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Board of Directors
Dr. Kary A. Johnson
Female/Caucasian
817-924-2000
Kary A. Johnson is the founder and Executive Director of the board of Literacy United. She is also director of The Reading Connection that she opened for business in 2003. She manages a staff of 43 employees and supervises services at five locations in Tarrant County. Dr. Johnson has an extensive background in education; she received her Doctorate in Education in 2013 from Texas Wesleyan University. She also has a Master’s in education from Texas Wesleyan and a Bachelor of Arts in political science, international relations, and Spanish from Texas Christian University. She has published numerous papers in on various topics in the field of education including educational testing, children with ADHD, dyslexia, and special considerations for boys and literacy.
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Dr. Celia M. Scott, Board President
Female/Caucasian
214-886-3424
Celia Scott has been an external program evaluator and Literacy United board member since 2013. She is an associate professor of education at Tarleton State University in Fort Worth where she teaches courses in research methods and statistics. Prior to joining the faculty at Tarleton, Dr. Scott served as the Doctor of Education Program director and associate professor of education at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. Dr. Scott earned her Ph.D. in educational research from the University of North Texas in Denton and her master’s and undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Her research interests include the impact of score reliability on general linear model statistics and construct validity issues in instrument development.
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Anastasia “Stas” Taylor, Board Vice President
Female/Caucasian
469-826-1456
Anastasia "Stas" Taylor is the Executive Director of EmpathyHQ (formerly Alliance Child & Family Solutions), a nonprofit focused on life-changing mental health services. Stas has a Bachelor of Social Work Degree and Master of Science in Social Work Degree. In addition, she is pursuing a Master of Business Administration at TCU, with an anticipated completion date in 2025. Stas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Supervisor (LCSW-S), trained in therapeutic models like CBT, TF-CBT, EMDR, Motivational Interviewing, and TBRI, and specializes in services involving foster care and adoption, blended families, late adulthood transitions, social-emotional learning, and trauma. Through her years of experience in the mental health field, Stas saw an ongoing need for additional support services for many Clients and how literacy and mental health services were regularly intertwined. For this reason, she joined the Literacy United Board in 2020 to use her expertise in expanding services for community members in need.
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Dr. Carlos A. Martinez
Male/Hispanic
817-919-4583
Carlos Martinez has been on the board of Literacy United since 2014. Currently, Dr. Martinez is the Dean of the School of Education and Director of the ESL/Bilingual programs at Texas Wesleyan University.
Dr. Martinez holds a Doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Bilingual Education from Texas A&M University, a Master’s degree in education (secondary and ESL) from Stephen F. Austin State University and Texas A&M University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hispanic Studies and Linguistics from the University of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Martinez’s many degrees, combined with his passion for service, indicate his love of education and desire to have an impact on underprivileged youth. He has been involved in many organizations in the Fort Worth area including Sister Cities, Leadership Fort Worth, Kids Impact Council of the United Way and the Racial Justice Advisory Committee of the YWCA
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Jane Cooper
Female/Caucasian
817-692-3619
Jane Cooper is currently an adjunct instructor in the School of Education at Texas Wesleyan University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Texas Lutheran University, her educational methodology course work from Texas Wesleyan University, and her Masters of Liberal Arts from Texas Christian University. In addition to over thirty years' experience in public, private, and university classrooms, she has served as a reading and curriculum specialist at a private reading clinic, conducted staff development for various local private schools, and has been an assistant adjunct professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas in Arlington for several years. She holds Texas certifications in Pre-K - 6, ESL, and Gifted/Talented. Mrs. Cooper was named as one of Fort Worth's Top Teachers by Fort Worth Magazine in 2012. I was born and raised in South Dakota, have lived in Texas since 1972 and Ft. Worth for 42 years. I have four children and five grandchildren, and I attend South Hills Christian Church. I am a member of the Ft. Worth Woman’s Club, serve on the Reporting Board, as well as maintain membership and offices in four of the clubs.
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Martha Letbetter
Female/Caucasian
817-312-0437
Martha Letbetter joined the Literacy United Board in 2022. She graduated in 1987 with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Davis. She is a retired Lockheed Martin Engineer and a long time Forth Worth resident. Martha brought her 2nd grade daughter, an undiagnosed dyslexic, to the Reading Connection in 2010 due to difficulties in learning to read. As a parent, she greatly appreciated her daughter’s tutor and the support they both received from the Reading Connection and the Reading Connection’s intentional process of teaching a child to read, to spell, and to write. In 2016, her daughter left the Reading Connection as a rising 8th grader reading above grade level for the first time, able to spell, and able to write. Martha is grateful to the Reading Connection and very supportive of the efforts of Literacy United in their efforts to help other children like her daughter get the help they need in learning to read as early as possible.
Jon Eric (Rick) Moore
Male /Hispanic
817-888-1096
Jon served as a director in the nonprofit world for over 28 years serving youth in neighborhoods of need. During that time he raised generations of youth leaders, successful teams of staff and important community partnerships. In the Fall of 2021 Jon left to seek out other lifelong passions. In a semi-retired state, he is spending more time with family while working on new ventures in online sales, green initiatives through recycling, small business leadership, board membership and in ministry. Jon is a graduate of Midwestern State University with his Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree.
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LaToya "Toya" Price
Female/Black
337-349-3493​
LaToya Price joined the Literacy United Board in 2023, where she has an undergraduate degree in Public Relations from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Texas Woman’s University. With over 15 years of Project Management experience in HealthCare Information Technology, LaToya is excited to tap into her passion to give back to a well-deserving cause, ensuring everyone has access to literacy freedom and the confidence it brings. LaToya is married and the proud pet parent of 2 pups, Winston, and Maverick.
Douglas Graham
Male/Hispanic
817-822-7485
Douglas Graham has been on the board of Literacy United since 2022. Douglas is an institutional securities trader working in the Fort Worth area for a major financial institution. He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University.
Originally from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Douglas lives in Fort Worth with his wife and daughter. Douglas loves reading and encouraging others to read.
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Dr. Cheryl McDonald
Female/Caucasian
817-475-5369
Cheryl McDonald is a Fort Worth native who attended Vanderbilt University for undergraduate education and then went to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School for her MD. She completed her internal medical residency training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her infectious disease fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver, Colorado. She moved back to Fort Worth in 1998 to join TCIDA, where she enjoys caring for a diverse group of patients. She is active in the HIV community, having served on the Board of Directors for AIDS Outreach Center from 2007-2021, and currently serves as medical director for the HELP Center for LGBTQ Wellness. In addition, she has served in numerous hospital leadership capacities including chief of staff at THR Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading and travel.
Her youngest son, Sam, was identified at a young age to have learning differences, and he was an early and long term client of the Reading Connection. She has witnessed firsthand the dramatically positive impact early intervention can have on a young child’s education and life.
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Dr. Theresa Kauffman
Female/Caucasian
817-966-7795
Dr. Kauffman is the founder and CEO/Superintendent of Kauffman Leadership Academy, a small private school in Cleburne, Texas. She opened the school to students in 2011 and continues to offer home school support programs as well as community use of the building in the evenings and on weekends. Dr. Kauffman earned her doctorate in Administrative Leadership in 2013 from Walden University, her master's degree in the art of teaching from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon, and her Bachelor's degree in elementary education from Oregon College of Education. She is a national facilitator for All Kinds of Minds and the Courage to Teach programs. She has presented locally, statewide, and nationally on civics education, literacy and differentiation. She has published articles and book chapters on various topics related to teaching and learning. Her work in the classroom has focused on accommodating different learners.
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Leslie Ritchie Robnett
Female/ Caucasian
leslie@robnett.us
512-294-3583
A sixth generation Texas lawyer who grew up in Fort Worth, Leslie Robnett is a leading business attorney specializing in state and federal regulatory litigation and appeals. She has consistently received numerous accolades from renowned publications for honors such as “Rising Star” by Thomson Reuter’s Texas Super Lawyers magazine. She is also the 2021 recipient of the 40 under 40 honor by the Fort Worth Business Press. Leslie holds two degrees from the University of Texas at Austin—a B.S. with Highest Honors in and a J.D. with Honors. During law school, Leslie co-founded and served as the second Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas & Energy Law. After that, Leslie was a briefing attorney for the Honorable Paul W. Green on the Supreme Court of Texas. Before she studied law, Leslie worked as the youngest -ever Chief of Staff for now-State Senator Phil King of Parker County when he oversaw redistricting and the restructuring of both the electricity and telecommunications markets. For the past 15 years, Leslie has leveraged her early years at the Texas Capitol into a litigation/regulatory/appellate career practicing with some of the largest, most prestigious firms in the nation. She recently founded her own firm with her husband, former U.S. Navy combat veteran Kevin Robnett. Her practice focuses on Texas state and federal court litigation and regulatory advising. After enjoying almost eighteen years in Austin, Leslie moved her growing family to Fort Worth to be closer to the family ranch outside of Mineral Wells. Leslie enjoys serving on the Tarrant County Bar Association Appellate Section, where she recently chaired the section. Leslie also devotes time to the Ma-hon Inn of Court and the Tarrant County Bar Association Transition to Practice Committee. Most recently, Leslie joined the board of Fort Worth Republican Women and serves as its Americanism Chair. A former member of the UT waterski team, Leslie is an avid yogi and lover of all-things fitness. She spends her free time ballroom dancing and enjoying her husband and three kids—Elisha, Cyrus and Arleigh Kay—and three dogs—Belle, Tipton and Goose—at the ranch or on the pontoon boat on Lake Granbury.
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