Board Member and President

MIKE GOODKIND

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.

Board Member and Secretary

ANDREW MORCOS

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Andrew joined Literacy Partners – Menlo Park as a Board Member in June 2019 and has been Secretary since June 2020. His passion for literacy stems from understanding that knowledge of reading, writing, technology, business etc. are tools that can be used to create a more equitable future for the disenfranchised. Andrew works in real estate investments and development and hopes to address similar inequities by building and supporting both market rate and affordable housing to help tackle the housing crisis throughout the Bay Area.

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Andrew lives in San Francisco and has a BS in Finance from University of Illinois and an MBA from Columbia University. He is half Bolivian and half Syrian and loves cooking and traveling with his partner Trey and their Frenchie Gus.

Board Member and Treasurer

JOHN SCHNIEDWIND

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.

Board Member and Vice President of Technology / Social Outreach

TISHA GARCIA

Tisha joined Literacy Partners – Menlo Park in 2018. She oversees the tech stack infrastructure, digital presence and community awareness to support programs for improved access to resources and community development. 


Having grown up in Silicon Valley, Tisha sees firsthand the growing digital divide in the region.  Through her efforts in helping to decrease this divergence, she has a passion for encouraging the community to improve literacy skills and helping provide the resources to enable development.

Tisha holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BSC from Santa Clara University.

Webmaster

Madhavi Desai

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 g 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.