826 National is delighted to announce our new Co-chairs of the Board of Directors, Anne Wintroub and Sandro Olivieri. Anne and Sandro are passionate, strategic champions of 826 and our students, and are excited to deepen that commitment by leading our board. Both served on the 826 National board for a combined eight years and helped build the AT&T Aspire Accelerator program for ed-tech startups. Now together as co-chairs, they hope to deepen and broaden 826’s impact – digitally and locally – to bring stellar writing instruction to all communities equitably.
Anne Wintroub
As a philanthropic powerhouse, Anne Wintroub has been a trailblazer in social innovation. She’s created unique learning opportunities across the country, including launching a multi-million dollar education fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and developing content-labs in the entertainment industry for young women and youth of color. Anne stewarded a relationship with AT&T that has brought so many resources to 826, National and chapters alike. And in addition, she’s helped develop and strategize influential programs and campaigns through her social impact studio, Upside. With 826 National, she hopes to further her vision to support today’s youth: “826 chapters and 826 Digital open up doors, possibilities, and universes for the students they serve, with great care and respect for the vitality of youth voice.” In return, she hopes to ensure 826 equitably serves as many students as possible – both digitally and in person.
Drawing on her passion for storytelling and the arts, Anne notes, “Writing is fundamental to how young people make sense of the world, and ultimately contribute to it. I believe writing experiences are transformative ones, and necessary for students’ academic and social emotional skills development.”
Sandro Olivieri
Sandro Olivieri is a lifelong builder who has been influential across many sectors and industries. He started off his 826 journey as a volunteer with 826NYC and then served on 826 National’s digital committee to bring the 826 mission to students everywhere. As a strategy consultant, Sandro has helped establish foundations and nonprofits and encouraged investors to focus on the impact of their practices, especially in education and environmental sustainability. His current work primarily focuses on removing innovation barriers and adopting education technology through his non-profit, Project FoundED. His passion for new ideas and education translates into his desire to make meaningful strides for all communities, especially underrepresented ones: “826 has always been an incredible enabler for young people to find their voice. Writing is the best way to capture that voice so we can best understand the fears, hopes, and wisdom of young people. I’m excited to explore how we can deepen our impact in existing communities and extend our reach to communities that might benefit most from the 826 model.”
Through 826, Sandro hopes to continue to create effective changes: “We must look at the actions the board takes through the lens of how it might affect the kids 826 serves. We have before us a tremendous opportunity to partner with our network in deepening our impact in local communities and a mandate from our educators to continue to expand 826 Digital into new communities. I hope to lead the board in exploring both of these opportunities on behalf of the kids we serve.”
