Our Team
Our leadership and staff
Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF’s) leadership, staff, and boards work together to inspire the joy of reading in children to put them on a path towards reading proficiency: an unassailable foundation for opportunity. Together, we amplify our impact on the literacy crisis, tackle equity gaps—and create generations of lifelong readers.
Our Board of Directors
RIF’s Board of Directors steers the organization toward a sustainable future, as the governing board that guides organizational, financial, and strategic policy.
Our Advisory Boards
Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board provides strategic guidance on RIF’s work to ensure our programs and content offerings are diverse and inclusive and lend their subject matter expertise to the books and reading resources we offer to support students, educators, and families.
Middle School Family Literacy Initiative
Our Middle School Family Literacy Initiative (MSFLI) Advisory Board provides insights and guidance for RIF’s Books for Ownership program to middle schools in priority communities to drive family reading engagement and address drops in reading scores due to the pandemic.
Early Childhood Education
Our Early Childhood Education (ECE) Advisory Board supports the development of the curriculum, professional development, family engagement, and research components of RIF’s Read for Success Early Childhood program.
A legacy of impact and inclusion
Creating RIF Kids since 1966
RIF was founded by former teacher Margaret McNamara, who discovered, much to her dismay, that the children she was tutoring didn't own books. When she brought in books and let the kids choose which ones they could bring home, she witnessed firsthand how the joy of reading drove reading choice, access, and engagement—which are fundamental to a child’s literacy journey. Inspiring that joy to develop skilled readers still underpins RIF’s programs and strategies to this day.
Our commitment
For over 55 years, RIF has been dedicated to children’s literacy as the foundation for opportunity. We believe that when a child can read, they have the foundation to learn and grow. RIF is committed to ensuring every child has access to the opportunities reading provides and supporting them every step of the way on their literacy journey.
Join forces to address the literacy crisis
Get in touch if you’d like to learn how you or your organization can help RIF’s team tackle the alarming U.S. literacy crisis.