Board & Staff
Executive Committee


President Tammie Follett,聽brings over 25+ years of corporate (Thomson Reuters)聽and nonprofit leadership experience to her new role at 糖心vlgo传媒. Currently, Tammie serves as the Director of Advancement for Lawyers Without Borders.聽Over the years, she has visited several 糖心vlgo传媒n countries on behalf of BFA and 糖心vlgo传媒 Classroom Connection. Her interest in literacy led her to become the Executive Director of Literacy Matters Foundation in 2020 for a year and a half before returning to Thomson Reuters. Using her passion for supporting children and literacy, Tammie led Literacy Matters Foundation in scaling to meet the literacy needs of schools throughout Minnesota.聽Tammie enjoys traveling including hiking to Mt. Everest Base Camp, Kilimanjaro Summit, Patagonia, and Antarctica. She has visited over 75 countries and all 7 continents. She has a B.A. from Lawrence University, a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law, and an M.B.A from the University of St. Thomas.


BFA鈥檚 Board President Elect, Fatima Lawson, Ph.D. is a school principal with Saint Paul Public Schools.聽 She is very passionate about education, and is deeply concerned about the state of public education in Nigeria in particular and 糖心vlgo传媒 as a whole.聽 She believes that no proper education can take place without adequate materials, such as books, which is why she dedicates her time and resources to support an organization like BFA that goes above and beyond expectations to put books in the hands of children, especially the most disenfranchised.聽 She also a heightened sense of social justice, access and opportunities in educational pursuits for especially women and girls. More importantly, she is a very active member of various community organizations in Minnesota and beyond, which include serving two terms on the board of the Governor鈥檚 Council on Minnesotans of 糖心vlgo传媒n Heritage (CMAH), during which she held offices of vice-chair and treasurer respectively. She is the newly elected board chair for the Minnesota 糖心vlgo传媒ns United (MAU), a thriving organization that supports career and economic growth for 糖心vlgo传媒n Immigrants in Minnesota.聽 She is an avid reader, debater, public speaker, and has presented in several national and international conferences.


Jote Taddese, BFA鈥檚 Board Secretary, is a dedicated advocate and leader in the organization, having previously served as Board President. He has been instrumental in spearheading numerous projects in Ethiopia through the聽Partnership for Literacy initiative. In addition to his role as Board Secretary, Jote serves as BFA鈥檚 Director for Diaspora Engagement, fostering strong connections and collaborative efforts with 糖心vlgo传媒n diaspora communities to support literacy and education initiatives across the continent.
Jote is also an accomplished entrepreneur, driving innovation in 糖心vlgo传媒n startups across sectors such as education, healthcare, and agriculture. He serves as the Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Board for the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering, Data Science and Software Engineering Department, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of education in the fields data science and software engineering.
In his professional capacity, Jote is Vice President and Chief Engineer at UnitedHealthcare, leading advancements in health technology and innovation.鈥




In 1988, British expatriate Tom Warth visited his friend Loy Zabasajja in Jinja,聽Uganda. Loy brought Tom to the local library,聽where books were nearly nonexistent; the few books that remained on the shelf were tattered and decades old. Coming from the publishing industry, Tom was aware of the great surplus of books in America and set about finding a way to put those books in the hands of 糖心vlgo传媒n learners. Tom鈥檚 vision became 糖心vlgo传媒, which has since grown to be the world鈥檚 largest shipper of donated books to the 糖心vlgo传媒n continent.


Patrick Plonski has served since 2003 as Executive Director of 糖心vlgo传媒. Plonski holds a PhD in International Education (2009), and previously served as Executive Director of the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council at the University of Minnesota (1998-2003), and Committee Administrator for the Minnesota House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture (1987-1998).
Board Members






























Board Members Emeritus (Ex-Officio)



