Mike Goodkind is a journalist and communications consultant who went on to spend the past 20 years actively supporting and promoting community education. In 2020 he became president of Literacy Partners — Menlo Park (LPMP).

Goodkind retired in 2002 from a 20-year career as an editor, science communicator and public relations specialist at Stanford Medical Center. Then, while running a small communications business, he cultivated a passion and gained skills for literacy promotion, serving as a part-time coordinator with Redwood City Project Read before transitioning to a volunteer role at Project Read – Menlo Park and later Literacy Partners. In 2020 the nonprofit fundraising organization was expanded and renamed LPMP to focus on the broad goals of community literacy.

After college in New Hampshire in the 1960s, Goodkind served in the Peace Corps in Nigeria and then in the Army in Vietnam. Those two seemingly contrasting roles gave him diverse experience and world insights which he then applied successfully as a reporter and editor for several news organizations, including the Associated Press, where he was involved in producing, editing and disseminating some of the most significant news stories of the late 20th century. His work and leadership involved developing articles with global impact, but he also developed stories affecting local communities such as those served by Literacy Partners. He is now focused on activities to help ensure that Literacy Partners — Menlo Park is successful in supporting community goals, particularly during this current period of transition and pandemic.

John joined Literacy Partners – Menlo Park in 2020 as the treasurer. His involvement with Literacy Partners is a natural outgrowth of his work with Project Read where he has been a tutor since 2011. John retired in 2010 having spent almost 30 years at American Century Investments and Benham Management as an investment executive and portfolio manager. After retirement he worked with local nonprofits such as Channing House, Peninsula Open Space Trust and Stevenson House either as a board member or finance committee member. He currently serves on the board and as chief investment officer for Bulamu Healthcare International, an NGO which is focused on improving health outcomes in Africa for those most in need beginning with the country of Uganda.

Heriberto Madrigal joined the LPMP Board in 2022. He brings over two decades of Literacy experience working with youth, families and adults. He worked with the Menlo Park Library for 19 years where he developed a passion for early and family literacy. During this time, he also worked with Project Read-Menlo Park as a computer lab coordinator and substitute Beginning ESL Instructor for the Belle Haven Library Adult ESL Program. He also worked in the Project Read-Menlo Park office as the evening office aide and computer lab coordinator where he helped with student intake and literacy level evaluation. Currently he works as a Youth & Family Services Librarian focused on early & family literacy initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Heriberto Madrigal is a Bay Area native and has lived in Menlo Park since his family moved there in the 90s. His long-time work as a library paraprofessional inspired him to earn his Master’s in Library Information Science (MLIS) from San Jose State University. His life experiences and library work have ingrained a love for life-long learning that he hopes to instill into others. Heriberto’s passion is to work with the most vulnerable communities to help them thrive.

Margaret Simmons joined the LPMP Board in 2022 with decades of experience in teaching and program development in local and international schools – and an unbridled passion for reading. Her assignments have included a broad range of subjects taught to a wide variety of students, ranging from AP high school English students to day workers. She entered adulthood as a professional dancer in Paris, where she married a U.S. Army sergeant and began raising children before returning, after her husband’s death, to the Bay Area where she operated a small bindery and antiquarian bookstore in Menlo Park. As her children grew, Simmons began traveling to teach in many countries, including Cambodia, Korea, Uganda, Japan and Taiwan, and recently Simmons was instrumental in setting up a primary school in Zanzibar. Closer to home, she has taught and coached drama at Balboa High School in San Francisco and taught 7th to 9th graders in the Ravenswood School District. Most recently she tutors English at Day Worker’s Center in Mountain View and serves as a docent/naturalist at Año Nuevo State Park, which “is reminiscent in many ways of my childhood home on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.” Simmons received a BA in English and Philosophy from the University of Santa Clara, a masters in English (Drama) from the University of North Wales, and an MA in literacy from San Francisco State University. “My passion, beyond reading, is to seek new challenges.”

Madhavi joined Literacy Partners – Menlo Park in 2022 as a webmaster for LPMP website. Her role is to design and develop the website and do site maintenance, plus work with the team to ensure the site aligns with the goals and objectives of the organization.

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Having worked decades in the IT field, Madhavi sees the importance of an organization’s robust internet presence. She understands that, with a strong web presence, Literacy Partners can do its job most effectively with its many constituents.  She understands the importance of literacy and the need for effective education to achieve a strong community.

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She received  a BS in Computer Science from San Jose State University and  has worked over 20 years in the IT sector in various roles with wide  exposure to various technologies. She has lived in the bay area with her husband since 1990 after immigrating from India and has two adult kids.