company specializing in videography, photography, graphics and organizations social and cultural events.
Brooke Stone
Fire Starter
Brooke began working with LitWorld in 2010 to coordinate the annual Gala. Since then Brooke's role has expanded to encompass planning the full calendar of LitWorld advocacy events and managing strategic outreach to the larger community. Brooke is also the President of Brooke Stone Lifestyle Management, had a former career in New York theater, and will forever be curious about just about everything.
Yaya Yuan
Innovation Developer
Yaya joined the LitWorld team in 2011 to help develop and expand LitClub programming to impact more youth domestically and abroad. She grew up in Walla Walla, Washington and graduated from Grinnell College. Before joining the LitWorld team Yaya spent three years teaching and piloting service learning programs in Shanghai, China. When she is not working with the LitClubs, Yaya is spending time sampling the wonderful food and culture of New York City.