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In The News
Hartford Courant, July 21, 2010
Q&A with Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford’s Board Chair, Gene Evans
Gene Evans steps into the role of board chair with enthusiasm, passion, and a longstanding commitment to Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford. A sales manager at Comcast Spotlight by day, Gene has been involved with LVGH in every capacity – she’s been a tutor, a member of our Marketing committee, and an avid fundraiser. Executive Director, Carol Hauss sits down with Gene to find out what keeps her going.
Q. As the incoming Board Chair, what do you hope to accomplish for the organization?
A. Well, what’s great about LVGH is that its dynamic and we’re continually changing to meet the needs of the community. I’m proud, for example that we’ve grown from 450 to 700 students in the past five years. My goal is to continue along the path that we have set and build our core ESOL and Basic Literacy programs as well as our Math Literacy and Pre-GED, and our enrollment in our Bloomfield Library program. We’ve made enormous progress, but there’s always more work to be done.
Q. There are so many nonprofits out there doing great work. What is it that draws you to LVGH?
A. That’s an easy one. In my mind, what’s always stood out about LVGH is the loyalty and dedication of our volunteers. These are people who literally come from all walks of life – young professionals, busy moms, retirees. There are so many different reasons why volunteers walk in our door, but when it comes down to it, we’re really all here for the same reason, and that’s to make this community a better place. I mean where else do you find accountants and people from the insurance industry in the classroom with new immigrants and Burmese refugees? It’s truly unbelievable to witness the impact that our 180 volunteers make every day.
Q. How do you see the changing role of LVGH as a provider in the community?
A. In the past few years, we’ve really emerged at the leading private provider of adult literacy services in the community. This basically means that we have become the “go to” organization for literacy services here in the Hartford region. We are getting more and more calls from community organizations, social service agencies, and educational institutions and we’re collaborating more than ever. We’re leading the charge not only because of our expertise, but because we recognize that no one organization can solve the literacy problem by itself.
“Gene is just the kind of leader we need right now. With all her years volunteering as an LVGH tutor and Board member, Gene has a healthy knowledge and respect for our history. She also has a vision of who we can become, as we take our place as leaders in Hartford's literacy community. And Gene is a doer. She'll get us there.” – Carol Hauss, Executive Director.
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford works to improve the ability of adults in Greater Hartford to read, write and speak English. Since 1972, LVGH has been the leading non-profit provider of adult literacy services in the Greater Hartford region. Each year, our volunteer-led small group courses serve more than 600 students. LVGH offers English instruction to native and non-native English speakers as well as Citizenship, Math Literacy, and Health Literacy. LVGH is a United Way partner agency and accredited affiliate of ProLiteracy America.
Hartford Courant, May 20, 2010
Nathan Honored As Martha Fazzano Volunteer Of Year
 When Senthil Nathan began as board chair of the Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford in 2006, it didn't take him long to make big changes. His first entre to the board was not an easy one. Senthil was charged with managing the merger between Literacy Volunteers Connecticut River East in East Hartford and Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (LVGH).
In his four years, Senthil was successful in positioning LVGH as the leading private provider of adult literacy services in the community. His leadership in the areas of fund-raising and marketing laid the groundwork for organizational sustainability.
In his professional life, Senthil is responsible for Enterprise Sourcing at The Hartford. Senthil is a certified public accountant (CPA) and holds a bachelor's degree of commerce from Calcutta University in India. He resides in Glastonbury with his family.
Despite his strategic mindset and all that he has accomplished businesswise, Senthil's leadership style offers something more personal. Senthil is pleasant, fun and excels at working with people from various backgrounds. The board of LVGH is proud to honor him with the Martha Fazzano Volunteer of the Year award.
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford works to improve the ability of adults in Greater Hartford to read, write and speak English. Our volunteer-led small group courses serve more than 600 students per year. LVGH offers English instruction to native and non-native English speakers as well as Citizenship, Math Literacy, and Health Literacy.
LVGH is a United Way partner agency and accredited affiliate of ProLiteracy America.
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