Chandler Arnold Named Chief Operating Officer of First Book

Arnold to Help Lead Nonprofit's Global Expansion, Bringing Books and Materials to Children in Poverty Worldwide

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise that has provided more than 100 million new books to children in need, has named Chandler Arnold as its new chief operating officer. Arnold will help lead the organization during a period of dramatic growth, as First Book expands to bring books and educational materials to a global audience.

Arnold, who currently serves as First Book's executive vice-president, will be responsible for organization's day-to-day operations domestically and at the global level. He will continue to work closely with Kyle Zimmer, First Book's president and chief executive officer, and Jane Robinson, First Book's chief financial officer. Together, the three form the organization's executive leadership team.

"Chandler joined First Book in 1999 and social entrepreneurship is part of his DNA," said Zimmer. "His leadership has helped turn the First Book Marketplace into an unqualified success for the children and educators we serve. In this new role he'll shape First Book's exciting future from our global expansion, to our launch of eBooks and digital resources, to increasing the diversity of resources available to the children we serve. Chandler will also take a strong role in defining and preserving the organizational culture we are so proud of."

"Chandler believes that all childrenregardless of their economic situationsshould be able to see themselves in the books they read," said Peter Gold, First Book's co-founder and board chairman. "Last year Chandler was the architect of First Book's The Stories For All Project, which has already added more than 500 new books featuring those under-represented in children's literature to First Book's offerings. These books feature characters of color, LGBT young people, children with special needs, and others whose experiences resonate with all the children we serve."

Arnold holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, where his work centered on harnessing the power of the private sector to advance social change. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he founded the Harvard Emergent Literacy Project.

Prior to joining First Book, Arnold worked for The Coca-Cola Company, where he focused on customer segmentation and strategy, and as a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, where he advised corporations on profit maximization, public-private partnerships, and organizational design.

Follow Arnold on Twitter at @Social_CHAN_ge.

About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that puts quality books and resources into the hands of heroic educators serving children in low-income communities, providing the wealth of knowledge they need to read, learn and succeed. Through unprecedented breakthroughs, robust partnerships and an acclaimed business model, First Book is working to end knowledge poverty throughout communities in the U.S. andCanada. For more information, pleasevisit us onlineor follow our latest news onFacebookandTwitter.

CONTACT: Brian Minter, 202-744-3432, bminter@firstbook.org

SOURCE First Book

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