Volunteer Spotlight: Board Member, Isabel Nuñez

An interview with TLA Board Member, Isabel Nuñez

What is your name and line of work?

My name is Isabel Nuñez, and I am a professor of educational studies and the dean of the School of Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

What is your affiliation with The Literacy Alliance, and how long?

I serve as vice chair of the board of The Literacy Alliance, and I have been a board member for one year. I came to the organization through Project Reads, which became a Literacy Alliance program in 2021. As a former first-grade teacher, I am deeply committed to developing a love of reading in primary-aged children, and I wanted to continue to be part of that work.

Why do you choose to support TLA financially and through board service?

As I learned more about the Literacy Alliance and its programs for adult education and English as a new language, I found myself inspired by their holistic approach to supporting individuals and communities. Education is a personal accomplishment that cannot be taken away. The Literacy Alliance helps students of all ages in ways that are transformative in every area and every stage of life.

Anything else you’d care to add?

The Literacy Alliance is a critically valuable resource for Fort Wayne and the region. The stronger our collective ability to communicate, the more we can accomplish together. Every person who graduates with an additional credential brings not just more earning power, but also more confidence and more cultural capital, back to their families and communities. Every child who starts fourth grade reading at grade level is prepared to succeed in all subjects, because they can learn readily from the classroom texts in the content areas. The Literacy Alliance is changing lives.

“The stronger our collective ability to communicate, the more we can accomplish together.”