Kids Need to Read Board of Directors
Reading is about both solitude and connection. I read a book alone, but emerge from the story feeling closer to everyone in the world.—Shannon Hale, Book of a Thousand Days
Tyson Breinholt
Chair
For Tyson Breinholt, service is not something he gives, it's who he is. As a fifth generation Arizona native, he comes from a long line of pioneers who gave much of their lives to build this great state. Tyson continues that legacy of service. Outside the office, he can be found organizing and fundraising for political campaigns; volunteering his time in the Arizona Soccer Club and Southbank Club as a soccer volunteer and coach; supporting organizations like One Life at a Time, which provides free career services, including career coaching, resume writing, computer skills, etc. for unemployed and underemployed individuals; participating in commercial and residential association meetings and activities; and teaching young boys how to become great men through Boy Scouts of America.
As a principal at J&J Commercial Properties, Inc., Tyson, with his energetic leadership and commitment to excellence, has been the driving force behind the highly successful Office Division. His dedication to his work has earned him recognition by CoStar as a Power Broker every year for the past six years and he has consistently been one of the top five producing agents for the last 12 years within Commercial Properties Incorporated. In recognition of the great leadership at CPI, they were named as one of Phoenix Business Journal's 2011 Best Places to Work. Commercial Properties Incorporated is the only local member of CORFAC International, providing clients with global reach and exposure. CPI is the 4th largest brokerage and is the largest locally owned brokerage in the State of Arizona. Last year CPI executed over 1,440 sales and lease transactions, more than double the next commercial real estate firm. With over 50 agents specializing in Office, Industrial, Retail, Multi Family, Land and Investment properties, CPI currently represents 55.5 million square feet for sale or lease, and manages over 100 projects approaching 4.5 million square feet in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area.
Jessica Payne
Executive Director
Executive Director Jessica Payne has held many roles at Kids Need to Read. She volunteered for two years before serving on the organization's board of directors. After three years of board service, she resigned to join the staff as Kids Need to Read's Operations Director in 2019. It was Payne's desire to contribute to the cause on a full-time basis.
Literacy and literature are Payne's deepest passions. She graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2004 with a degree in Secondary English Education and an extended major in English. She is a voracious reader who has always promoted reading for pleasure as a vital part of every student's day. Additionally, Payne believes in the power of community service. As a teacher, she designed and encouraged many service-learning projects for students, many of which benefited Kids Need to Read. That tradition continues to this day, as Payne encourages students to volunteer for the organization with their parents.
Bruce Matsunaga, Ph.D.
Secretary
Dr. Bruce Matsunaga earned a Ph.D. in English Literature and is the Director of Digital Technology for Arizona State University's Department of English. His primary research areas are Digital Humanities and English Romanticism while his secondary research areas are Digital Pedagogies and Environmental Humanities. In the Department of English, Bruce manages their computational operations and websites, produces multimedia, manages social media, and provides one-on-one and group training for faculty, staff, and graduate students. His academic publications include the book Engaged Romanticism: Romanticism as Praxis (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008) as a co-editor and article author; he was the technical editor of Connections (European Studies Annual Review, 2008); and he authored a review of “Buried Communities: Wordsworth and the Bonds of Mourning,” by Kurt Fosso (ANQ, 2005). His technical publications include a variety of help articles on computing tools and concepts. As a multimedia co-producer, he received a CINE Golden Eagle Award for the video, “English: Start Here, Go Anywhere.”
Bruce has a history of service; at Arizona State University he serves on the Institute for Humanities Research Nexus Lab Advisory Board, the Digital Humanities Working Group, and the Technical Advisory Group. He was a founding member of the trap/neuter/return group on the Arizona State University campus called Mildcats at ASU and manages their website, Petfinders account, and PayPal account. Off campus, Bruce has been volunteering with Kids Need to Read as a photographer since 2009. He lives in Ahwatukee, Arizona with his wife Priscilla and their five cats, Spot the salamander, and fishes.
Heather Miller
Treasurer
Heather Miller has been a strong advocate for literacy since 2004 when becoming involved in the literacy efforts of her sorority alumnae club. Heather received her Bachelor's of Accountancy in 1995 from New Mexico State University and has held finance positions in public accounting, as well as internal control. After the birth of her second son in 2007, she entered the world of stay at home mom. Through this opportunity, Heather has found her true calling in volunteering with multiple organizations, including the Phoenix Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi, Pi Beta Phi Foundation, UMOM Women's Auxiliary and the Brophy Mothers' Guild. In each of these roles, she has found an outlet to promote literacy, including a month-long reading program at a local underserved elementary school, assisting in the UMOM book room and Co-Chair of a 20,000 book giveaway event. Through her involvement with the Phoenix Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi, Heather helped forge the partnership between Pi Beta Phi and Kids Need to Read.
Joe Boudrie
Director
Joe discovered his love of books and comics as a kid and has been able bring many exciting characters to life cosplaying as Marvel and DC superheroes (and occasionally super-villains). There's nothing quite like the joy and wonder in a young person's eyes when they get to meet their favorite heroes in person—except maybe for the joy of lighting that flame with the gift of literacy.
Joe thrives on creativity and service and is thrilled to bring those passions, along with twenty years of experience in non-profit and event planning, to Kids Need to Read. Joe helped grow Phoenix Comicon from a small local comic book convention with less than 500 attendees into Phoenix Fan Fusion, the largest pop-culture event in Arizona. As Director of Programming for those events and others, he helps to create memories and fuel the imagination of tens of thousands of fans.
Joe is father to two amazing kids. Clark, a recent ASU graduate and Dean's Medalist, now teaches English in Japan. His daughter, Gemini, is enrolled at ASU's Barrett Honors College studying Finance and Sustainability.
F. Diane Elhard
Director
Diane Elhard uses her twenty-three years of experience as the owner and office manager of Howard's Brake and Front End Service to help oversee the management of Kids Need to Read. She is the mother of two grown daughters who still love to read and one new grandson.
Tiffany Ellington
Director
Tiffany Ellington grew up on a farm in Indiana and learned from an early age the importance of giving back to her community through 4-H and other endeavors. After moving to Arizona in high school she soon found ways to get involved with the community. In 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Audiences from Arizona State University, and was honored to graduate as Summa Cum Laude. After graduating she began work at Small Giants as a Content Coordinator. Ellington loves the world of marketing and public relations and wants to use those skills to benefit Kids Need to Read and the reach the organization has in Arizona and across the country.
As an active participant in the Miss America Organization, Ellington has found many opportunities to share the mission of Kids Need to Read. What draws her most to the organization is the drive to encourage the love of literacy in youth, a passion she shares.
Denise Gary
Director
During her service as founding chairman (2008–2009), Denise Gary organized the fledgling Kids Need to Read project into a nonprofit foundation following thirty years of office management and customer service experience. She served as the organization's first executive director, overseeing daily operations, program development and fundraising for thirteen years. Gary was awarded the Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative in 2012 for her work in the founding and development of Kids Need to Read. She is the author of a children's picture book, The Little Flame, the proceeds of which benefit Kids Need to Read. Gary continues to serve the organization's board in an advisory capacity, in addition to writing grants and editing for Kids Need to Read on a part-time basis. She believes wholeheartedly in the need to help children and adolescents learn the power and joy reading can bring to their lives.
Gary Mlodzik
Director
Gary has been a top producer in various sales departments in the Phoenix area for over 25 years and is currently employed as a collections specialist for Cox Communications. Fundraising and grant writing to benefit several schools in the Peoria Arizona Unified School District has been a passion for Gary. He has enjoyed volunteering with the Sunrise Mountain High School band for 6 years in various capacities. Recently, Gary has dedicated his volunteer time to Cox Charities and Kids Need to Read, and is looking forward to a long relationship with both organizations.
A Wisconsin native looking to start a life of independence in 1982, Gary followed a rainbow to Tucson, Arizona where he found his pot of gold, Tina. They have been married since 1984 and have shared many adventures. Gary's proudest accomplishment with Tina has been raising two confident and independent daughters: Kayla graduated from the University of Arizona in 2013 and lives in Denver; Kody is a 2014 graduate of Arizona State University and currently lives in Phoenix. Hobbies for Gary include spending time with his family and friends, hiking, photography, traveling, reading, tennis, and tinkering with and admiring classic cars.
Tina Mlodzik
Director
Tina Mlodzik has been involved in the development of school children since 1998. She has been a pre-school teacher and Instructional aide for the learning disabled. Her love of reading and love of children go hand in hand. Tina served thirteen years as a library assistant and is now an elementary school librarian. As an assistant, she read more than half of all the books in the school library regardless of grade level. Tina used this knowledge of the library's book catalog to inspire children with book recommendations that would spark an interest in reading. She routinely reads over 70 books per year to stay current on young adult and children's literature.
Tina is proud to be an Arizona native. In 1984 in Tucson, Arizona, she married her soul mate, Gary. Tina is most proud of her title of Mom to her adventurous daughters Kayla and Kody. A lifelong lover of fur babies, Tina is also proud to be Grandma to grandpups Evie, Maggie and Gepetto, and Jake the grandcat.
Tina has dedicated her adult life to aiding and teaching disadvantaged children. This tradition continues through her service to Kids Need to Read. Tina incorporates her love of travel and serving children into her tireless efforts with the Grow Your Library program for Kids Need to Read.
Kim OBrien
Director
Kim OBrien knows the importance of providing resources to promote literacy—namely books. Kim completed her bachelors of Science in Education at University of Miami and her Masters in Education at St. Francis College. She taught grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 for fourteen years in Gwinnett County Georgia, as well as wrote Language Arts, Social Studies and Science curriculum while instructing staff development courses. After moving to Phoenix, she has primarily been a volunteer for many organizations—primarily Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for women. Pi Beta Phi's philanthropy is deeply ingrained in the promotion of literacy. Kim continues to volunteer for the Phoenix Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi and has served for the past twelve years on its executive board in various positions. She has also served as an international officer for Pi Beta Phi Foundation.
Kids Need to Read Advisory Council
Margaret Bostrom
Margaret Bostrom holds a BA in English from Scripps College, and will begin pursuing a Phd in English Literature in the fall of 2011. At the moment she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she works as a writer and editor for a women's travel magazine, and volunteers as a writing tutor. Initially homeschooled, Margaret learned to read at a very young age and has been in love with books ever since. She believes in the importance of reading to our ability to imagine, communicate, and create. For that reason, Margaret is a benefactor to Kids Need to Read through the Amy B. Morrill Charitable Lead Annuity Trust.
Faith Hochhalter
Faith Hochhalter has been a Children's Book Specialist for over 15 years and has overseen the Kids Need to Read recommended reading list since its creation in 2008. She currently works at an independent bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. In her spare time, Faith provides freelance content editing in an effort to help bring new, amazing authors to the book industry.
Tom Leveen
Tom Leveen is the author of seven novels with imprints of Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harry Abrams. His titles include Party, manicpixiedreamgirl, Sick, Random, Shackled, and a story in the anthology Violent Ends. His novel Zero was voted a 2013 Best Book by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). His eighth novel will be released in Fal 2017. Additionally, Tom has more than twenty years of theatre experience as an actor and director, and has been the Artistic Director of two companies, spanning 1995 to 2010. A frequent guest speaker and teacher, Tom has been on the faculty of Arizona State University's Your Novel Year certificate program for two years, and continues to do school and library visits in the U.S. and Europe (meaning, Germany. So far.) Follow him on Facebook at /AuthorTomLeveen, Twitter @tomleveen, and his website www.tomleveen.com.
Jackie Morris
Jackie Morris is an illustrator and author living in Wales in the UK. She has two children, Tom and Hannah, and read to both even before they were born. She has a passion for stories and books, despite having been a very late starter when it came to reading. Her work is informed by or a response to the natural world, and a love of animals and birds and all things wild. Jackie's books, which include The Ice Bear, Tell Me a Dragon, and The Snow Leopard, have been published in many languages around the world. Her personal blog is a celebration of the beauty found in art, writing, and nature.
James A. Owen
James A. Owen has written and illustrated five books in The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series: Here, There Be Dragons, The Search For The Red Dragon; The Indigo King; The Shadow Dragons, and The Dragon's Apprentice. The series is now being published in more than twenty languages. A sixth volume, The Dragons of Winter, is forthcoming. He is founder and executive director of Coppervale International, an art and design studio that also published the periodicals International Studio and Argosy, develops television and film projects, and is redesigning an entire town, among other ventures. James has written and illustrated two dozen Starchild comics, the Mythworld series of novels (published in Germany and France), and more. The Wonder Cabinet is his personal blog, often featuring amusing anecdotes on life's ups and downs. He lives in Arizona with his family.
Janette Rallison
Janette Rallison (who is also sometimes CJ Hill when the mood strikes her) is the award winning author of twelve young adult novels which have sold over a million copies. Her books have also been on the IRA Young Adults' Choices lists, Popular Picks, and many state reading lists. Most of her books are romantic comedies because hey, there is enough angst in real life, but there's a drastic shortage of both humor and romance. In her blog, Janette discusses the funny side of being a YA author. She lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids, and enough cats to classify her as eccentric.
Steven Riley
Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Jim Henson, and Walt Disney were all Steven Riley's childhood heroes, and are to this day. Reaching kids through imagination and entertainment while teaching them real life lessons is something he experienced through these men in his childhood, and something he continues in the lives of children touched by his books and programs. Steven is the author and illustrator of the Little Ty Cooney National Wonders series of children's books. He has traveled the country for many years inspiring children everywhere with his highly entertaining and secretly educational programs. In his video blog, Steven teaches children how to draw animals and the natural world. He lives just outside Yosemite National Park with his wife, Julie and their two daughters, Peyton and Savannah.
Dr. Marlinda White-Kaulaity
Dr. Marlinda White-Kaulaity is a long-time educator having worked as a high school English teacher for 24 years, and thereafter, having taught composition courses at the community college level and also at Arizona State University. Her doctorate degree is in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in English Education. She has taught Native American Literature courses for both high school and college students, as well as Southwest Literature at the college level. She is the author of “The Power of Voices and Voices of Power: Teaching with Native American Literature” which was published in The ALAN Review. In addition, she is a proponent of the writing-reading connection and advocates for writing/reading across-the-curriculum as necessary approaches to promoting and teaching literacy skills and knowledge. Another article, “Reflections on Native American Reading: A Seed, A Tool, and a Weapon,” was published in The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and it speaks of her ideas about non-print literacy as well as other ways of acquiring an appreciation of reading. Dr. White-Kaulaity's interests include writing instruction, culturally responsive pedagogy, and multicultural education for all. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, and once served on NCTE's Language Commission, and she is also a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona is where she lives and works, and she is a proud member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation.