Cindy Puryear to Serve as Chief Strategic Partnerships & Programs Officer

We are delighted to announce that Cindy Puryear will be joining our team as Chief Strategic Partnerships & Programs Officer effective Monday, June 12. Cindy is a veteran educator with 40 years of experience in k-12 education, having served as a special education teacher, special populations specialist, and instructional coordinator. She most recently served four years as Director of Library Services and Elementary Literacy in Houston ISD before retiring in 2018. In that role, she was responsible for leading all aspects of literacy instruction across the district’s 187 elementary schools, including providing professional development and coaching for teachers and administrators and guiding the implementation of a balanced literacy curriculum. Since her retirement, Cindy led the development and implementation of the Foundation’s Reading Roundup program and has served on the Executive Committee of the Ladies for Literacy Guild leading the community engagement initiatives.

As Chief Strategic Partnerships & Programs Officer, Cindy will be responsible for leading the Foundation’s signature literacy programs and investments in community-based literacy programs, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and increasing engagement of volunteers, particularly our Ladies for Literacy Guild and Young Professionals Groups, in support of our mission.

“Cindy is a seasoned educator with an extensive background in early literacy research and pedagogy and knowledge of k-12 systems” said Dr. Julie Finck, President & CEO of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. “She is well respected in the field and her passion for ensuring every child, regardless of their zip code, family status, or learning challenge, is simply unmatched.”