Read to a Child's Newsletter

David Brewer

Member, National Board of Directors

David has been a member of the National Board of Directors for over 15 years. Vice Admiral David L. Brewer III, recipient of the Onyx Magazine state of Florida’s 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award, is co-founder of the David & Mildred Brewer Foundation, which provides scholarships for empowerment programs for students in the Orlando, FL area. He served over 35 years in the U.S. Navy. During his career, he commanded two ships, winning awards for combat efficiency and community service. After retirement from the U.S. Navy, David was unanimously selected as the 46th Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), serving 2006-2008. Under his leadership, the District had its highest academic gains in over five years. He was honored with the Los Angeles NAACP’s Man of Valor Award; and Great Beginnings for Black Babies’ Dr. Virginia Hunter Education Award. David shared, "For more than ten years, I've had the honor and privilege of serving on the Board of Read to a Child. This organization deploys an army of dedicated volunteers to read with elementary school students once a week, building not only literacy, but confidence, curiosity, and more importantly hope."

Kaela Mento

National VP, Program Management

Kaela has been working with Read to a Child for 13 years as part of the Program team. Kaela Mento has spent her career supporting youth programs domestically and abroad. A firm believer in mentoring, she has served as director, mentor, coordinator, and founder of mentor programs. She is also passionate about promoting literacy as a foundation not only of academic success, but of lifelong learning and self-reflection.

Kaela came to Read to a Child in 2013 from Partners for Youth with Disabilities, where she directed both their Boston-based mentor program and their national nonprofit training and replication branch. At Read to a Child, Kaela works with each of our region's to ensure that the Read Aloud Mentoring Program is at its best and most consistent. She meets with each Program Manager, as well as Program Coordinators to check-in on what is or is not working, and works to continously improve the program. Kaela also collects data from Read to a Child's teacher, volunteer, and student surveys to measure impact. She holds a BS in Psychology and Peace and Conflict Studies and an MA in Sustainable Development Management. She lives in Greater Boston with her husband and two daughters.

Greater Boston Team Trivia Night raises $15,000 for the

Read Aloud Mentoring Program!

The annual Boston Team Trivia Night was held on June 11th, again at Cask 'N Flagon in Fenway! We had a great night full of fun and very competitive trivia, and raised $15,000 for the Read Aloud Mentoring Program in Greater Boston. Thank you to the 10 teams who participated in an intense game. The room was filled with lighthearted competition and it came down to one point as Boston Trust Walden pulled out the win and took home the Trivia Cup--the second year in a row for Boston Board member Dan Le. Congratulations!

Thank you to our sponsors for their role in making this event a success. We can't wait to see you all next year!

The Guru Krupa Foundation, an important and consistent Read to a Child partner, has again provided vital grant support that will directly improve our program, the volunteer experience, and teacher experience within the Read Aloud Mentoring Program.

With this funding, Read to a Child made significant improvements to our Salesforce platform, ensuring a smoother process for volunteers and Program Coordinators which will lead to more volunteer and student matches. Funding was also used to create two videos. "A Day in the Life" video follows a Program Coordinator throughout a program day at one of our partner schools. This video will be shared with volunteers, so they have a better understanding of all the big and little things that it takes for the program to run smoothly.

An image of a volunteer and King Open School Program Coordinator Marla Freehing from the "A Day in the Life" video, explaining the role of Program Coordinators.

The "What to Expect for Teachers" is a short video that will be shared with the teachers at our partner schools that gives an overview of the program itself, explains the criteria for referring a student to the program, and discusses the end of year survey process. This video will help teachers better understand not only the program itself, but the importance of their role of referring students and participating in surveys. Read to a Child is grateful to the Guru Krupa Foundation for their partnership and this generous funding to support our volunteer experience and the Read Aloud Mentoring Program.

Welcome to our New Board Members!

Mellaney Castro

Greater Hartford

Regional Board

Lia Hollis

Metro Detroit

Regional Board

Greater Hartford is pleased to welcome Mellaney Castro, Director of Operations and Strategic Engagement for the Office of the Governor of Connecticut as our newest Regional Board member! Mellaney officially joined the Hartford Regional Board in April 2026. Mellaney is a marketing professional with a degree in Communication and Media Studies from Central Connecticut State University. She first worked with Read to a Child in April 2025, as the emcee for our Read to a Child Greater Hartford Honors Shipman & Goodwin event. This began a great collaboration, leading to adding Mellaney formally to the Regional Board. She is thrilled to be directly supporting Read to a Child as a Board member.

Lia Hollis joined the Detroit Regional Board in April 2026. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founder of Living in Authority, PLLC, Lia's work has centered on supporting the well-being and development of children and families, focusing on empowerment, resilience, and long-term growth. Joining Read to a Child felt like an unexpected gift that aligns seamlessly with her passion for literacy, meaningful connection, and empowering young minds. Her professional experience has reinforced the critical role that relationships and access to knowledge play in shaping a child's confidence and long-term success. Lia is honored to contribute her perspective, expertise, and commitment to advancing the organization's impact in the lives of the children we serve.

Anna Farrell

National Board of Directors

Anna Farrell is a Director of Enterprise Change Management at PwC, where she leads complex organizational transformation initiatives across the firm. She brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of human behavior, design, and strategy, including senior roles at award-winning agencies like Droga5, AnalogFolk, and Fantasy Interactive, where she shaped digital experiences for some of the world's most recognized brands. Anna holds a Master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Harvard University, a foundation that informs her human-centered approach to organizational leadership. Anna is a lifelong bookworm and is honored to support Read to a Child's mission of bringing the joy of reading and the gift of one-on-one attention to children who need it most. She officially joined the National Board in March 2026.

Jamie Furst

Greater Los Angeles

Regional Board

Jamie Furst officially joined the Los Angeles Regional Board in March 2026. Jamie is a partner at Alston & Bird LLP. She focuses her law practice on representing owners, large general contractors, and developers in negotiating contracts and during all stages of construction claims litigation. As an avid reader from a young age, Jamie believes that fostering a love of reading early on can open doors for children throughout their lives. She has served as a volunteer reader with Read to a Child for more than five years and has witnessed the excitement and confidence that reading can inspire. Jamie is excited to further support the organization through her service on the Regional Board.

Jay Masterson

Greater Boston Regional Board

James Monette

Greater Boston Regional Board

Jay Masterson is the Regional Vice President of Large Casualty for Zurich North America (East Region). He leads teams that underwrite Workers Compensation, General Liability and Automobile insurance programs for large commercial customers. Prior to his role at Zurich Jay held similar positions at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Jay received his B.A. in English Literature from Brandeis University and his MBA from Boston University. Jay officially joined the Boston Regional Board in March 2026, and is looking forward to contributing to Read to a Child’s mission.

James Monette serves as Vice President and Director of Retail Banking at MutualOne Bank, where he leads the Bank's retail branch network and is responsible for driving exceptional customer service, operational excellence, and strategic growth across its retail channels.With more than two decades of experience in banking and financial services, James has held various leadership roles. He holds an MBA from Assumption University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fitchburg State University. James is thrilled to be contributing his skills to forwarding Read to a Child's mission.

Funding Highlights

Read to a Child would like to thank the following partners for supporting the Read Aloud Mentoring Program. These generous contributions allow us to continue to grow and provide high quality programming.

Arclight Capital Partners $60K (Boston)

Bain Capital Children's Charity $25K (Boston)

BJ's $20K (Boston)

Bloomberg $7.5K (Detroit)

Bushrod H. Campbell & Adah F. Hall Charity Fund $7.5K (Boston)

Cambridge Community Foundation $2.5K (Boston)

Cecile H. Murphy Charitable Foundation $75K (Boston)

Commonwealth Cares Fund $2.5K (Boston)

Ensworth Charitable Foundation $7K (Hartford)

J. Walton Bissell Foundation $5K (Hartford)

MassMutual Charitable Foundation $5K (Boston)

Mathworks $2K (Boston)