New Director at Read With Me Volunteer Programs

Read With Me Volunteer Programs Welcomes New Executive Director

Read With Me Volunteer Programs is pleased to announce the hiring of Dan Zimmerman, who began his tenure as Executive Director on July 1.   Zimmerman, who grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, completed his Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education English from Boston University and the University of Rhode Island before starting a career as an educator.  He also holds two master’s degrees (School Administration and Liberal Studies) from Indiana University.

Before beginning his position with Read With Me Volunteer Programs, Zimmerman was the principal of Incline Elementary School at Lake Tahoe. It was there when he first partnered with Read With Me to provide extra reading support and supplemental books for the students.

“I am excited to continue in helping children learn to read,” said Zimmerman.  “I discovered how powerful it was to pair struggling readers with adult volunteers through our partnership with Read with Me.  When I looked at our student reading growth data, I was thrilled to find that the simple act of reading one on one with a student on a consistent basis had a significantly positive impact on student achievement.  As a principal, I valued the extra adult support in the building, the levelled books that students took home during breaks, and the extra funding for after school programming.”

Zimmerman is hoping to move away from the virtual tutoring sessions that had replaced the in-person tutoring during the pandemic.  He is looking to expand the volunteer base so that the needs of Read With Me Volunteer’s 17 participating schools in the Coachella Valley, Tahoe, and Reno will be met for students K-6.  The goal is to build the volunteer base and receive additional funding sources to be able to help even more students achieve success in reading.

“We are delighted to be able to hire a paid executive director,” said Founder and President Roberta Klein.  “Dan Zimmerman is the perfect candidate having many years of experience as an educator and administrator with an emphasis on literacy.  He totally understands the value of Read With Me Volunteers in classrooms.  We believe he will take our already excellent program to the next level of effectiveness.”

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