Book'em
Executive Director
| Executive Director | Mrs. Melissa Spradlin |
|---|---|
| Melissa@bookem-kids.org | |
| Term Start | November 2007 |
| Melissa's Experience: Melissa was hired in November 2007 as the new Executive Director of Book'em. The second in Book'em's history. Previously, she held the position of Educational Services Manager at The Tennessean for 13 years. During this time, she managed The Tennessean Newspaper In Education program which included a variety of education programs and services. She served on the Nashville Chamber's Education Report Card Committee for three years beginning in 2016, as well as the Chamber's Education Committee. She served on the Alignment Nashville K-4 Grades Committee at its inception and was vice-chair of that committee from 2010-2012. She continued to serve on various Alignment Nashville teams focused on literacy until their focus areas shifted. She was also a member of the Alignment Nashville Operating Board from 2010 until 2013. She served on the Nashville Literacy Collaborative Working Group and was on the committee that developed the Blueprint for Early Childhood Success. She currently serves on the Raising Readers Nashville Guiding Team and as co-chair for one of the action teams. Previously, she served on the Literacy/NIE Committee of the Tennessee Press Association. She was a director on NashvilleRead's board for three years until it ceased operations. She holds a BA in political science from DePauw University and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. |
|
Staff
| Full Time Staff | 2 |
|---|---|
| Part Time Staff | 4 |
| Volunteers | 200 |
| Contractors | 3 |
| Retention Rate | 66% |
Plans & Policies
| Does your organization have a Fundraising Plan? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Does your organization have a Strategic Plan? | Yes |
| Years Strategic Plan Considers | 1 |
| When was the Strategic Plan adopted? | January 2024 |
| Does your organization have a Management Succession Plan? | No |
| Does your organization have a Policy and Procedure Plan? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy? | Yes |
Evaluation
| Is there a formal evaluation for... | Frequency (if applicable) | |
|---|---|---|
| CEO/Executive Director | Yes | Annually |
| Senior Management | No | N/A |
| Non-Management | No | N/A |
Affiliations
| Affiliation | Year |
|---|---|
| Alignment Nashville | 2005 |
| CABLE | 2004 |
| Center for Nonprofit Management Excellence Network | 2004 |
| Community Resource Center - Nashville | 2004 |
| Hands On Network | 2005 |
| Metro Nashville Public Schools/Chamber of Commerce Alignment Process | 2005 |
| Nashville Area Association for Young Children (NAAYC) | 2007 |
| Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 2015 |
| Raising Readers Nashville | 2022 |
| Tennessee Literacy Coalition | 2004 |
| Volunteer Administrator's Network | 2007 |
Awards
| Award / Recognition | Organization | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Community Partner of Excellence | Lipscomb University SALT | 2009 |
| Hispanic Nashville Noteworthy Award | Hispanic Nashville Notebook | 2007 |
| Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer of the Year Finalist (Cindee Gold) | Hands on Nashville | 2010 |
| NTCE Literacy Award | The National Council of Teachers of English | 2006 |
| Program Excellence | Reading Is Fundamental (National) | 2008 |
| Volunteer of the Year for Mary Comfort Stevens, Book'em RIF volunteer | Reading Is Fundamental (RIF national) | 2011 |
| Volunteer of the Year Finalist | Hands On Nashville | 2021 |
| People's Choice Award | Center for Nonprofit Management | 2021 |
| Literacy Award | Cumberland Pediatrics Foundation | 2023 |
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| Staffing - Book'em has a relatively small staff. We continue to consider how our staffing can help us build capacity and meet more of the demand for our services. As we have brought on more employees, we have been able to distribute more books and serve more students. We continue to make other strategic staffing adjustments as needed and warranted. The demand far outstrips our ability to meet it. Meeting more demand requires more staff. And attracting strong employees requires competitive wages, which requires additional funding. |
