All Aboard! Meet the Newest Members of Literacy Services' Board of Directors

Over the last year our board of directors have added four new members, who together, bring a diverse set of skills and knowledge and a passion for our mission. We are excited to introduce these dedicated volunteer leaders to you. The new members are Rodney A. Chapman of GE Healthcare, Ann Kramer-Haag of Zilber Ltd., Joshua Palleon of BMO Private Bank, and Susan Walker of JPMorgan Chase. We invite you to get to know them; read on!

Rodney A. Chapman, Ed.D, MAOM, DLL, LSSBB
Rodney earned his Doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University, a Masters Degree in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix, and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Beginning his career in the United States Navy, where he advanced to Lieutenant Commander and became Commanding Officer of the Navy & Marine Corps Reserve Center in South Bend, Indiana, Rodney is now the Director of Training (Global Services) for GE Healthcare.


Ann Kramer-Haag
Ann graduated with honors from Alverno College with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Communications. She serves as Director of Human Resources at Zilber Ltd. She brings over 30 years of human resources, general business and administrative services experience. Through her work with the Zilber Family Foundation, Ann has developed an extensive base of knowledge of the Milwaukee community's needs.




Joshua Palleon, CFA
Josh earned an MBA from Marquette University and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. As Regional Director - Investments at BMO Private Bank, Josh oversees the development and delivery of investment management and advisory services to high net worth individuals, families and organizations, including endowments and foundations. He joined the organization in 2004 and has over 13 years of experience in the financial services industry.


Susan Walker
Susan graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BBA majoring in finance. Susan has been in banking for 25 years, working with predominantly closely held businesses. In that time, she has held roles ranging from business development to risk analysis to upper management. Today, she serves as a Commercial Banker at JPMorgan Chase. Often, her roles have involved leading the development/implementation changes in philosophy and/or market positioning. Susan brings her extensive experience serving on local non-profit Boards.

At Their Best: Richard & Charleen
By: David Peters, Director of GED

One of the reasons I enjoy my work at Literacy Services is that it provides me with a daily opportunity to see people at their best. Adult students bring a commitment, intensity, and earnestness to their effort born out of necessity and a desire to grow.

The tutors are volunteers. Yet, despite all the other things they could be doing with their time, they return week after week and year after year to continue addressing the need manifest in the lives of the students.  

The combination of dreams, determination, and sometimes desperation brought by the student mixed with the guidance, encouragement, and the gift of a tutor’s time often yields something special. This is true in the case of many of Literacy Services’ student/tutor pairs. One such pair is math tutor Richard Reid and High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) recipient, Charleen Scott.

Charleen and Richard diligently studying together, often for hours at a time.

In order to satisfy the criteria for earning the HSED, Charleen needed to complete the content of a math class at 80% or better. I asked Richard to work with her to help her be successful.    

Richard, a math tutor at Literacy Services since 2006, struggled in math at an early age. Eventually, turning weakness into strength, he became a math teacher and a specialist in after school tutoring programs for kids having trouble in the subject. His own difficulties with math have given him a special window through which to view his students’ challenges.  

“Whenever I work with a student, I explain my own history where math was my worst subject.” Richard recalls, “The minute math was mentioned, I was afraid because I’d been ridiculed by teachers.”

The two began working together a month before the class began. They met for three hours a day, five days a week. Richard would often take Charleen home since without an income, bus fare was hard to come by. He took her to MATC so she could enroll and helped her find the classroom. He spoke with the instructor to get permission to sit in on the classes with Charleen, so that he would know exactly what was being taught and how.  

So, for its duration, Richard and Charleen attended the class from 8:00am to 10:00am Monday through Thursday. Each day after class they came to Literacy Services to spend anywhere from two and a half to five hours in tutoring.

Although she was unemployed at the time, Richard observed, “Charleen is a person who has a really, really good work ethic. She was never late to class.  She was always there. I was really amazed at her dedication.”

Keeping such a demanding schedule required amazing dedication from Richard as well.  Beyond the act of simply devoting the time, Richard had to battle through ongoing health issues. On one occasion, he collapsed in the parking lot at MATC twice while on his way to class. After making his way back to his car where he rested for a few minutes, he then continued on to the class and afterwards, to Literacy Services for tutoring.  

His commitment struck a chord with Charleen.

“It meant a lot to me. I felt like he really cared because he saw the potential in me. He was coming here every day. If this man can be here everyday and he’s sick, I know I can do it.  That’s what made me believe more in myself. I cried. I’m not going to lie. I cried when I got by myself and thought about it.”

“Richard’s a good guy. When he works with you, he sticks with you to the end. That’s what he did with me. He stuck by me. He’s just a caring person. He was there every step from the beginning to the end. I really, really appreciate that.”

What does having a secondary credential mean to Charleen?

Charleen’s work ethic paid off!

“It makes me feel like I have a key to some doors. I might not have it to all doors, but right now it will open up the first door for me and I appreciate that because once I get in the first door, I can venture off and do whatever else it is I want to do.” 

Less than three weeks after earning her HSED, Charleen got permanent, full time employment and is now considering a degree in nursing. 

She learned about more than mere academics, however. 

“I was never a consistent person. By coming here I started to be more consistent. I started coming every day. Now, I’m more consistent in life with my job and everything. I don’t want to miss a day. I feel like it’s an important part of anything, to be consistent at what you do.

This place taught me that. It taught me a lot of things.”  

A smile slowly spreads across her face as she adds, “I’m just happy.”

Volunteer Opportunity: GED Tutor
The GED Program is looking for more tutors, like Richard, to assist students with the rigors of GED preparation. Interested persons should call 414-344-5878 for more information.

Can You Feel It?
By: Ginger Duiven, Executive Director

With winter on the run, the energy in the air all around us has shifted. Have you noticed it too? People are just a bit more upbeat, quick to share an easy smile and offer a couple of friendly words of greeting. So it is in the classrooms and halls of Literacy Services. There is a definite buzz as our classrooms fill each day. The sounds of tutors and students working together side by side or across the desk make the place vibrate with energy. Exclamations at an “ah-ha” learning moment, the quiet repetition of sounds and words being mastered, the patient explanations, the practiced and the mastered recitations, the inquiries and answers add to the buzz. There are the soundless contributions to the energy too: eyes looking up searching the sky for the answer just out of reach, the determined squint at the computer screen, the focused attention on a writing assignment. And there are smiles shared between adults working together to unlock their potential.

Yes, unlock their potential. Because, if I learned anything about this magical place, I have learned that it’s both adults in the learning partnership between tutor and student who are unlocking potential. The tutors are unlocking their knowledge, their compassion, and their abilities to teach, share, encourage and believe in someone. They bring their hope and courage that what they know and their ability to share will help somebody else who wants it. The student is engaged in the very human act of daring greatly. He is daring to believe that he can change his life, he can learn even if he’s been told he can’t, he dares to believe he is up to the challenges ahead despite the odds, the barriers, the risks and the past. 

This energy is created and sustained by the reciprocity of giving and growing. When you meet someone where they are, open yourself to them, and then work together on a shared goal it is quite possibly one of the most rewarding of human experiences.  The results are often surprising and may not be what either the tutor or the student expected. The combined energy definitely equals more than two.

This work changes the world, two flourishing people at a time. I can feel the energy, can you?

Literacy Services is in need of more volunteers to keep the energy going and growing. Do you know someone who is ready to unlock their potential and has 90 minutes to give each week? We need more tutors in all of our programs now. Do you know someone who would like to help but can’t spare that much time consistently? We have a new volunteer position, Advancement Coach, which requires less of a time commitment. Email volunteer@literacyservices.org for more information.

Please save the date for our 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner.

September 17, 2015 at 5:30pm we will gather to celebrate through the stories of those have lived this experience.

We hope you will join us!