READERS THAT BECAME LEADERS
JOSEPH HEINZEN
Executive Director
Joe is an educational technology leader and publishing company founder inspired by his experience of being misdiagnosed as learning disabled as a child. After discovering a book that ignited a love for reading he never knew he had, he soon became a voracious reader. Joe draws from this experience to help children who are encountering similar challenges, helping them to find their own personal "spark" that gives them a love of learning that lasts for the rest of their lives. He is dedicated to helping children become lifelong learners, achieve their full potential, and pursue their interests one reading experience at a time.
ANA CHAPA
Board Member
Ana Chapa serves as the Vice President of Organizational Growth at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Corporate Work Study Program a college-preparatory school for young men and women from the Washington, DC area who have the need and the motivation to help earn their own tuition money through an innovative Corporate Work Study program. She is a social worker, educator, workforce development program manager and fundraiser. She serves as the Chair of the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps board and is a board member of the Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County. As a lifelong learner Ana dedicates herself to ensuring all have access to high-quality student-centered education that is supportive of personal and professional goal attainment.
B. K. FULTON
Board Member
B.K. Fulton is founding chairman and CEO of Soulidifly Productions, LLC, a full feature film, stage and television investment and production company formed in 2017. With four feature-length films produced in 2018, Soulidifly promotes a more inclusive narrative in major media. A charismatic intellectual and business savvy entrepreneur, the author of 9 books is also an accomplished corporate executive and innovator with decades of experience in both the public and private sectors. In 2016, B.K. led a team of developers that invented EZ Reader, the world’s first ophthalmologist approved digital reading glasses app. Before becoming a full-time writer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, B.K. held senior leadership roles in technology and policy development. He was vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Region for Verizon Communications, Inc., president of Verizon Virginia and president of Verizon West Virginia. Prior to Verizon, he was in senior positions with the U.S. Department of Commerce, AOL Time Warner, and the National Urban League.
B.K. has been recognized as one of the “50 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology”. He is a Sloan Fellow and Computerworld Smithsonian Awards International Technology Laureates Medal recipient, with influential papers on technology permanently archived at the Smithsonian Institute.
KAREN WAWRZASZEK
Board Member
Karen is a holistic financial planner and investment manager working alongside families and tax-exempt organizations helping them harmonize their financial behaviors with their investment and philanthropic goals. Over the past 20 years, Karen has led a variety of impact and sustainable investment initiatives important to her clients as they discover how their wealth can impact society. As a young child growing up in extreme poverty in a single female headed household where her mother was not mentally equipped to care for her and her siblings, Karen served as the head of the household at a very young age and felt a strong sense of duty and loyalty in caring for her siblings. It is through her own journey in overcoming barriers to alleviating poverty, that she developed a sense of justice and community awareness. It is her life’s work to help women and children discover their own inner strength and to also utilize resources in finding a pathway to success.
TYCELY WILLIAMS
Board Member
Tycely Williams is the Chief Development Officer for America’s Promise Alliance, the driving force behind a nationwide movement to improve the lives and futures of America’s youth. As a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), she has
encouraged investments of more than $100 million toward social good at
organizations including the YWCA USA, American Red Cross of the National
Capital Region and YMCA of Metropolitan Washington.
A leader with decades of experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, Tycely serves on the Executive Board of Tri Delta, marking the first slate to include Black women leading the national premiere women’s organization of more than 240,000 members. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Washington and served as the first Black and woman of color President in its one hundred- and five-year history.
Tycely is a Director of The Blackbaud Giving Fund, chairs The Nonprofit Alliance Foundation and Monument Academy Public Charter School, while serving on the boards of Reading Without Borders and Rising Media Stars. Tycely is also a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and Leadership Greater Washington.