Our mission


The Friends of Literacy Unlimited believes that literacy strengthens society, promotes equality among its members and helps individuals realize their full potential. 

Meet our board members

President
Johanna Ambrosio-LaPlante tutored with Literacy Volunteers of America in New York in the 1980s and more recently helped establish the beginnings of an LU satellite program in Marlborough, Mass. She is a writer and editor at Computerworld in Framingham, Mass. and holds a B.S. in technical writing from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

Clerk 
Erika Alvarez is President of Alvarez Consulting LLC, a management consulting firm in Southborough, Mass., that specializes in strategic meeting facilitation and market research. She has been a tutor for Literacy Unlimited, led the organization through a planning process for fundraising several years ago, and moderated a focus group on tutor receptivity to fundraising. 

Treasurer 
Joanne Artz is a longtime volunteer tutor for Literacy Unlimited, with almost 20 years of service. She is a logistics and facilities expert, with a background in real estate, travel and procurement. She holds a B.S. in accounting from the University of Illinois-Chicago and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Members 

Mark Contois is the Director of the Framingham Public Libraries and former Director of Palmer Public Library. He served on the board of the Quahoag Valley Literacy Program for 12 years and on various other nonprofit boards. He holds an M.S. in Library Science. 

Julie Heagney is the coordinator of LVA Literacy Unlimited. She has been associated with the Literacy Unlimited program for over 10 years, first as a tutor and trainer of volunteers, and became coordinator four years ago. She holds an M.A. in applied linguistics from UMass Boston and a Ph.D. in English from Boston College. 

Jeanne Kelley is Assistant Director of the Framingham Public Libraries and is a former coordinator of the Literacy Unlimited program and past manager of the McAuliffe Branch of the Framingham Public Libraries. She has an M.S. in Library Science.