Longtime Colorado Early Literacy Organization, Reach Out and Read Colorado, Names New CEO

 Reach Out and Read Colorado, an early literacy organization serving Colorado children since 1997, and its Board of Directors have named Patty Fontneau as new Chief Executive Officer.

Ms. Fontneau’s background as a senior executive in the Health Services industry, combined with a lifelong passion for education, will help further advance the mission of Reach Out and Read Colorado. “We are delighted to welcome Patty as the next CEO at Reach Out and Read Colorado,” says Suzy Jaeger, Reach Out and Read Colorado Board Chair and SVP, Chief Patient Experience & Access Officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “Her extensive experience in healthcare combined with her deep roots in Colorado will be huge assets as we strive to realize our vision of connected families and healthy kids prepared for success in school and beyond.”

As Chief Executive Officer, Patty Fontneau will lead the organization’s strategic growth, deepen its community partnerships, and build on its strong program fidelity and statewide impact to bring the Reach Out and Read Program to as many Colorado children as possible. “Reach Out and Read Colorado provides invaluable resources to children and parents across the state, providing families with a strong literacy foundation. I am honored to serve in this role and to lead an incredibly talented team in service of this essential mission,” says Ms. Fontneau.

A longtime resident of Colorado, Patty Fontneau has served in leadership roles in both the private and nonprofit sectors, most recently serving as President of the Benefit Exchange and Technology Solutions business at Cigna. Ms. Fontneau also served as the Chief Executive Officer for Connect for Health Colorado, leading the development and implementation of Colorado’s public health benefit exchange.

She has devoted years to civic leadership throughout her career with organizations such as Public Education and Business Coalition, ProsperBridge, The Downtown Denver Partnership, International Women’s Forum of Colorado, College Invest, and Qualistar Early learning, just to name a few.

Patty lives in Centennial with her family and is an avid reader and local musician. She began her new role with Reach Out and Read Colorado on August 29th, succeeding previous Executive Director Anne Tengler, who retired earlier this summer.

About Reach Out and Read Colorado

Reach Out and Read Colorado gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. They do so by providing a new language and developmentally-appropriate book and empowering pediatricians to talk with parents of young children about the importance of reading aloud at regular check-ups, with a special focus on children growing up in poverty. By building on the unique, trusted relationship between parents and healthcare providers, Reach Out and Read Colorado helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills and healthy family connections from birth, so children enter school prepared for success.

The Reach Out and Read program is backed by extensive research and is the only national pediatric literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. To learn more, visit www.reachoutandreadco.org or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.