First Book Leadership

Executive Team

Kyle Zimmer

President, CEO, and Co-Founder

In the late 1980s, Kyle Zimmer, then a practicing attorney, was volunteering at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C. Realizing that the kids she was working with had no books in their lives, she set out with two friends to build a market-driven solution to ensure all children have access to high-quality books and educational resources.

Since then, First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise she co-founded in 1992, has become a leader in furthering equal access to quality education.  First Book’s work is driven by educators in the First Book Network – North America’s largest online community of individual educators, professionals and volunteers working on the frontlines with children in need at schools and programs.

Under her leadership, First Book has grown into a family of social enterprises that addresses a spectrum of educational barriers faced by children in need. By aggregating the voice, purchasing power, and needs of educators serving low-income communities, First Book creates a market force that drives down costs and increases access to diverse, high-quality educational resources. Kyle pioneered the organization’s sustainable, nonprofit e-commerce model that provides educators with free and affordable, diverse, and inclusive new books, educational resources, and basic needs items. She also expanded First Book’s capacity to conduct original research with educators on the front lines; accelerate educators’ access to actionable resources developed with leading experts; and engage cross-sector partnerships to deliver targeted funding solutions. These models work both individually and collectively as an ecosystem to drive systemic change, elevating educational equity for children in poverty. Since its founding, First Book has distributed more than 250 million books and educational resources, with a value of more than $2 billion.

Kyle is a passionate advocate for social entrepreneurship, and the importance of educational equity and literacy to further social justice, economic competitiveness, and global understanding. Her commitment to innovation and collaboration has earned her a reputation as a social sector leader.  She and First Book have been featured in numerous books, including A Path Appears, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Additionally, she has been a speaker at the World Economic Forum, the Aspen Institute, the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and at a host of corporate and social sector events. She is a regular guest lecturer at the Wharton School of Business and Columbia Business School.

Kyle serves as a member of the board of directors for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P., which is responsible for protecting and overseeing the integrity of Dr. Seuss’s books, properties, licensing, and related products. She served on the international board of directors for 26 years for Ashoka, which supports the finest social entrepreneurs in more than 70 countries. In addition, she is a Fellow with the Schwab Foundation on Social Entrepreneurship, a sister program of the World Economic Forum, and a member of the Schwab Foundation’s Working Group for AI for Social Innovation. She previously served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Values (2013-2016), and as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Social Entrepreneurship (2010). Kyle serves on the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board, and is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. Kyle and First Book are founding members of Catalyst 2030, which elevates organizations supporting the SDGs.

Kyle has also been honored as a DC Alpha Alumna Initiate of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women (2019), the Texas AFT’s Child Advocate Award (2019), and EY Entrepreneur of the Year® 2017 Award-Mid-Atlantic Region. Other awards include the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefitting the Disadvantaged (2016), Peggy Charren/Free to Be You and Me Award from the Ms. Foundation for Women (2016), the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Pacesetter Honors (2016), the Library of Congress David M. Rubenstein Prize (2015), the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award (2014) and the National Education Association Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education (2013), the Carle Honors Angel Award (2009) and the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community (2005). From 2004 – 2008, Fast Company named Kyle one of 45 Social Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World.

An attorney, Kyle received her juris doctor from The George Washington University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Iowa.

Wendy Lin

Chief Financial Officer

Wendy serves as First Book’s Chief Financial Officer, overseeing the organization’s finance and accounting operations, audit functions, nonprofit compliance, and overall fiscal management. Wendy brings extensive experience in corporate finance, P&L management, and product development.

Prior to joining First Book, Wendy spent 12 years focused on the education field, holding pivotal finance and product management positions for two international companies committed to providing accessible, high-quality higher education across various institutions. Wendy’s responsibilities included overseeing school financials and budget, strategic planning, and finance operations. Wendy also spearheaded a key strategic initiative to create online professional development offerings tailored to the needs of working professionals.

Fluent in Chinese, Wendy grew up in Taiwan and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the National Chengchi University in Taipei. Wendy came to the United States in her early 20s to continue her education, earning an MBA in finance from Penn State University.

In addition to working in education, Wendy has experience in the manufacturing and healthcare industries.

Etienne Veber

Chief Operating Officer

Etienne Veber is the Chief Operating Officer at First Book, bringing extensive leadership experience in the education, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors. Previously, he was CEO of Media Source Inc., which publishes The Library Journal, The School Library Journal, The Horn Book and distributes the Junior Library Guild, and is dedicated to enhancing literacy through professional development and curated book collections to support librarians and educators. He also served on the Executive Board of the Field Trip Factory, a charity providing free experiential learning opportunities that are connected to the curriculum and increase students’ sense of belonging as well as career awareness.

Before that, Etienne served as President of Learning Resources, Inc. which develops and distributes hands-on supplemental learning resources.  Under his 7-year leadership tenure, the company delivered considerable operational improvements while doubling in size. Prior to moving into the education sector, he held various leadership roles at the Monsanto Corporation and led Merisant Worldwide Inc., a global consumer packaged goods company.

Etienne has been an active community participant and volunteer for many years having served on the board of the French Lycée of Chicago for 10 years, as Chair of the school board of the Walter Payton Public High School for 3 years, and as Board member of the Alliance Française.  He has also been recognized for his contributions to the American Diabetes Association, the Chicago’s “Idea Week”, and the Toys Industry Association. Originally from Paris, Etienne is fluent in French. He holds a B.S. in International Management from INSEEC in Paris and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

Daniel Stokes

Chief Administration Officer

Dan manages First Book’s human resources department, oversees day-to-day operations at First Book’s headquarters, and provides strategic and operational guidance as part of the executive management team. Before joining First Book, Dan spent his career in accounting. He worked with publishing and media companies in New York, the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, where he led their accounting and human resources departments. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in human resources, and an MBA, all from the University of Maryland.

Board of Directors

Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett

Acting Chairman, First Book Board of Directors; President and Founder, The Molina Foundation

Family physician and healthcare executive Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett has worked for three decades creating innovative programs to reduce disparities in access to education and health in communities across the country. As president of the Molina Foundation, she has partnered with First Book, Imagine Science, Cooperative Extension, 4-H, and Code for America to reach more than 7 million children and families. Dr. Bernadett served as executive vice president and chief innovation officer for Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 200 company, where she led major initiatives to transform the delivery of healthcare services. Using big data analytics to create digital solutions, she supported enterprise operations. She has consulted for hospitals, health systems, and municipalities across the nation. Dr. Bernadett founded the Molina Institute for Cultural Competency to reduce the barriers faced by providers and patients with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In addition to corporate leadership, Dr. Bernadett has served as principal investigator and delivered research, programs, and solutions for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Governors Association, and First5 California.

Christopher Cerf

Co-founder and President, Sirius Thinking Ltd.

Christopher Cerf is an Emmy- and Grammy-award-winning author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. Since 1970, he has been a regular contributor to Sesame Street, creating award-winning music and lyrics and producing music albums, earning him two Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards for songwriting and music production. In addition, he served as the executive producer and music and audio producer of “Between the Lions,” which twice won the Television Critics’ Award as the nation’s outstanding children’s program. In two independent studies, the program also demonstrated success in helping kids – including those at the highest risk of literacy failure – to learn how to read. He also co-created the PBS Kids show, “Lomax, the Hound of Music.” His other award-winning work includes editing and producing the “Marlo Thomas and Friends’ Free To Be…A Family” book, album, and TV special; and “Thomas’ Thanks & Giving: All Year Long,” a book and CD about generosity and sharing. Chris has co-authored many books including “Encyclopedia Paranoica (Simon & Schuster, 2012),” and “The Official Politically Correct Dictionary and Handbook (Villard, 1993).” Earlier in his career, Chris spent eight years as a senior editor at Random House and as a contributing editor for National Lampoon. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard University.

Libby Doggett

Libby Doggett Consulting

Libby Doggett is the former deputy assistant secretary for policy and early learning for the U.S. Department of Education, where she oversaw the Race to the Top — Early Learning Challenge and the Preschool Development Grant program, provided expertise and policy guidance to the secretary of education and served as the department’s early learning liaison to the White House and other federal and state agencies. Prior to joining the Department of Education, Doggett worked at the Pew Charitable Trusts, directing its home visiting campaign and working with advocates to build political and public support for data-driven investments aligned with federal guidance. She also previously directed Pre-K Now, a 10-year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds. Doggett also worked for the National Head Start Association and began her career as a bilingual first-grade teacher at Ortega Elementary School in Austin, Texas. She holds a doctorate from the University of Texas in early childhood special education.

Kathy Franklin

Chief Executive Officer, Hidden Pigeon Company

Kathy Franklin was most recently the founding CEO of Hidden Pigeon Company, a startup family entertainment company created to expand the reach and impact of the work of noted author/illustrator Mo Willems. As the former President of Franchise Development at James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment, Kathy Franklin led global brand strategy and management for the Avatar franchise across all categories and platforms in partnership with The Walt Disney Company. Prior to joining Lightstorm, Kathy was Vice President of Global Franchise Development for Disney Consumer Products, where she led brand management of the Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cars and Toy Story franchises. She had previously served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Disney’s corporate citizenship division after an early career in a range of finance, education, and design positions. She received an A.B. degree from Princeton University and an M.A. from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Karen Kehela Sherwood

Co-chair, Imagine Entertainment

Karen Kehela Sherwood is an independent film and television producer. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from UCLA, she joined Imagine Entertainment, where she served as president of production and later as co-chairman of Imagine Films. As co-chairman, Karen developed and produced Imagine Entertainment’s motion picture slate, in addition to guiding the company’s development team in tracking, acquiring, and shepherding all Imagine Film projects from concept to theatrical release. In 2001, Karen executive-produced “A Beautiful Mind,” directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. She served as producer alongside Brian Grazer on “Blue Crush,” and as executive producer on “Inside Man” and the Academy Award-nominated “Frost/Nixon.” Karen also contributed to “Angels & Demons,” directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks; “Robin Hood” and “American Gangster,” directed by Ridley Scott; and “Tower Heist,” starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Karen also helmed the Imagine Writers Lab from 2010-2012, a group of nine writers financed by Reliance Big Entertainment that adapted acquired and original material for Imagine Entertainment. She is currently working to move the scripts to production. “The Good Lie,” starring Academy Award-winner Reese Witherspoon, was completed in 2013.

Manish Madhavani

Partner in Charge, New York Financial Services, KPMG

Manish Madhavani leads KPMG’s New York Financial Services Audit practice. In his role, Manish is responsible for driving the client experience for KPMG’s financial services client in the tri-state. Prior to his current role, he led KPMG’s Stamford office as the Office Managing Partner. Manish has over 26 years of experience in providing audit and related services and also serves as a lead audit partner on financial service clients. Manish was admitted to the partnership in 2006.

Manish is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. He was tapped by the Chairman of KPMG to be part of Accelerate 2025 task force charged with increasing underrepresented communities in the organization. This initiative led to KPMG releasing its first transparency report.

Manish is very active with NACD – Connecticut and KPMG’s Asia Pacific Islander Network. Previously he was on the Board of the Business Council of Fairfield County.

Manish is a graduate of the University of Mumbai. He started his professional career with KPMG’s member firm in India in 1995. Manish joined KPMG US in 1998. He, his wife (Surbhi), and two boys (Neil and Dev) live in Wilton, Connecticut.

Lidia Soto-Harmon

President & CEO, The Student Conservation Association

Lidia Soto-Harmon has a proven track record in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors. She leads the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and adults in the nation. Last year, the SCA engaged more than 2,000 youth and young adults in hands-on environmental conservation programs who collectively provided nearly 1 million hours of service at federal, state, and local parks and natural areas. SCA participants increase the nation’s climate resiliency, reduce wildfire risks, enhance equity and environmental justice, strengthen urban communities, implement historic preservation initiatives and retire backlogged maintenance projects. Prior to SCA Lidia led the largest Girl Scout Council in the country and served as a champion for girls and their mentors. Lidia serves as an international keynote speaker and serves in the leadership of several boards of directors. She is an expert in youth and workforce development, nonprofit governance, marketing/communications, and strategic planning.

She has a background in international issues affecting women and girls through the US Department of State. She is a proud Latina, earning a Master’s in Public Administration from George Mason University and B.A. from Drew University.

Artie Starrs

CEO, Topgolf

In his role as CEO of Topgolf, Starrs is responsible for the continued growth and expansion of Topgolf as one of the premier golf entertainment companies in the world. Previously, Starrs was the CEO of Pizza Hut and was responsible for driving the company’s global growth strategies, franchise operations, and performance. He has also served as President of Pizza Hut U.S. with responsibility for the company’s overall strategic vision and planning, including all aspects of the business, culture, and people capability. A proven leader, Artie has a passion for the customer experience and is highly regarded for delivering results, rallying the entire Pizza Hut system to stay laser-focused on the company’s strategy and growth mindset. Under his leadership, Pizza Hut has put in place a widely successful global platform dedicated to tackling illiteracy, called Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project. Through this platform, Pizza Hut has a goal to impact 100 million lives over ten years by enabling access to books and educational resources, empowering teachers, and inspiring readers.  Artie has an A.B. degree in Economics from Princeton University and currently resides in Dallas with his wife and two children.

Carla D. Thompson Payton

Vice President for Program Strategy, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Carla Thompson Payton is vice president for program strategy for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. In this role, she supports the foundation’s efforts to promote thriving children, working families, and equitable communities. Thompson Payton provides leadership and management for the creative and strategic direction of programming from design through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. As a member of the executive team, she is also responsible for the overall direction and leadership of the foundation.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2012, Thompson Payton was deputy director of the Office of Child Care at the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. There, she was responsible for developing national early childhood education policy, managing the $5 billion annual budget of the Child Care Development Fund and providing oversight to 10 regional offices serving states, tribes, and territories. Previously, she was assistant superintendent for early childhood education for the District of Columbia, where she initiated the first publicly funded pre-kindergarten program. In other professional experience, she has held positions with the Department of Education and Department of Public Welfare for the state of Pennsylvania; United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Thompson Payton has been honored for her leadership in early childhood education by the Administration for Children and Families, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Temple University Institute on Disabilities. She also has served on boards and committees for nonprofit associations and professional organizations. In addition, she is the author of three publications related to school readiness and advocacy.

Kyle Zimmer

President, CEO, and Co-founder, First Book

Advisory Council