At age 35, John left an executive career track at Microsoft Corporation
to form Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that combines the heart of
Mother Theresa with the scalability of Starbucks to help over one million
children across the developing world break the cycle of poverty through the
power of education.
Razor-sharp business acumen honed at Microsoft, combined with a passion to
change the world makes John Wood a unique, inspiring and popular speaker with
universal appeal.
John founded Room to Read out of deep concern that nearly one billion people
lack basic literacy. "I was blessed with a solid education which was a
wonderful foundation for my future. As a result, I had a great career at a
company that encourages people to dream big dreams. I started this nonprofit as
a way to give that same foundation and opportunity to children in the world's
poorest places. Since its start in 2000, Room to Read has sponsored the opening
of more than 280 schools and 3,600 multi-lingual libraries across the
developing world. The organization has distributed over 2.8 million children's
books and supports more than 2,300 girls with long-term scholarships." John
describes these results as total tip of the iceberg as Room to Read plans to
increase this literacy network to 20,000 libraries and schools serving at least
10 million children.
The organization currently operates in eight countries in Asia and Africa,
ranging from Cambodia to Nepal to South Africa and Zambia. John raised over $25
million of financial commitments from a standing start and illustrates this
experience in a recent memoir, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World (Harper
Collins 2006), a book described by Publishers' Weekly in a starred review as an
infectiously inspiring read. Translated into 10 languages, it is popular with
entrepreneurs, philanthropists, educators, and internationalists alike, voted
by Hudson's Books as a Top Ten Non-fiction title of 2006 and by Chapters.Indigo
as one of their Top 100 Books of 2006.
