Kyle J. Zimmer, President
Throughout her career, Ms. Zimmer has worked at the intersection of policy, business and social issues. Early in her career, she served in the federal liaison office for Ohio Governor Richard Celeste with a special focus on transportation and the protection of natural resources. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Zimmer became an advisor in the Presidential campaign of Walter Mondale with a particular emphasis on state and local issues in the central region of the country.
After graduating from the George Washington University National Law Center, Ms. Zimmer began her legal practice and went on to represent a wide range of entities including corporations, state and local governmental entities, and the Navajo Nation.
She later became the Director of State Affairs for an innovative alliance between major consumer organizations and property and casualty insurance companies. In this capacity, she designed and implemented legislative campaigns in more than twenty states annually. While in this role, Ms. Zimmer and two colleagues founded First Book in 1992.
Three years later, Ms. Zimmer left her legal career to serve full time as First Book's President. Since that time, Ms. Zimmer has steered the organization's expansion from 70 communities to more than 1300.
Ms. Zimmer has been recognized as a leader in the field of social enterprise and was named as a member of the International Board of Directors for Ashoka, a premier social enterprise organization dedicated to supporting social entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Jane Robinson, Chief Financial Officer
Jane Robinson, First Book's Chief Financial Officer, has expertise in budgeting and accounting for large-scale entities with a national profile. For First Book, Ms. Robinson designed a sophisticated database for all book purchasing and inventory as well as internal accounting.
She is responsible for the financial management of First Book and its hundreds of Local Advisory Boards nationwide as well as the financial aspects of the cause-based marketing initiatives undertaken with First Book's corporate partners. As well, she oversees all auditing and tax filing requirements for the organization.
Before joining First Book, Ms. Robinson served as Chief Financial Officer for Zuckerman Spaeder, a prominent litigation law firm with a central office in Washington, DC. During her 20-year tenure with the firm, its growth included expansion to branch offices in six cities nationwide, requiring her to develop centralized systems for financial organization.
In both roles as Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Robinson created financial analysis tools integral to the growth of these national organizations.
Lynda Lancaster, Senior Vice President, National Outreach
Lynda Lancaster, First Book's Senior Vice President for National Outreach, has spent the past twenty years working in management positions at renowned volunteer and community-based organizations. With significant experience supporting community-based programs from a national perspective, Ms. Lancaster is uniquely qualified to manage First Book's nonprofit and governmental partnerships.
To date, Ms. Lancaster has connected First Book with key organizations such as Kiwanis International, The National Head Start Association, the National School Supply and Equipment Association, The U.S. Coast Guard, The U.S. Postal Service, The Points of Light Foundation – Connect America, The Salvation Army, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Armed Services YMCA, and Communities in Schools.
Prior to joining First Book, Ms. Lancaster held positions at The President's Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives, The Points of Light Foundation, The National Assembly, and the Association of Junior Leagues International, all of which depended upon her talent in mobilizing volunteers and partnerships with national organizations. Leveraging those relationships, Ms. Lancaster has developed an expertise in creating national partnerships and collaborations.
Vandna Wendy Bhagat, Senior Vice President/Executive Director, First Book National Book Bank
Wendy Bhagat is a Senior Vice President at First Book and the Executive Director of the First Book National Book Bank, a subsidiary program of First Book. In her role as Executive Director, Ms. Bhagat has managed the distribution of over 20 million new books to children from low-income families.
Prior to joining First Book, Ms. Bhagat served as Associate General Counsel at the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services ("COPS Office). In this capacity, Ms. Bhagat negotiated resolutions with federal grant recipients who received determinations of grant noncompliance along with providing legal counsel to the COPS office.
Ms. Bhagat received her law degree from the Catholic University of America and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.
In addition to working at First Book, Wendy has a strong personal commitment to bettering the lives of children and young adults. In her spare time, Wendy serves on the Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which provides college scholarships to minority students in need.
James G. Francavilla, Senior Vice President, Program Strategy and Community Organizing
James Francavilla has extensive management, strategic projects, community outreach, and career development expertise. Mr. Francavilla's non-profit and education related experience includes working as the Managing Director of the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund, and associations with The Baltimore Education Scholarship Trust, The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, the New Song School, The Village Learning Place, Habitat for Humanity, and as a member of the T. Rowe Price Community Relations Board of Advisors.
In addition to his non-profit experience, Mr. Francavilla has more than 20 years of professional work experience in the financial services industry. His experience includes work for Dean Witter, Bankers Trust Company, and T.Rowe Price, where he served as Vice President of Client Administration and Vice President of Strategic Projects.
Mr. Francavilla has a degree in Marketing from St. John's University in New York City and an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix.
Chandler Arnold, Senior Vice President/Executive Director, First Book Marketplace
Chandler Arnold is a Senior Vice President at First Book and the Executive Director of the First Book Marketplace, an online initiative that provides books to community-based literacy programs at deeply discounted prices. Mr. Arnold is responsible for managing Marketplace business strategy, product negotiations, marketing, and customer outreach. After a very successful pilot phase, the Marketplace recently won the grand prize in a national business plan competition sponsored by the Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Yale School of Management and the Social Enterprise Innovation Award from the Social Enterprise Alliance.
Prior to joining First Book, Mr. Arnold worked for The Coca-Cola Company, where he focused on customer segmentation and marketing, and The Boston Consulting Group, where he advised corporations on profit maximization, public-private partnerships, and organizational design.
Chandler 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. Chandler also founded the Harvard Emergent Literacy Project at his undergraduate alma mater, where he graduated with honors with a focus on social change in American history and literature.
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