Judy Newman, Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. and President of Scholastic Book Clubs & E-Commerce, oversees a $500 million business consisting of Scholastic Book Clubs, the Company's unique school-based distribution channel. Newman joined Scholastic in 1994 as Vice President of Marketing for the Book Group. She was previously at Bantam Doubleday Dell as Vice President and Director of the Trumpet Book Club. She also served as Publicity Director at Dell/Delacorte Publishing Company. Newman received her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College and an M.B.A. from New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. She attended the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course.

Earl Martin Phalen became the Chief Executive Officer of Reach Out and Read in September 2009. In this role, Phalen leads the Reach Out and Read organization, providing vision and direction for its early literacy promotion efforts nationwide. Previously, he was the CEO of Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) a national nonprofit organization he cofounded in 1992. He is a recipient of a Mind Trust Fellowship and is also the Founder and Chair of Summer Advantage USA, which combats summer learning loss. Phalen served on the education policy group for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and as co-chair of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's education task force. President Bill Clinton named him as a recipient of the President's Service Award in 1997.

Phalen received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. Having witnessed the transformative power of education and family involvement, he has dedicated the past 20 years to expanding the life opportunities of children through learning and academic engagement. Phalen's work and expertise have been recognized by MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News, Time Magazine, and BET. A contributor to The Huffington Post, Phalen is the proud uncle to 33 nieces and nephews.

Perri Klass, M.D., is Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics at New York University. She attended Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital, Boston, and her fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Boston City Hospital. She has received numerous awards for her work as a pediatrician and educator; including the 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics Education Award, which recognizes her educational contributions which have had a broad and positive impact on the health and well-being of children.

Dr. Klass is the National Medical Director of Reach Out and Read. She ran the National Center from its inception through 2006, during which time the program grew from a single Site to a national program with thousands of Sites serving millions of children. Through her work at the Reach Out and Read National Center she has trained thousands of medical providers in the Reach Out and Read strategies of early literacy promotion. She has spoken extensively on behalf of Reach Out and Read, including participating in panels at the White House Conference on Global Literacy in September 2006, and at the UNESCO Literacy Conferences in Qatar and Mali in 2007, in addition to presentations at many hospitals and academic medical centers across the United States.

Dr. Klass has written extensively about medicine, children, literacy, and knitting. Her nonfiction includes Every Mother is a Daughter: the Neverending Quest for Success, Inner Peace, and a Really Clean Kitchen, which she coauthored with her mother, and Quirky Kids: Understanding and Helping Your Child Who Doesn't Fit In, which she coauthored with Eileen Costello, M.D. She is also the author of two books about medical training, A Not Entirely Benign Procedure: Four Years as a Medical Student, and Baby Doctor: A Pediatrician's Training. Her most recent books are Treatment Kind and Fair: Letters to a Young Doctor, and The Mercy Rule, a novel, which appeared in 2008.

Through her work with Reach Out and Read, Dr. Klass has been able to integrate her commitment to the health care of young children with her love of books, stories, and the written word. In an essay on the program, she wrote, "When I think about children growing up in homes without books, I have the same visceral reaction as I have when I think of children in homes without milk or food or heat: It cannot be, it must not be. It stunts them and deprives them before they've had a fair chance."

Eric Belford joined the Reach Out and Read National Center in 2004 as our Director of Information Technology. His responsibilities include managing all site related data, sustainability funding, reporting, and the Reach Out and Read intranet system. Belford has held various positions over the past 10 years, including web development and database administration. Belford obtained a Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems from Winona State University in 1999 and is currently pursuing an MBA in Nonprofit Management at Suffolk University in Boston.

Ellen Berlin is responsible for Reach Out and Read's financial management. Joining Reach Out and Read in 2001, Berlin Directs the current and long-term effectiveness of overall financial plans and accounting practices of Reach Out and Read. She manages the organization's budgeting, contracting, auditing, cash flow management, office administration, and management reporting activities. Berlin has more than 20 years of financial experience in the for-profit and not-for-profit arenas and most recently served as the Director of Operational Accounting (previously Director of Finance and Operations) for Combined Jewish Philanthropies where she provided leadership and oversight to accounting, financial reporting, stewardship, & information and compliance functions for the $72 million budget. Previously Berlin was the Controller at Faneuil Hall Marketplace for the Rouse Company. A certified public accountant, Berlin holds a Bachelor's of Business Administration from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Rebecca Cohen joined Reach Out and Read's Development Department in February 2010, and became Deputy Director of Development in August 2011. In this capacity, she provides leadership and direction to the department in determining and fulfilling fundraising goals, and establishes and manages key relationships with foundations and corporations, thereby helping to ensure that the organization has the resources necessary to serve children most in need. Prior to joining Reach Out and Read, Cohen practiced law in New York, prosecuting a variety of matters on behalf of plaintiffs, including employment discrimination, antitrust, and securities fraud. She is a graduate of Brown University and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Barb Ducharme joined Reach Out and Read in 2003, as liaison to Reach Out and Read Coalitions around the U.S. and to develop additional program quality assessment tools. Later she became the Director of National Programs, responsible for overseeing program startup, sustainability and support, and Reach Out and Read provider training programs. Currently, Ducharme oversees all training and program quality initiatives for Reach Out and Read and supports several Coalitions across the country. Prior to Reach Out and Read, Ducharme held leadership roles in a variety of organizations that monitored health care quality and provided continuing professional education for health care professionals in the US. Ducharme holds a masters degree in business administration from Simmons College and a Master of Education degree from Harvard University.

Anne-Marie Fitzgerald, Senior Director of National and State Programs, provides primary leadership for ensuring the success of Reach Out and Read's 4,600+ Programs in all 50 states and more than 30 regional, state, and local Coalitions. She also oversees all Government Affairs activities on both the federal and state levels. Fitzgerald works with legislators throughout the country to ensure that Reach Out and Read is supported. She is involved in the development of all Reach Out and Read initiatives. Fitzgerald has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 15 years in both fundraising and programmatic capacities. She has been an administrator for a number of progressive organizations working in human services, the arts, and politics. Fitzgerald attended Wheaton College and is a graduate of Bridgewater State College and has done a variety of post-graduate course work. She also participates as a board and committee member for several nonprofit organizations.

Brian Gallagher joined Reach Out and Read in 2007 as the Manager of National Expansion and later became the Director of National Expansion. In his current role, Brian oversees efforts to increase the number of children and the number of pediatric healthcare providers who participate in Reach Out and Read across the country. In collaboration with Reach Out and Read partners nationwide, Brian develops the foundation for statewide and regional Coalitions and initiatives. Gallagher has previously worked as a Program Manager for the Boston Private Industry Council, a workforce development organization. Gallagher holds a M.P.A. from Suffolk University and B.A. from Hamilton College.