Michael Lombardo, CEO and Founder, BookNook Artwork

Impact Drivers

In this podcast, Jen Helms interviews entrepreneurs solving hard problems that matter. Through conversation we aim to inspire others to build businesses that do more than create incremental improvements. Instead, we demonstrate the path to building businesses solving the most pressing problems we face as a species. Whether it’s through innovative new technologies, products that move an industry forward, or process creation that flips the status quo on its head. Entrepreneurs with new approaches not only have the opportunity to push society forward in a positive way but also open up new market opportunities. Doing this, however, is hard. This podcast is a chance to be inspired and learn from those daring to build the hard businesses that create a better world. We call these entrepreneurs impact drivers.

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Impact Drivers

Michael Lombardo, CEO and Founder, BookNook

March 03, 2021 • Host: Jen Helms • Season 1 • Episode 8

In our eighth episode we hear from Michael Lombardo, CEO and Founder of BookNook. Before starting BookNook, Michael was the CEO of Reading Partners, a nonprofit he grew to be one of the largest children's literacy nonprofits in America.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 35% of 4th graders in the United States performed at a proficient or better level on the 2019 reading assessment. BookNook is a company on a mission to get all students reading proficiently by ensuring every child has access to a world-class reading teacher.

In this episode we learn about Michael's journey from CEO of Reading Partners to starting BookNook, how BookNook has adapted to fully online learning and what the results have been, and business decisions the company has made in order to uphold their values. We also talk about differences Michael has reflected on between leading a nonprofit and leading a social enterprise and what the future looks like for BookNook.