A firm supporter of the merger that formed Literacy Connects, Carmen believes that literacy is foundational to the ability to utilize our talents to their maximum capabilities, and that access and opportunities are limitless once a person becomes literate.

Carmen Marriott is the current Chair of the Board of Literacy Connects.  Carmen brings to Literacy Connects strategic and organizational skills acquired after many years of practice in the legal profession.  Prior to joining Literacy Connects, Carmen’s sat on the boards of Reading Seed and the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.

I consider it a privilege to serve on the board of an organization that works on the root cause of so many social problems of our time, from crime to homelessness to unemployment to an unskilled workforce to underperforming schools. Not only does Literacy Connects (LC) offer cutting edge literacy programs, free for the asking, to Tucson residents of every age from infancy through adulthood, but the staff and volunteers of LC work continuously to connect our community’s literacy programs and resources with each other. All of us together are building a literacy movement in Tucson; I’m proud to be part of that movement.

Dr Anne Stericker is a clinical psychologist. She has practiced psychology for 35 years, 26 of those in Tucson, dividing her practice into three areas: marital and sex therapy; transgender issues; and a general practice for individuals. She is a Diplomate of Sex Therapy (AASECT) and a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Before moving to Tucson, Dr. Stericker was a tenured associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Wright State University, with joint appointments, first in the Department of Psychiatry, then in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her undergraduate degree is from Stanford University, her doctoral degree from Loyola University Chicago. Following her undergraduate degree, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at the Interpreter Institute of the University of Vienna.

Dr. Stericker has served on the board of Literacy Connects (first with Literacy Volunteers of Tucson) for a total of six years. Besides being passionate about promoting high rates of literacy and creative expression as building blocks of a robust community, Dr. Stericker is committed to helping people move toward a more plant-based diet, seeing this as the healthiest lifestyle for people, animals, and the planet. She has been a practicing vegan for more than 11 years.

Literacy — our ability to share our voice and understand the voice of others — is our key to the world. It empowers us to be successful, active community members. And it opens a world of riches that we can enjoy. I’m a Literacy Connects board member because I’m passionate about the power of literacy to help people live better lives and to make our community a better place.

Dana Pitt is a project manager at Cornerstone Capital Management. Dana currently serves on the Board of Voices for Education and has served as a board member of Congress Street Historic Theaters Foundation (The Rialto Theater) and the Pima Library Foundation. She holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law and a masters degree in Education from the University of Arizona. Dana is a native Tucsonan and an ardent supporter of literacy and education.

About Mary

Literacy is God’s gift to humanity.

As a shareholder of Mesch, Clark & Rothschild, P.C., Mel Cohen’s practice focuses on commercial transactions and litigation with emphasis on construction law. He is listed in Best Lawyers of America and is included on the Southwest Super Lawyers List for 2009. Mel received his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

In private practice, he represents public and private owners, general contractors, subcontractors, sureties, suppliers, design professionals and developers. His experience in litigation, arbitration and mediation includes landmark cases in construction surety, employment and arbitration matters. He has had substantial experience in public and private projects, including wastewater and water treatment projects,schools, auditoriums, mining projects, telescopes, shopping malls, private residences, highways, airports, medical facilities, subdivisions, pipelines and underground utilities. He has represented general contractors in substantial claims on federal projects involving the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal contract appeals and general contractors’ claims involving Federal Acquisition Regulations. Mel has been an arbitrator on Federal, municipal and private projects, including airports, convention centers and represented subcontractors and general contractors on federally funded projects including housing, telescope and other large construction projects. Mel’s experience in contract negotiations and drafting includes large private construction projects, subcontracts, real estate and commercial lending.

Mel is affiliated with the Arizona Bar Construction Law Section and Disputes Avoidance and Resolution Division of the American Bar Association Construction Forum. He is a member of Southern Arizona Leadership Council and was the Chair of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, is a member of Handmaker Foundation, on the Board of Directors of Reading Seed and was the Chair of the Hillel Foundation at the University of Arizona and a member of Literacy for Life Coalition. Mel is a student of the art of Tai Chi and ancient Jewish texts.

While serving as President at Community Campus , I directly supervised Adult Education and fell in love with the philosophy of literacy for life. As a life long educator, I strongly believe that literacy and education are the great equalizers in life and are critical elements to a productive community and society. Upon my retirement, I had the time to devote to my love of literacy and am honored to have joined the Literacy Connects board in January, 2012.

Sylvia Lee is a native Tucsonan. Sylvia received her Associate Degree from Pima Community College; Baccalaureate and Masters Degrees from the University of Arizona and Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Arizona State University.

She retired in June, 2011 with 30 years of service in higher education. Fifteen years of service were at Pima Community College, most recently as President of Community and Northwest Campuses. She worked at the Maricopa Community College District (Rio Salado and Estrella Mountain); Minnesota State Colleges (Anoka Ramsey); the Arizona University System(UA, ASU, Arizona Board of Regents) and at the University of Phoenix.

Sylvia serves on the following boards:

• Goodwill of Southern Arizona
• DM-50
• Literacy Connects

Sylvia is a single parent of a high school senior and cares for her elderly Mother and relatives.

When my girls were little, one of our favorite family times was reading out loud. The girls loved, E.B. White, Laura Ingalls Wilder and other “story” books long before they started school. In the late 90′s when articles about a program called Reach Out and Read developed for pediatric offices began appearing in my professional journals, I decided that I wanted to share that joy of early family reading with as many families as possible. A collaboration of community members who were passionate about children’s literature started the first Tucson ROR program at Kino Community Hospital. Today there are programs in more than 40 clinics in Southern Arizona. ROR pediatricians spend a portion of their well check advising time talking about the importance of early book sharing with babies and parents. Plus they get the fun of giving each child until age 5 a new, culturally appropriate book to keep to share at home. The joy of books cannot start too early. When Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona joined the Literacy Connects partnership, it seemed a natural move to broaden my activity and vision to help make Tucson a more literate community.

My husband and I moved to Tucson in 1976 for me to complete my pediatrics residency, fell in love with the desert and this community and never left. We used to joke that we covered the entire age spectrum as I took care of the kids and he practiced elder law for many years. Being a pediatrician has to be one of the best jobs in the world. Watching children and families grow, change and thrive is amazing. I have the added joy now of being old enough that I have patients who are the children of my former patients! I have been involved in several pediatric health issues that reach outside the walls of my practice: injury prevention, specifically both drowning prevention and bicycle safety in efforts both local and national, efforts to make certain that First Things First recognized and included health issues that would affect a child’s ability to learn; and most recently early childhood/family literacy through Reach Out and Read. Our family motto has been “sleep when you die”, so most of my leisure time has been spent being active: hiking, biking, camping and traveling. I still bike weekly and had the amazing experience of spending 3 weeks on the Colorado in the Grand Canyon with my oldest daughter last spring. In the past 10 years, I started quilting which has been a wonderful way to force my science brain to work on creativity. Of course, I also love to read. Finally and most importantly, I have two amazing adult daughters who have both taken on one of the hardest jobs in our society, teaching in the public schools.

I was previously a board member of Stories That Soar! I joined the board of Literacy Connects when our five programs merged.

Literacy is a life changing experience. It opens the world to us and invites us to fully participate in life. It is the foundation of education, opportunity, rewarding work and strong community relationships. It is the key to solving many of the social and economic problems we face today. Supporting literacy is a vital part of making our community a safe, healthy and prosperous place to live.

Born 1947, Van Nuys, CA.

University of California, Irvine September 1965 – May 1967

AA Pima Community College, May 1980

BA (Anthropology), University of Arizona, May 1981

MA (Anthropology), University of Arizona, May 1983

Past Board of Directors Member (President): Kore Press

Past Board of Directors Member (President): Stories That Soar!

Interests include travel, arts and cultural activities, and reading.

I’ve explored the Southwest through hiking, camping and river rafting. Travels have included many parts of the US, Mexico, Canada, Spain, France and Italy.

Literacy builds knowledge to overcome barriers, timidness, and prejudices. Literacy Connects is about empowering people to have the tools to better, not only their own lives, but the lives of their family and the community as well.

BS Mathematics, University of Arizona

MS Business and Organizational Mgmt, University of LaVerne

US Air Force A-10 Pilot, 1989-2010

Retired Lt Col, USAF; last assignment, Commander, 357th Fighter Squadron

Current Occupation: A-10 Pilot Instructor, CAE-USA

Salpointe Catholic Education Foundation

Salpointe Catholic High School Athletic Committee

Reading Seed Mentor; 2002-2004, 2006-present

Board of Directors, Reading Seed, Aug 2009-Jul 2011

Board of Directors, Literacy Connects, Jul 2011-present

Board of Directors, Rotary Club of Tucson

My commitment to literacy comes from my personal love of reading. I believe that reading and writing give voice to our intelligence and creativity that lead to a fulfilling life. Literacy Connects opens the door to that full life for infants, children, adults and their families in Tucson. Serving as a Literacy Connects board member lets me help share the benefits of literacy with my community.

Mary Beth Savel has lived, studied, worked and read in Tucson since 1969. She received her B.S. in biology, certification in secondary education, and J.D. from the University of Arizona. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, worked in Tucson city government, and taught high school biology and chemistry in Chandler, Arizona, until she returned to the U of A (again) to become a lawyer. Mary Beth practiced insurance defense, land use, zoning and real estate law in Tucson for seventeen years, and recently retired from law firm practice.

In addition to her professional involvement in development and real estate organizations, Mary Beth coaches 5K and 10k running groups and just finished her first marathon. Her community literacy involvement includes ten years as a volunteer reading tutor with Lawyers for Literacy, serving on the board of Tucson Adult Literacy Volunteers, and serving on the Literacy Volunteers of Tucson board from 2009 until the formation of Literacy Connects in July 2011. She is thrilled to be part of the exciting dynamic of Literacy Connects in Tucson.

Without the ability to understand and interpret written symbols and images, without the capacity express ones self verbally and through written text…a person is at the mercy of all who will to define and interpret person-hood for her…and that is almost NEVER in the best interest of the individual. In my opinion, the ability to read and write is as essential to being human as is breathing air.

I have spent over 20 years teaching individuals the importance of asking ‘why?’

I have an undergraduate degree in Social Work from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and a graduate degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica, worked as a community organizer on the south side of Chicago, and eventual became the executive director of an arts-based community center on the west end of Evanston before relocating to Tucson with my husband and children.

I currently have one of the best jobs in Tucson, working for The Loft Cinema.

Being literate feeds our soul and often helps feed our body.

Being literate makes us a better person, better parent, better community member.

Now that is something you can get passionate about doing!

Fran McNeely recently retired after a 35 year career in a variety of settings. With a master’s degree in Library Science and another master’s degree in Communications, Fran was well equipped for an ever-changing number of career opportunities.

After having spent nearly 20 years in the medical library field, as both a practicing librarian and as a medical library administrator, and rising to a national level of prominence as an elected board member of the Medical Library Association, Fran moved to Tucson to begin a new life phase in a completely different career tract. For the next 5 years, Fran owned and operated a small business focusing on computer education for children. After 5+ years of successfully managing this business, Fran sold her business for cash, while serving as her own business broker. Immediately after selling her business Fran ran a successful county-wide political campaign for the first woman to serve as the Pima County Attorney. Fran then entered the non-profit field, first as an agency executive director while at the same time actively serving as a community volunteer. Fran next worked in county government for 8 years as a community organizer, focusing on issues related to child welfare and domestic violence.

Upon retiring three years ago, Fran shifted her community involvement to strictly that of a volunteer; through her work on the Community Food Bank’s board of directors and now serving as their Board Chair. Fran recently resigned as Vice President of Development on the Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center Board where she had served in a number of other executive board positions over the past 12 years. She also served 10 years on the board of Greater Tucson Leadership, an organization charged with developing leaders for community service work. Fran was board president of GTL from 1997-1998. Fran has also been involved in the arts, serving 3 years as the chair of the University of Arizona/School of Art/Art Advisory Board while also serving on a number of committees for the Tucson Museum of Art.

When not volunteering Fran is pursuing her passion for art. She has recently attained Signature Status in the Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona. This past fall 3 of her paintings were in local juried shows. This past spring she was an invited artist in the Fresh Paint show and auction at the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art.