Literacy Partners, Inc. Selects New Executive Director: Anthony Tassi, Former Executive Director of Mayor Bloomberg's Office of Adult Education

NEW YORK, NY, December 13, 2012 (Press-News.org) On January 3, 2013, Anthony Tassi will join Literacy Partners, one of New York City's leading adult literacy programs, as the new Executive Director.

In his new role, Tassi will serve as chief executive, setting the vision and direction of the organization, and managing all of its programming. He will oversee a growing array of classes and other services that help more than 1,800 adults from across the city and from dozens of countries around the world strengthen the literacy and language skills they need to improve all facets of their lives.

According to Literacy Partners Chairman Mark Jackson, "Anthony Tassi's unique combination of work experience, professional accomplishments, talent and energy, make him precisely the right person to help grow our organization at this exciting time in our history."

Tassi brings to Literacy Partners a deep understanding of the adult literacy world, especially the issues facing New York City. He served as the Founding Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Adult Education from March 2006 through October 2010, a time when New York City educated more adults with better results than ever before. He was responsible for convincing Mayor Bloomberg to create a central office to coordinate and promote best practices among nine city agencies and numerous non-profit literacy programs.

There, Tassi was responsible for designing literacy programs for several city initiatives as well as creating and supervising the production of We Are New York, an Emmy-award winning educational television series for low-literate immigrants. He also provided technical assistance to numerous city agencies to help them comply with a Mayoral Executive Order to make government services more accessible to New Yorkers with limited English proficiency and low literacy skills. In 2010, in recognition of his great work in the literacy field, Tassi received a Mayoral Proclamation for Distinguished Public Service.

Prior to his role with the Mayor, Tassi spent many years in the health arena working at both public and private enterprises and culminating in a role advising then Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott on health-related issues. With a keen awareness of the important role that literacy plays in people's overall well-being, Tassi shaped New York City's health literacy initiative that brought together dozens of health care providers and adult education programs to improve health outcomes for thousands of low-income New Yorkers.

"The story of Literacy Partners is compelling. Helping New Yorkers from all walks of life to transform their lives through education is truly awe-inspiring," notes Tassi. "That's why I'm so honored to be the new Executive Director and appreciate the opportunity to work with the board, staff, and adult learners themselves to take this great organization to even greater heights."

For more information, or to schedule an interview with Tassi, please contact Christie High at 212-871-3020 ext. 114, or via email at chigh@jgordonassociates.com.

About Literacy Partners
For nearly 40 years, Literacy Partners has helped thousands of New Yorkers learn the basic reading, writing and math skills needed to succeed in day-to-day living. Through successful collaborations with major corporations, community partners and benefactors, Literacy Partners offers small, welcoming classes taught by credentialed teachers, supported by enthusiastic, highly trained, volunteer tutors. Literacy Partners is the only nationally accredited adult literacy program serving New York City. For more information, visit http://www.literacypartners.org.