About

Kayla Aldrich, Data and Survey Coordinator

Kayla is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University working towards an English and art history degree. She is in charge of contacting educators with pre and post event surveys, as well as organizing this data to ensure Read to Them can increase efficacy. Kayla is working on her first novel in her free time.

Sally Baynard, Florida Regional Rep

Sally is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida, where in 2016, she retired from teaching after 39 years. She has a Bachelors’ degree in Exceptional Education and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She was also a National Board Certified Teacher. For the past 30 years she taught gifted students in grades K-6. For over 10 years she taught the endorsement classes for gifted certification in the state of Florida. During her teaching career Sally developed and presented many workshops, clinics, and conference presentations. Sally is interested in creating and adapting curriculum, marine conservation, creative problem solving, fossil collecting, music, working with kids, hiking, and READING! She is super excited to be part of the Read to Them family.

Deanna Brown, Program Coordinator

Deanna earned her B.A. in Psychology from Hawaii Pacific University. She is a lifelong volunteer with non-profit and also military organizations. Deanna has been a Girl Scout Troop Leader for over 6 years and loves teaching girls as well as learning from them. Deanna shares her passion for reading with her daughter and is excited to bring the love of family reading to schools and communities across the country. She lives in Hanover, VA with her husband and daughter in addition to her own personal mini animal farm.

Bruce Coffey, Acting Executive Director

Bruce Coffey has an M.A. in Colonial American History and has taught history in middle and high school. After aggressively reading to his own children and sharing and discussing anecdotes and tips and insights with other parents and educators, he developed the One School, One Book program, whose growth he has spearheaded and supervised. He has developed a wealth of reading aloud resources and materials for parents, teachers, and schools. He has shared his insights on reading aloud via his well-received workshops and blog for the last twenty years.

Mary Curcio, New York Regional Rep

Mary Curcio is a graduate of Jefferson Community College. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in Mathematics from SUNY Oswego, a Masters in Math Education from Syracuse University and a CAS degree from SUNY Cortland. Mary taught high school mathematics at Westhill High School was a principal for seven years at Harrisville Central and recently retired as the Superintendent of the McGraw Central School District. Mary has also been an adjunct instructor for area colleges and currently teaches math for Elementary Education Majors at Cayuga Community College.

Currently Mary is working closely with the Read To Them Program to increase literacy skills in children, and increase parent engagement with schools and the community. Her desire is to develop a New York Reads Partnership with the One District One Book Program. Mary is currently a member of the Literacy Coalition of Oswego County where their mission is to develop literacy communities that are foundational to diminishing poverty.

Anne Curry, Program Coordinator

Anne taught Pre-K in and out of the public school system for over 15 years and knows how important family involvement is in a child’s academic success. As a Read to Them Program Coordinator, she is excited to help schools find an effective parent involvement tool. Anne demonstrated her love of reading at an early age by reading the entire Nancy Drew series before fifth grade. She lives in Richmond with her husband and has 2 daughters, a dog, and a very odd cat.

Chris Dudley, Lead Program Coordinator

Chris Dudley has over a decade of experience in the field of youth development serving elementary, middle and high school youth with extracurricular programming. At Read to Them, he facilitates delivery of programs and services to partner schools across the country.

Ashley Gates, Business and Finance Manager

Ashley Gates comes to Read to Them with more than fifteen years of local business financing experience supporting businesses that hold a meaningful purpose to her. Ashley received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brigham Young University. She enjoys watching the love of reading grow, especially in each of her five children. At Read to Them, Ashley is in charge of finances and accounts.

Emily Gerber, Advertising, Design, and Content Specialist

Emily is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with degrees in Creative Advertising and English. At Read to Them, she handles website content, document and graphic design, and produces creative content for book packets. She is thrilled to be working at a place that loves the magic of a good story as much as she does.

Chloe Grant, Program Assistant

Chloe is a third-year student at Virginia Commonwealth University studying to be a high school English teacher. She enjoys creating lessons for One Richmond, One Book. Chloe loves to bake vegan treats and her favorite book

Jakob Hirsch, Design Consultant

Jakob is a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Creative and Strategic Advertising. At Read to Them he assists in designing posters, videos, and other event graphics.

TaLees Owens, Program Coordinator - One Richmond, One Book

TaLees studied English at Virginia Commonwealth University and has worked with Read to Them since January of 2017. She hopes to gain her Masters in Public Administration, and enjoys working in a nonprofit setting that focuses on education and reading.

Cathy Plageman, Director of Development

A former Fairfax County, VA first grade classroom teacher, Cathy earned her B.A. in Economics from Duke University, her M.Ed. from Marymount University (Arlington), and is Reading Recovery and Orton-Gillingham trained. She has also been a classroom teacher with “Young Scientists” providing elementary school science lessons. She works with schools and districts assisting in the implementation of Read to Them programs, and after completion of two certificates at the University of Richmond Institute on Philanthropy, now spends much of her time fundraising. She lives in her native Richmond with her husband, cat, and 5 daughters who come and go, much like the cat. In her spare time, Cathy enjoys reading, tennis, Bikram yoga, travel, and beekeeping.

Mary Jo Warwick, Michigan Regional Rep

Mary Jo has spent her entire career in education. She is passionate about creating successful literacy opportunities for both adults and children. She holds a B.S. and M.A. in Communication and taught at the college level for many years. She spent 15 years in elementary libraries, sharing her love of books with students and staff, and created several dynamic reading programs. As a Parent and Community Engagement Specialist, Mary Jo created partnerships to expand students’ experiences.