Rich Wasserman, a retired partner from Day Pitney LLP, has served on Greater Hartford's Regional Advisory Board since 2016 and been Board Chair since March 2017! He has been a crucial part of Greater Hartford's growth, bringing a strong network of relationships from over 40 years at Day Pitney that has led not only to significant funding but to an increased profile in the Hartford area. These have been vital to the region's continued success. Rich was also elected to Read to a Child's National Board of Directors in 2022, bringing a regional perspective, along with his legal and analytical skills, to the National Board and the Finance Committee. He has also been a volunteer reading mentor for more than 10 years, starting in 2015 at Betances Early Learning Lab. Since then, he has read aloud with nine reading buddies, including reading aloud individually to two students for the last two years. We couldn't be more grateful for everything Rich has done for Read to a Child in Greater Hartford and beyond!

Dave Walker, retired Executive Vice President & CFO of Level One Bancorp, has served on various Read to a Child boards for more than 10 years! Since January 2016, Dave has served on Metro Detroit's Regional Advisory Board, acting as Board Chair until 2022. Dave's relationships have resulted in significant funding for Metro Detroit and he has been vital to increasing the region's profile, especially since joining the Detroit Athletic Club's Board of Directors in 2023. In 2022, he was elected to Read to a Child's National Board of Directors, bringing an important regional perspective, as well as significant analytical, and financial skills to the National Board and to the Finance Committee. Dave has been a volunteer reading mentor in Read Aloud Mentoring Program for over 11 years, starting in 2014 at Bow Elementary School. Since then, he has had more than 10 reading buddies, often reading to more than one student within a school year. We are grateful for Dave's service and passionate leadership in Metro Detroit and beyond!

Greater Hartford's Team Trivia Night Success!

Our Second Annual Read to a Child Trivia Night at WeHa Brewing in West Hartford, CT on Feb. 18th buzzed with laughter, friendly rivalry, and a shared love of making a difference. We were especially honored to welcome Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, whose presence added even more energy to an already spirited evening.

Congratulations to our winning team Shipman & Goodwin’s “Questionee’s Child,” with honorable mention to the City of Hartford, Gallagher, and Day Pitney for standout performances! We loved cheering you on!

All sponsorships and donations from the evening supported the Read to a Child Greater Hartford's Read Aloud Mentoring Program. We’re grateful to our generous sponsors—HSB, Cindy & Rich Wasserman, Improve Your Schools, John & Marla Byrnes, and Gallagher—whose support helped make the evening such a success. And thank you to WeHa Brewing for partnering with us in support of literacy.

Welcome to our New Board Members!

Dr. Albert Sackey

Read to a Child Greater Hartford is proud to announce that Dr. Albert Sackey, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning at Hartford Public Schools, as our newest Advisory Board member! Dr. Sackey is a distinguished educational leader with over two decades of progressive experience in public education administration, with leadership roles across Connecticut's largest school districts.

Dr. Sackey is confident that his background and experience will have an impact on the work that Greater Hartford's Advisory Board is doing. The mission, vision, and values of Read to a Child resonate strongly with Dr. Sackey's own beliefs in the importance of literacy. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Albert Sackey to the Read to a Child Greater Hartford team!

Maya Harel

Read to a Child Greater Los Angeles is thrilled to announce Maya Harel as our newest Board member. Maya is a long-time Labor and Employment attorney, currently working as a Labor and Employment Counsel at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Los Angeles. She has been a member of the Advisory Board since December 2025.

Maya is looking forward to bringing her passion and expertise to the Greater Los Angeles Advisory Board, and to working with her fellow board members to increase Read to a Child's presence in Los Angeles. She is excited to hit the ground running with her first Greater Los Angeles event in March! We are so excited to welcome Maya to the Read to a Child Greater Los Angeles team.

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.

Aegon Transamerica Foundation $3K (Boston)

Agero $5K (Boston)

Bilezikian Family Foundation $3.5K (Boston)

Charley's Kids Foundation $10K (National)

Dornam Foundation $10K (Hartford & National)

Ernst & Young LLP $5K (Detroit)

General Motors $20K (Detroit)

Hartford County Bar Foundation $2.1K (Hartford)

Holley Foundation $30K (Detroit)

J.P. Morgan Chase $5K (National)

Lincoln & Therese Filene Foundation $15K (Boston)

Nora Roberts Foundation $3K (Los Angeles)