Advisory Board

Laura Bush
Honorary Chair
Founder of the Texas Book Festival, 1995
Co-Founder of the Library of Congress National Book Festival, 2001
David Baldacci
Honorary Member
No. 1 New York Times best-selling author
Founder, Wish You Well Foundation
James Patterson
Honorary Member
No. 1 New York Times best-selling author
Founder, ReadKiddoRead.com, winner of the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize 2009
Founding partner, Children’s Reading Fund (UK)
Allister Fa Chang
Former Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders
Chantal Francois, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor, College of Education, Towson University
John Jacobs
Senior Technical Assistance Specialist
Karen Lotz
President and Publisher, Candlewick Press
Group Managing Director, Walker Books Limited
Meg Medina
2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
2019 Newbery Award winner
Donalyn Miller
Teacher, Author, and Staff Development Leader
Gholdy Muhammad, Ph.D.
Best-selling author
Associate Professor of Language, Literacy and Culture, University of Illinois at Chicago
Nawal Qarooni
Founder and Lead Educational Consultant at NQC Literacy
Karen M. Ristau, Ed.D.
Former President, National Catholic Educational Association
Professor, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., Retired
Loriene Roy, Ph.D.
Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, School of Information, University of Texas at Austin
2007-2008 President, American Library Association
1997-1998 President, American Indian Library Association
Michael F. Suarez. S.J.
Director, Rare Book School
University Professor and Professor of English, University of Virginia
Co-editor, The Oxford Companion to the Book (2010)
Don Vu, Ed.D.
Author of Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Coordinator, School of Education, Sacramento County Office of Education