National Program Director Named

Margaret (Marnie) R.L. Hollifield has been named the All America Reads National Program Director by the Wish You Well Foundation. Ms. Hollifield's first official act as National Program Director was to visit the Pavilion of States at the 2009 National Book Festival, engaging literacy and reading advocates from around the country.

Ms. Hollifield received her Bachelor of Arts in English and education from the University of Richmond and her Master of Arts in Deaf Education from Gaulladet University. She taught secondary deaf education in Orlando, Florida, before taking a position as deaf educator and special education advocate with the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) in Seoul, South Korea.

While working with DoDDS, Ms. Hollifield provided advocacy and pedagogical resources for deaf students as an itinerant educator in schools throughout the Pacific, including South Korea, mainland Japan, and Guam. Ms. Hollifield worked with students of all ages, from pre-school to high school.

After seven years in the Pacific, Ms. Hollifield transferred to Germany and started teaching first grade. She worked for four years in Germany as a first grade teacher, gaining both experience and expertise in the teaching of reading.

Ms. Hollifield comes to All America Reads with a world-wide network of contacts and resources in special education, the teaching of reading, early-childhood education, secondary education, deaf education, and literacy. She will provide leadership and focused direction to the program.

You can contact Ms. Hollifield directly at marnie@allamericareads.org.