October 28, 2014, Boston, MA – Raising A Reader Massachusetts honored Linda K. Zecher, President and CEO of global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) with the Leadership in Literacy Award, at a breakfast event on Tuesday, October 28th, at the Westin Copley Place in Boston. The inaugural award recognizes business leaders who inspire through their leadership and utilize their influence to change lives through literacy and learning. The breakfast raised over $100,000 to support Raising A Reader MA and had nearly 200 people in attendance.
During the presentation of the Leadership in Literacy award, Raising A Reader MA’s executive director, Donna DiFillippo said, “For our inaugural Leadership in Literacy award breakfast, we wanted to honor someone who lives and breathes the mission of Raising A Reader and our first and only choice was Linda Zecher and HMH.”
During her acceptance remarks, Zecher stated, “I’m honored to receive the first Leadership in Literacy award. I admire Raising A Reader’s commitment to early literacy and to giving families the support they need to ensure that young learners thrive.” She added, “One of the most exciting parts of my role is partnering with organizations that share our passion for instilling a lifelong love of learning. I’m thrilled to support Raising A Reader’s work to build sustainable change and improve student outcomes.”
MA State Senator Sal DiDomenico spoke from the perspective of both a Raising A Reader MA parent and as an elected official representing multiple Massachusetts gateway communities that are served by Raising A Reader MA. He appealed to the audience to reach out to their elected officials to help secure state funding for Raising A Reader MA’s program.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Raising A Reader share a belief in the vital role of literacy in sparking lifelong curiosity and a love of learning. Under Zecher’s leadership, HMH upholds its 180-year legacy of quality content and positive impact on learning environments across the globe. The HMH community is committed to addressing the needs of organizations and initiatives like Raising A Reader MA, which helps students of all ages master critical reading, comprehension and communication skills.
Zecher joined Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in September 2011 as President and Chief Executive Officer, bringing a strong track record of business transformation and results. Her extensive sales, marketing and technology experience has contributed to her success as she guides HMH’s transformation into a global leader in learning content and media.
Raising A Reader MA is an evidence-based early literacy program that helps families of young children (birth through age six) develop, practice, and maintain habits of reading together at home. Raising A Reader MA’s core program increases access to books and offers support for strengthening the culture of reading at home. The model is driven by 25 years of research that shows the most significant factor impacting a child’s academic success is being regularly read to by a parent or other primary adult caregiver before starting kindergarten.
Raising A Reader MA’s goal is to end the cycle of low literacy by helping families across Massachusetts develop high impact home reading routines that lay the groundwork for a lifetime of learning, success, and productive, responsible citizenship.
See event photos here.