Our Team

The Entire Ignite Reading Team in Company Photo

Meet Our Founders

Jessica Reid Sliwerski

Co-Founder & CEO

Driven by the knowledge that every child can learn to read and that there is a proven way to teach them, Jessica co-founded Ignite Reading to deliver that instruction at scale. Early in her career, she served as assistant principal of Success Academy Charter Schools and a literacy specialist at The Urban Assembly. Jessica co-founded and was chief academic officer and chief product officer of LightSail Education, an adaptive literacy software company, and was CEO of Open Up Resources, a national nonprofit focused on increasing equity in education. Her work has been featured in the documentary films The Lottery and The Right to Read, and she is the author of the children’s book Cancer Hates Kisses (Penguin, 2017). Jessica loves yoga, traveling, and reading with her daughter.

Evan Marwell

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman

Evan is the founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit with the mission of closing the digital divide for 18 million households that have access to the Internet but can’t afford to connect. A recipient of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Visionary of the Year award, Evan has launched companies in the telecom, software, and hedge fund industries. He is an honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, an advisor to high-potential social entrepreneurs, and the board chair of the NGO myArgo and the nonprofit Recidiviz. Evan co-founded Ignite Reading to help solve the nation’s reading crisis.

Company Culture

A public benefit corporation, Ignite Reading attracts those who place mission above all.

We’re a remote team with a steadfast dedication to teaching kids to read. When we get together, whether on Zoom or at our annual in-person retreat, there’s always laughter, recognition for others, and celebrating student successes. Does this sound like you? We’re always looking for great people to join our team.

When I was first curious about leaving the classroom, it was in pursuit of having a greater reach and ensuring that more students receive a high quality education. Working as a school leader and district leader, I achieved that reach, however, it was nothing compared to Ignite. My desire to have a larger impact on student outcomes has gone far beyond my dreams. At Ignite Reading, our potential for impact is infinite.

After focusing much of my career on building enterprise software, I feel reinvigorated being part of a mission-driven company with an amazing solution and clear market. It's extremely rewarding for me to be building the platforms which will help us scale and move the mission forward.