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 2.5 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), 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.

During his career at Microsoft, John ran significant parts of the company’s international business divisions, including positions as:

• Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division
• Director of Marketing for Microsoft Australia
• Director of Business Development for the Greater China region

John holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. from the University of Colorado (magna cum laude).

Honors

• Profiled by the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBS) as one of “America’s Great Leaders”
• Selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum (attendee of the Davos WEF Forum for the last three years)
• Second recipient of the Draper Richards Fellowship, America’s largest fellowship for early-stage social entrepreneurs
• Four-time winner of the Fast Company Magazine and Monitor Group Social Capitalist Award
• Two-time winner of the Skoll Foundation Award for Social Innovation (grants of $200,000 and $1.2 million)
• Time Magazine’s “Asian Heroes” Award, recognizing “20 People under 40 who have done something brave, honor)

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