LitWorld Staff
PAM ALLYN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Pam Allyn founded LitWorld in 2007 to create a global movement for literacy. She brought with her years of entrepreneurial leadership in the field of literacy. Since 2007, LitWorld has provided a welcoming environment for community based leaders from around the world to learn best practices in literacy and to use their own strengths to forge a new world where literacy, “humankind’s greatest innovation”, is available to everyone.
Pam is a renowned literacy educator and the author of many acclaimed books for educators and parents, including What to Read When (Penguin/Avery) and the Mom’s Choice winner Your Child's Writing Life (Penguin/Avery). She is the co-author of Every Child a Super Reader (Scholastic) and Tell Your Story: Teaching Students to Become World Changing Writers and Thinkers (ASCD) with her longtime collaborator Dr. Ernest Morrell.
Pam is the creator/author of many successful and widely used academic programs, including ReadyGen (Pearson), LitCamp and MathCamp (Scholastic) and, with Dr. Ernest Morrell, Mindscapes (Zaner-Bloser). Pam has received many honors for her work, including the James Patterson PageTurner Award, The Children’s Village Legacy of Service Award, Scholastic’s Reading Champion Award, the Kent Williamson NCTE Award, and The Columbia University Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award.
PAIGE HEIMARK
OPERATIONS SUPPORT
Paige Heimark is a leader in operational and strategic thinking in the field of educational innovation. Her passion for working alongside children and families began in New York City, where she began working for LitWorld as Pam Allyn’s Executive Assistant. Paige quickly ascended in the field moving into Communications and Operational roles in both for and non-profit educational spaces. She brings keen insight and an eye for detail into her work scaling educational initiatives, including World Read Aloud Day, and many of Allyn’s nationally-recognized curricula, including LitCamp, MathCamp, and PALS Town. Paige is a 2024 Fellow in the Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program.
AMBER PETERSON
CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER
Amber Peterson brings years of on the ground experience to her work at LitWorld. For 10 years she has led local, women-led partnerships at LitWorld to create change for the better in their own home communities. Her compassionate, humane literacy leadership has inspired and influenced not only LitWorld partners, but thousands of educators worldwide. She has been instrumental in scaling World Read Aloud Day from a seed of an idea to an annual event, reaching many countries and millions of children.
MONICA VALENTIN
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Monica Valentin brings a wise and holistic approach to operations at LitWorld. Her side-by-side work with LitWorld partners gives her a unique and collaborative vision for how operations is interwoven with programming to create optimal opportunities for LitWorld partners. Monica skillfully steers LitWorld to best practices in the day to day work of the organization.
RUBY VERIDIANO
COMMUNICATIONS LEAD
Ruby Veridiano brings 15+ years of expertise in social impact communications to her vital work at LitWorld. In addition to her background in arts, broadcasting and journalism, Ruby’s time working on the field leading LitClubs for young women provides her with the lived experience to help LitWorld share the soul of its work. Ruby's work with LitWorld from the very beginning has helped expand LitWorld's reach to Asia and beyond. She leads LitWorld in sharing the stories of local communities and how those stories can become scalable models for the world.