Mimi Levin Lieber
Founder
In
1996, Mimi Lieber founded Literacy, Inc. (LINC) merging her expertise
in attitude research and education to promote community involvement
and help all young children read on time. In 1961, she founded
and served as president of Lieber Attitude Research, Inc., a full-service
consumer and public opinion research organization serving numerous
Fortune 500 companies. Prior to founding LINC,she was a member
of the New York State Board of Regents for 15 years. She has a
BA and MA in the social sciences from the University of Chicago,
and was a fellow at Harvard University during the years 1959-1960.
Tanya Ramos Executive Director
Tanya recently joined LINC in 2007 and is its first successor to our founding Executive Director. She comes to LINC with work experience in foundation management and non-profit direct service positions. Before joining LINC Tanya was Senior Manager of Strategic Corporate Partnerships at The Taproot Foundation. She has also worked at ASPIRA as Director of the College Career Advisement Program, and was Director of the E.X.C.E.L.(Educational Excellence Creating Empowered Leaders) Program at the Children’s Aid Society. Tanya has been a recipient of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Award, a Jacob Kaplan Fellowship, and is an alumni at the Civic Leadership Development Program at New York University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Masters of Science in Urban Policy of Management from New York University.
Debora
Mulrain Program Director
Debora
has worked with Literacy, Inc. (LINC) since May 1998. Prior to
joining LINC, she was an active parent at her children's school.
She later became associated with EPIC (Every Person Influences
Children). Through EPIC she led a series of successful peer to
peer workshops and eventually became a trainer of other workshop
leaders. Her work with EPIC led her to LINC.
As Program Director, Debora is directly responsible for supervising
the LINC program staff and monitoring the progress of LINC's Community
Literacy Networks. She also works closely with senior staff to
ensure that LINC's mission is carried out effectively.
Deborah
B. Dessaure
Project Coordinator
Deborah came to LINC as a volunteer in 1999. As a Federal Work-Study student at Monroe College, she read to third graders one-on-one or in small groups. In 1999, Deborah earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and joined LINC as a LINC Coordinator. During her tenure at LINC, Deborah has received two promotions and currently is a LINC Coordinator of Special Projects. She is responsible for LINC's University Heights, Kingsbridge Heights, and Harlem Community Literacy Networks as well as overseeing all of LINC's borough wide year-end celebrations. Deborah's accomplishments include initiating the Seniors and Second Graders Reading Partner Program now in its fifth year. Through this program, Seniors from Marble Hill Senior Center read with PS 207 second graders once a week. Trees were planted in honor of the program in 2004 and 2006.
Deborah also created the "Books and Breakfast" workshop, which provides a fun way to give parents ideas on how to support their children's learning at home. The "Books and Breakfast" workshop has been successfully implemented in several elementary schools in the Bronx.
Maritza
Fred
LINC Coordinator
Maritza has been a Literacy, Inc. (LINC) Coordinator since December 1999. Before joining LINC, she gained experience in a variety of fields including being a business owner, working as a receptionist for a law firm, and in the Marketing Department of Success Greeting Cards. In addition, she volunteered in her community and was very involved in her children's education. She was a vital part of the PTA at her children's school. Her efforts in the community eventually led her to LINC.
Maritza enjoys the fact that her duties at LINC allow her to build literacy rich environments within the Sunset Park community in which she was born. Her work has reinforced the importance of education in her life and in the Brooklyn communities she serves.
Several awards have been presented to Maritza in recognition for her work in the community, they are: the Borough Park President's Proclamation Award in November 2006 for her humanities work, the Children of the City "Foster Plaque" also in November 2006, the Jewish Child Care Association Golden Heart Award in February 2006, the Most Involved Parent Award from PS 1 in May 2006, and the PS 1 Summer Camp Spirit Award in 2005.
Denorah Marcial
LINC Coordinator
Before becoming a LINC Coordinator in 2005, Denorah worked as a Membership Specialist for the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York. Denorah recruited and placed over 1,500 girls and adults in her designated Brooklyn areas. As a LINC Coordinator, Denorah is responsible for engaging community partners in the Red Hook and South Brooklyn Community Literacy Networks, which serve children and families in Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Boreum Hill, Cobble Hill and Gowanus. Denorah helps the residents of these neighborhoods identify and utilize the resources they already have to support early literacy development in their communities. As a result of her hard work, Denorah has facilitated the creation and implementation of many early literacy programs and events in both literacy networks.
Rosa
Sanchez
LINC Coordinator
Before joining LINC, Rosa served as a group leader with the National School and Community Corps, and has been an active parent and a volunteer in her community since the age of 17. She is very committed to helping children and families achieve a higher quality of life. Rosa believes that the ability to read is an important foundation for success. She brings many talents and abilities to her work, and has been serving in various communities as a LINC Coordinator since 2001. Currently she works in the Washington Heights and Inwood sections in Community School District 6 and the University Heights section in Community School District 10.
Albania
Jimenez
LINC Coordinator
Albania
has been a very active parent in her community. She has volunteered
many hours at PS 98, PS 5 and other schools in the community.
She comes to LINC highly recommended by District 6 staff and is
a vital part of the work we do in the community. She currently
works in Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods. Albania
started a reading program in the lobby of her uptown Manhattan
building in Inwood to help families focus on early reading activities.
Karon K. McFarlane
Project Coordinator
Before joining LINC as a Project Coordinator in 2005, Karon McFarlane was the Youth Director for the New Life Church of God in Brooklyn, NY. As Youth Director, Karon implemented programs and activities for the church youth and consulted with other youth organizations on community organizing issues focused on social and political change. Karon holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Alabama and a M.P.A. from Syracuse University. Currently, Karon is pursuing her Ed.M. in sociology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
As a Project Coordinator, Karon's duties include being the Coordinator for the Stapleton Community Literacy Network on Staten Island, running Teen Tutor Reading Partner Programs in the Bronx, and managing LINC's partnership with the New York Public Library. She also provides technical assistance to the Community Education Enrichment Program at the White Rock Baptist Church in Mount Vernon. In 2006, Karon's hard work and commitment was recognized when she received two Certificates of Recognition for her contributions to early literacy on Staten Island. Public school 9 acknowledged Karon's work on the Teen Tutor/Lean on Me for Literacy Program, and the Nubia Starz Book Club of Staten Island recognized her for continued support and dedication to their program.
Desiree Cody
LINC Coordinator
Before joining LINC as a Coordinator in 2003, Desiree was a unit secretary at a hospital for fifteen years. As a LINC Coordinator, Desiree is responsible for guiding community partners in LINC's Community Literacy Network for the Hudson area. Desiree helps community members engage schools, families, and volunteers to establish reading programs for children. She enjoys meeting and networking with other Hudson organizations to plan for future community literacy events. Desiree also serves as a staff instructor for the Hudson Middle School after-school program.
Janet Fried
Program Director
Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program
Prior to joining LINC, Janet worked for the NYC School Volunteer Program (now called Learning Leaders) for nearly 10 years. She was also engaged in parent development work in Community School District 30 (Queens), and worked on the ArtWorks special project (introducing third grade students to the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art). Since December 1998, Janet has been the Program Director of LINC's Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program. Her prior experience has made her apt at working directly with school administrators, teachers, and students, while providing leadership to LINC staff in implementing the Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program. The efforts of the program over LINC's history have resulted in a ten-fold increase of program participants and reading hours for New York's children. Janet holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration (Baruch College, CUNY), a Master's in Public Administration (Baruch College, CUNY) and a Master's of Arts in Applied Psychology and Education (New York University).
Kathleen McDonald
Program Coordinator
Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program
Kathleen has over 16 years of experience working for literacy-based programs. Before joining LINC's Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program as a Program Coordinator in 2002, she worked as an elementary school reading specialist for the New York City Board of Education for 13 Years. Kathleen was first introduced to the Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program at a high school in Brooklyn, where she served as a supervisor for a class of teenagers involved in the program. Under her direction, teens from Sunset Park and Bushwick in Brooklyn and St. Albans, Queens have promoted the importance of literacy through partnered reading with elementary aged students. Kathleen was one of the Teen Tutor Reading Partner Program staff in charge of programs in Brooklyn when LINC received the Youth in Action Award in 2004 from the New York Life Foundation. Kathleen holds an Associate's Degree from the College of Staten Island.
Sheila
Sussman
Senior Program Consultant
Before joining LINC in 1998, Sheila was the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Family Resources, a New York State organization advancing policies, programs and practices to support and strengthen families for over 20 years. Sheila holds a Masters Degree in Urban Studies and a B.A., with honors, in Elementary Education and in Philosophy.
As Senior Program Consultant for LINC, Sheila's work is directed to strategic planning, staff development, training, and setting in place several initiatives that increase LINC's broad network of partners.
Ms. Sussman's past recognitions includes the Achiever's Award for Community Service (1988), the Woman of Record Award (1991), Women of Achievement Award (1996), honoree Women's History Month (1997), and a Hall of Fame honoree in 2001.
She has served on the guidance team for the National Parenting Education Network (NPEN), the national advisory panel for Family Information Services, the steering committee of the NYS Family Support Initiative and was a member of the NYS Alliance for Family Literacy. She is currently on the board of directors of Women on the Job that advocates for pay equity in the workplace and its 'Where are the Women" project, promoting gender balance on corporate boards.
