Open Books :: About

Collectively, we can make a quilt, throw a grenade, rock the house, play the bass, play the saxophone, bake bread, and write books. Individually, we are:

	Stacy Ratner (Founder / Executive Director) has spent the last decade as a serial entrepreneur in key executive roles at Snapdragon Technologies, Wired Business, Ionospeed, Driveitaway, Picoesque, and Sittercity. She is a past recipient of PhillyTech's Thirty Under 30 award, a graduate of Boston College Law School and Brandeis University, a 6-time Winner of National Novel Writing Month, and an annual volunteer monitor for Blogathon who has served on the Boards of Directors of Literacy Chicago, The Nanotechnology Alliance, and OperaModa. Stacy recently received her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and makes awesome cupcakes.
	Becca Keaty (Director of Marketing and PR) comes to Open Books after years of experience in marketing and public relations for the American Cancer Society, Funnel Incorporated, Woodfield Mall, OperaModa, and Sittercity. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, she has been a proud saxophone-playing member of the United States Army National Guard Band for over 10 years and volunteers with literacy and marketing groups across the city.
	Stacy Shafer Peterson (Director of Development) comes to Open Books with experience as the Director of Development at both Namaste Charter School and Rush NeuroBehavioral Center. Prior to taking the plunge into the world of nonprofit development, she worked in Chicago's film & television industry for nearly a decade. Stacy received her B.A. in Theatre & Communication Arts from Kalamazoo College and her Master's in Public Service Management from DePaul University. She enjoys nothing more than hiking and traveling with her husband. Next on the list? Peru, Chile and Nepal!
	Dustin M. Walsh (Book Director) comes to Open Books as a recent graduate of Columbia College, where he majored in Marketing Communications and minored in Product Design. His past experience includes working with Washington Mutual's Mortgage Division, working with Brandtrust on product development as a class representative at Columbia, winning the Ryan Marketing Creative Marketing Challenge, and tutoring faculty and students in computer fluency. Dustin spent much of his time growing up volunteering with numerous organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, PADS, and Students of Service. He is an outdoor enthusiast as well as an avid cyclist who enjoys spending his time camping, traveling and boating.
	Erin Walter (Literacy Director) is thrilled to be able to combine her life's passions -- reading, writing, and teaching -- at Open Books. A Northwestern University journalism graduate, she has worked as a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, an editor for the Texas Legislature, and a first grade teacher at her beloved public school alma mater, Travis Heights Elementary. She plays bass and sings in the Chicago band The Hidden Mitten and has volunteered for 826CHI, Girls Rock! Chicago, and the Chicago Independent Radio Project.
	Natalie Weiss (Director of Finance and Operations) most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer and Director of School Supports for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools where she worked to improve the quality of education throughout Illinois by helping to promote and strengthen charter schools. Her previous experience also includes NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy working to transform K-12 public education, and Cornerstone Research, a consulting firm that provides financial, economic and strategic analysis for issues arising in complex business litigation and regulatory proceedings. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in Economics. Natalie currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Bronzeville Lighthouse Charter School and Lighthouse Academies and as a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois.
	Anna Piepmeyer (Program Coordinator) recently graduated from the University of Chicago with her MA in English. She was raised in Park City, Utah, and although she misses the mountains, she's excited about life in Chicago's urban metropolis. When she's not at Open Books, Anna can be found reading, writing, or hauling her giant camera around the streets of Chicago, taking blurry pictures and chasing rabbits. Her favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Milan Kundera, Vladimir Nabokov, and WG Sebald.

	Brittany Baker (Special Projects Intern) recently graduated from Trinity College, CT with a BA in English. She spent the first eighteen years of her life in sunny Southern California, but was more interested in bookstores than the beach. Her lifelong love of books and her growing love for Chicago make Open Books a very exciting opportunity to engage with the city and spread her passion for reading. Favorite books include anything by Roald Dahl, Pride and Prejudice, and Harry Potter.
	Alexandria (Allie) Dunn (Marketing Intern) is just about finito with her high school career at Walter Payton College Prep. After four years of studying math, science, and a few other pointless subjects (most of which have been forgotten in these last few weeks of senior year), five AP courses and five amazing months in France, she will be heading to Boston College in the fall to study Management in the B-school, with a possible double major in History or Theology (or French or the Classics or English or Philosophy...). Her work experience is limited and varied; she has been a waitress/salad maker at Noodles & Company, a camp counselor at the Ancona School, and even interned as a dental assistant last summer. She enjoys speaking French (although has a hard time finding someone to talk to), playing a good match of tennis, and seeing improv shows with her friends. Favorite books include Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
	Shoshannah Feinberg (Marketing Intern) was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and is a rising senior at Northwestern University, a student in the School of Education and Social Policy. She is excited to combine her interests of education and community outreach by interning at Open Books and is thrilled to have more time to read for pleasure now that classes are over for the summer. She is also obsessed with Seinfeld, Chipotle, and '90s music, and enjoys playing sports, traveling, watching movies, and going to the beach.
	Matt Gilles (Marketing Intern) is thrilled to help promote the power of the literature in Chicago with Open Books. A second-year student at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Matt hails from the enthralling northwest suburbs of Chicago. At U of M, he studies psychology both in and out of the classroom amidst preparing for a currently undecided future. An avid musician, he is usually only able to put down the guitar in order to spend some quality time with a good book.
	Allison James (Literacy Intern) is a recent graduate of Augustana College where she double-majored in English with a concentration in creative writing and Spanish. She's a notorious bookworm and is thrilled to spend this summer promoting literacy at Open Books. She enjoys traveling, biking, singing off-key to the dismay of everyone around her, and of course-- reading! Some of her favorites include Heller's Catch-22 and Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated. In the fall she begins her Peace Corps service in Nicaragua where she will teach English to high school students.
	Jennifer Plaskota (Literacy Intern) has always been interested in education and working with children and youth and is looking forward to serving with Open Books while she pursues a career in teaching. After graduating from Valparaiso University in 2007, she spent a year as a grant writer at a nonprofit in Wilmington, Delaware. Through this role and tutoring at a low-income community center, she realized her passion for literacy, and developed the belief that the abilities to read and write fluently are crucial tools for those learning to "help themselves" and achieve personal success. She has since returned to the Chicago area to focus on education and is excited to be part of the literacy initiatives at Open Books!
	Valerie Tonyan (Marketing Intern) grew up in Wheaton, IL, where she also attended college. She originally planned on going into medicine but switched to English: homework of reading and writing was an excellent trade-off for balancing chemical equations and studying photosynthesis. Her work experience has included SAT/ACT tutoring for Kaplan Premier, working as a Teacher's Assistance in the Wheaton College English office, and various retail positions. Recently, she has enjoyed reading "Letters and Papers From Prison" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and poetry by Jane Kenyon.
	Tranette Williams (Literacy Intern) is a native of the west side of Chicago. She studied clinical massage therapy at the Soma Institute and has a private massage practice in addition to working at two spas. A love of words and a need to help others brought her to Open Books as an intern this summer. In the fall, she plans on starting on a bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, concentrating on socio-economic development. When she grows up, she would like to have her own non-profit and spa.
	Rebecca Witheridge (Literacy Intern) is a rising senior at Oberlin College whose hobbies are reading, drawing, watching movies, hanging out with friends, and (when she's at school) doing homework. She is currently going through withdrawal of her favorite television show (Lost) and eagerly awaiting the next Harry Potter movie. In addition to interning at Open Books this summer, she is tutoring for Housing Opportunities for Women in Rogers Park.
	Ava Zeligson (Literacy Intern) recently graduated from Oberlin College, where she majored in Comparative Literature and French and did research on trauma in Romanian literature. She is a first-generation Romanian who loves purple but is trying to curb it, never wears pants, and is burdened by at least 15 superstitions.

Interns Emeritus: Megan Ashley Max Barry Will Berger Christine Blaine Hehershe Busuego Jasett Chatham Carly DiVito Carly Evans Erin Dostal Becky Eisinger Marie Elliott Rachel Fischhoff Jenna Fischman Mollie Franklin Lauren Hammond Alex Heimbach Lane Imberman Matt Johnson Hayley Kahn Ashley Keyser Nathan Kosky Vanessa Lee Suzanne Marlatt Colleen O'Brien Sarah Petersen Krista Ravenscraft Clare Riesman Annie Rooney Joia Williamson Shara Zaval