John Wood (2)

John Wood left a lucrative career at Microsoft to found Room to Read, a global charity that has helped more than six million children in developing countries to become literate in their native language – and was one of the fastest-growing non-profits in history.

In Creating Room to Read, he tells his story: how he raises money, how he decides where to establish libraries (more than 13,000 have opened in Asia and Africa), and how he copes with the inevitable challenges along the way.

How do you turn an idealistic dream into practical reality? John tells how. He’ll talk about how he achieved his vision … and his goal for reaching 10 million children by 2015.

Presenter

John Wood

John Wood is founder of Room to Read, a non-profit dedicated to delivering literacy and gender equality in education. (rodneyvc)… (mere)

In Leaving Microsoft to change the world, Wood recounted his decision to leave the software corporation and start a nonprofit, Room to Read. This second installment of his inspirational story describes the challenges the organization has faced in raising money and in providing books for children in developing countries beset by poverty, war, and natural disasters. Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary, South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State, will join Mr. Wood. Books will be on sale at the event.

Street: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library Additional: 901 G Street Northwest City: Washington, Province: District Of Columbia Postal Code: 20001 Country: United States (tilføjet fra IndieBound)… (mere)

Photo by Sergio Villareal

About the Author:

John Wood is the Founder and Board Co-Chair of Room to Read, one of the fastest-growing and award-winning charities founded during this century. A former Microsoft marketing executive, Wood left the company in 1999 to start the organization. To date, Room to Read has opened over 1,500 schools and 13,600 libraries, distributed over 11 million books including 707 self-published original local language titles, and supported over 17,000 girls to succeed in secondary school and beyond. Due to the work of Room to Read, over six million children in 10 countries across Asia and Africa benefit via the lifelong gift of education and literacy. John has emulated his hero, Andrew Carnegie, by opening over five times as many libraries. He describes his efforts thus far as “total tip of the iceberg” and aspires to reach 10 million children by 2015.

John teaches at the graduate level at the Wagner School of Public Policy at NYU and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His degrees include a Masters in Science in Business Administration, awarded magna cum laude (University of Colorado), a Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Northwestern University and three honorary PhDs. When not traveling the world for Room to Read, he makes his home in New York City.

Book:

In 1999, at the age of 35, John Wood left a lucrative career at Microsoft to found Room to Read, an award-winning nonprofit that promotes education, gender equality and literacy worldwide. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as the “Andrew Carnegie of the developing world,” Wood strived to bring the lessons of the corporate world to the nonprofit sector—and he succeeded spectacularly. He told the story of the start-up in his first book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. Now, in Creating Room to Read, Wood tackles the organization’s next steps—the challenges of managing expansion while maintaining integrity; of raising money in a collapsing economy; of promoting gender equality through scholarships for girls; and of changing the mission to include not just building libraries but publishing books for children who literally have no books in their native language.

What: John Wood will discuss and sign his new book, Creating Room to Read.

When: Friday, February 8, 7:00 pm.

Where: West Houston Community Center, 725 Bateswood, Houston, TX 77079

Admission: In order to go through the signing line and meet the author for book personalization, please purchase Creating Room to Read from Blue Willow Bookshop.

A limited number of autographed copies of books will be available for purchase after the event. If you cannot attend the event, but would like a personalized copy of the book, and can stop in and pick up the book, please call us before the event at (281) 497-8675. See below if you would like to order a copy online and have it shipped to you.

Location: Street: West Houston Community Center Additional: 725 Bateswood City: Houston, Province: Texas Postal Code: 77079 Country: United States (tilføjet fra IndieBound)… (mere)