John Wood

At age 35, John Wood left an executive career track at Microsoft Corporation to form Room to Read, a non-profit organization that “combines the heart of Mother Theresa with the scalability of Starbucks” to help children across the developing world break the cycle of poverty through the power of education. Razor-sharp business acumen honed at Microsoft, combined with a passion to change the world makes John Wood a unique, inspiring and popular speaker with universal appeal.

John founded Room to Read out of deep concern that nearly one billion people lack basic literacy and that over 200 million children in the developing world are not enrolled in school. Since its inception in 2000, Room to Read has sponsored the opening of more than 1,100 schools and 10,000 multi-lingual libraries across the developing world. The organization has distributed over 7.4 million children’s books in multiple languages and supports nearly 9,000 girls with long-term scholarships. John describes these results as “total tip of the iceberg” as Room to Read plans to increase this literacy network to 20,000 libraries and schools serving at least 10 million children by the year 2015. The organization currently operates in nine countries in Asia and Africa, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Africa and Zambia.

In his award-winning memoir, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John tells the story of how he raised over $80 million of financial commitments from a “standing start” to develop one of the fastest-growing non-profits in history. Now in its 14th printing in 20 different languages, the book is popular with entrepreneurs, philanthropists, educators, and internationalists alike, and was selected by Amazon.com as one of the Top Ten Business Narratives of 2006 and voted by Hudson Booksellers as a Top Ten Nonfiction title of 2006. The book was also featured during John’s appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the resulting “Oprah’s Book Drive” with Room to Read raised over $1 million from viewers. Because of the positive response from viewers, the show has re-aired on numerous occasions.

John holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Honorary Doctorates in Humane Letters from the University of San Francisco and Westminster University.

• Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

  At age 35, John Wood left his job as director of business development for Microsoft Corporation's Greater China region to form Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy in impoverished parts of the world.
  
  In his inspiring presentations, John describes how he founded Room to Read after becoming concerned that nearly a billion people in the world lack basic literacy, 'I was blessed with a great education, and as a result I had a great career and made some money. I started Room to Read as a way to give that same opportunity to children in some of the world's poorest villages.'
  
  Razor-sharp business acumen honed at Microsoft, combined with a passion to change the world makes John Wood a unique, inspiring and popular speaker with universal appeal. His charismatic presentations focus on leadership, entrepreneurship, business, education and literacy, philanthropy and women's empowerment, as well as motivational messages about finding your passion in life, thinking big, and proving that anyone, with focused vision and determination, can make a significant impact on the world.

• “John spoke at our 500-person Starbucks marketing conference and was an amazing inspiration to our global team. Here is someone who is literally changing the world, and he invites you to participate! He does so with humour, energy, and no guilt. If you want to hear a story that will end with a standing ovation, invite John to speak (and then donate to his organization)! ”
  Starbucks Coffee Company
• “John is a breath of fresh air to executives and professionals who are typically caught up in their busy lives. He connects with people's natural desire to do good for society. John was a big hit at our Software 2004 conference, where he received a standing ovation (the only one in the history of the conference) from over 1,000 CEO's, VP's, and venture capitalists. He is an engaging speaker who is guaranteed to make people passionate about life.”
  Sand Hill Group
• “I'm sure you are on to your next adventure by now, but I wanted to take a moment to thank you for joining us in Charleston at our Conference for Nonprofits. As was apparent by your long standing ovation, the response to your keynote speech was overwhelming. The audience of more than 1200 people was inspired by your story and challenged to act. Since returning to the office this week, I continue to receive glowing comments and emails from Blackbaud employees and conference attendees. It seems that for many, you were the "highlight of the event!"”
  Blackbaud, Inc.

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