Room to Read Announces New Board Appointments

Scott Kapnick, Chief Executive Officer of Highbridge Capital Management and Highbridge Principal Strategies, has been named Room to Read’s Board Chair and Frank van Veenendaal, formerly of Salesforce.com Inc., was elected as a new member of the Board, it was announced today by John Wood, founder; Erin Ganju, CEO and co-founder; and Craig Bruya, Board Chair of Room to Read. Kapnick will assume the role of Board Chair as Craig Bruya completes his two-year term. Bruya, formerly of Microsoft Corporation, will remain a member of the Board of Directors.

“The most profitable investment one can make is in the education of the world's children,” said Kapnick. “Through Room to Read and the data driven approach we take, our donors have seen the amazing results we can achieve through accountability and transparency in the programs we provide to serve our only constituency: children who want to learn."

Scott Kapnick has been a member of Room to Read’s Board of Directors since 2008 and is a founding member of Room to Read’s New York Development Board. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Chairman of the Churchill Archives Centre Campaign Board and Aileron Therapeutics and serves on the Board of Directors for the Naples Botanical Garden.

New Board member Frank van Veenendaal most recently served as an executive vice president of Salesforce.com Inc. before retiring at the end of 2014. Previous to that, he had led Salesforce.com since 2001 in multiple leadership roles including Vice Chairman, President of Worldwide Sales and Services, President of North American Operations and Global Corporate Sales, President of Worldwide Corporate Sales and Services and Senior Vice President of North America Sales.

“Today, a strong board gets stronger,” said John Wood, founder of Room to Read. “Both Scott and Frank bring us their strategic advice, strong global networks, and commitment to changing the world for millions of children through the power of education. Their commitment to our mission has been critical to our scale and impact, and agree with us that we can and we must reach even higher in the coming decade.”

“The evolution of talent and expertise within our Board of Directors is one of Room to Read’s greatest strengths,” said Erin Ganju, Room to Read’s CEO and co-founder. “As a long-standing board member, Scott will lead the Board with critical institutional knowledge and fiscal insight into our organization and a genuine caring for our work and those who we help. Frank is deepening his relationship with Room to Read as a valued investor in our programs to now becoming a member of our governing board.”