Open Books :: About


	Stacy Ratner Founder & Executive Director
Prior to founding Open Books in 2006, Stacy spent a decade as a for-profit serial entrepreneur and helped take 3 startup companies from idea through a combined total of $30 million in committed venture funding. She holds degrees from Brandeis University and Boston College Law School and recently completed her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University's Kellogg School. Outside of Open Books, she is a proud 7-time Winner of National Novel Writing Month and annual volunteer monitor for Blogathon, lives and letterboxes with her beagle Jameson, and eats ice cream every day.
	Kevin Elliott Bookstore Manager
Kevin is an eight year shellback of the bookstore world. He is a lifelong proponent of the written word and books-as-social media. Most recently, he served as store manager and events coordinator for Barbara's Bookstore. He has worked in libraries, on printing presses, and around complete chaos, so he is well prepared to tame the Open Books store for all of Chicago's readers. Kevin writes consumer reviews, makes silly videos and will eat any food once...and most foods repeatedly.
	Erica Hawkinson Marketing and Events Associate
Erica is delighted to add Open Books to the eclectic list of positions where she has garnered work (and life!) experience. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Spanish Literature and Language, she ventured off to San Diego, California and earned her credential as a bilingual multiple-subjects teacher. With three rewarding years as a 2nd grade classroom teacher under her belt, she moved back to Chicago and secured a job teaching Spanish, but the world of literacy was still calling for her! Originally a reading Buddy, she will now be working with Open Books as the Marketing and Social Media Networking intern. She has a passion for crafty projects, prefers public transportation to finding parking, and wonders why "quite a few" and "quite a lot" mean the same thing.
	Becca Keaty Director of Marketing & PR
Becca comes to Open Books after years of experience in marketing and public relations for the American Cancer Society, Funnel Incorporated, Woodfield Mall, OperaModa, and Sittercity. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, she has been a proud saxophone-playing member of the United States Army National Guard Band for over 10 years and volunteers with literacy and marketing groups across the city.
	Aaron Lippelt Book Coordinator
Aaron recently graduated from the extremely dirty world of industrial manufacturing. He previously attended Purdue University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He lived and worked in Belgium for a time, but couldn't learn to enjoy warm Coke Cola. As a result, he returned to the U.S. of A to dedicate his life to kindness.
	Stacy Shafer Peterson Director of Development
Stacy comes to Open Books with experience as the Director of Development at both Namaste Charter School and Rush NeuroBehavioral Center. Prior to taking the plunge into the world of nonprofit development, she worked in Chicago's film & television industry for nearly a decade. Stacy received her B.A. in Theatre & Communication Arts from Kalamazoo College and her Master's in Public Service Management from DePaul University. She enjoys nothing more than hiking and traveling with her husband and decompressing with a good book.
	Anna Piepmeyer Program Director
Anna recently graduated from the University of Chicago with her MA in English. She was raised in Park City, Utah, and although she misses the mountains, she's excited about life in Chicago's urban metropolis. When she's not at Open Books, Anna can be found reading, writing, or hauling her giant camera around the streets of Chicago, taking blurry pictures and chasing rabbits. Her favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Milan Kundera, Vladimir Nabokov, and WG Sebald.
	Dustin Walsh Book Director
Dustin comes to Open Books as a graduate of Columbia College, where he majored in Marketing Communications and minored in Product Design. Dustin spent much of his time growing up volunteering with numerous organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, PADS, and Students of Service. He is an outdoor enthusiast as well as an avid cyclist who enjoys spending his time camping and kayaking.
	Natalie Weiss Managing Director
Natalie most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer and Director of School Supports for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools where she worked to improve the quality of education throughout Illinois by helping to promote and strengthen charter schools. Her previous experience also includes NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy working to transform K-12 public education, and Cornerstone Research, a consulting firm that provides financial, economic and strategic analysis for issues arising in complex business litigation and regulatory proceedings. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in Economics. Natalie currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Bronzeville Lighthouse Charter School and Lighthouse Academies and as a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois.
	Rebecca Witheridge Program Coordinator
Rebecca is overjoyed to be the newest member of the Open Books team! She is a recent graduate of Oberlin College with a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Sociology. She grew up in Minnesota, but with one parent in St. Paul and another in St. Louis, Missouri, she’s used to the confines of cars and airplanes. She was born in Chicago, and couldn’t be more excited about returning to the city as an official resident! She’s obsessed with her newly adopted kitten, Blossom, and is just itching to make new friends and learn her way around! In her spare time, she can be found reading, doing art, visiting with her family and friends, and exploring Chicago.
	Ava Zeligson Volunteer Coordinator
Ava hails from the East Coast but has gotten quite comfortable claiming to be a Midwesterner in the past few years. She received her B.A. in French and Comparative Literature with a focus on Trauma Studies from Oberlin College (the first of two Oberlin grads at Open Books!). Ava is a first-generation Romanian who spent most of her childhood traveling the globe, collecting embarrassing stories at each stop. Seriously, just ask. When she is not organizing the wonderful volunteer corps that makes Open Books possible, she is likely reading, cooking, or hanging out with her new best friend, Loomis the dog.

	Brittany Baker Open Books Fellow
Brittany recently graduated from Trinity College, CT with a BA in English. She spent the first eighteen years of her life in sunny Southern California, but was more interested in bookstores than the beach. Her lifelong love of books and her growing love for Chicago make Open Books a very exciting opportunity to engage with the city and spread her passion for reading. Favorite books include anything by Roald Dahl, Pride and Prejudice, and Harry Potter.
	Lizzy Boden Bookseller
Lizzy started as a volunteer in the Open Books store when it opened in November 2009 and is thrilled to join the team. She graduated from DePaul University with a degree in history in 2009. Her favorite authors are Neil Gaiman, P.G. Wodehouse, and Lois McMaster Bujold. She loves genre fiction and history books, but will give every single type of book a shot! There’s even a tattoo of a book on her foot, but it remains untitled because her favorite book changes so often. She loves coffee, cookies, and music, and is attempting to learn to play the banjo.
	Sarah Hyde Open Books Associate
Sarah joined the Open Books team back in January as a literacy intern and is thrilled to be back as an Open Books associate. She graduated from the University of Denver in 2009 with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Although she loved it out west, her Midwestern roots were calling to her, so she moved to Chicago in October and has been loving every minute of it.When Sarah isn't at Open Books she can be seen hosting at The Publican, walking her Maltese, Ollie, and trying out new restaurants. She loves music, writing and reading. Her favorite authors are Augusten Burroughs and Janet Fitch.

	Katie Budde Literacy Intern
Katie is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in Elementary Education. She is originally from Ohio but moved to Chicago to be back in the Midwest again. During college, Katie spent a lot of time dedicated to a club, Camp Wildcat, that worked with underserved Tucson youth and her passion is helping, mentoring and teaching young people. She has spent the past two summers working as a summer camp counselor in California and some of her favorite things are sports, the outdoors, reading, and fro yo. Despite apprehension about having a winter season again, Katie is extremely excited to be living in the city and working as a Literacy Intern with Open Books! ute.
	Laurel Eatherly Literacy Intern
Laurel is lucky enough to call Cody, Wyoming (the rodeo capital of the world) her home. She is a senior at Lake Forest College where she majors in English and Communication and tutors at the campus writing center. Laurel enjoys traveling and spends most of her time dreaming of new places to visit. She also loves being outdoors, especially in her home state, and drinks too much coffee. Laurel is excited for the chance to help students learn to love reading and writing, and she's looking forward to all the books she'll finally have time to read during her daily commute.
	Mary Stoner Literacy Intern
Mary is excited about joining the Open Books team and enter in the non-profit world. She was born in Chicago and raised in Milwaukee. She moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for college, and lived there a total of 5 years. She was drawn to the west because of the outdoors, and loves to spend her free time outside. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors in Elementary Education and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. She is excited to promote language and literacy development in the city and to be involved with many schools!
	Charlotte Stretch Bookstore Intern
Charlotte long ago decided to dedicate herself to books and literacy. She has worked in two libraries, one in St. Paul, MN and a bilingual library in Madrid, Spain. She just completed a Master’s in Spanish literature and will soon be going back to school to study Library Sciences. What she wants in life is to be able to work with books and speak Spanish, because nothing makes her happier than speaking in Spanish, talking about Mexico (she used to live in Puebla de los Angeles and it is probably one of her favorite cities to have ever lived in) and books. She also loves to dance: hula, salsa, bachata, cumbia, merengue, zapateo, and anything else that anyone will teach her. So, if you don’t see her with a book, she is probably dancing.
	Ross Wasserstrom Literacy Intern
Ross is a native of Chicago, and has just recently moved back after several years in other cities. He studied Political Science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and spent time in England and Ecuador. In college, he was a staff reporter and varsity soccer player. After graduating in January, he taught English as a Second Language and worked on environmental campaigns. Most recently, Ross lived in Lebanon studying Arabic language and culture, and traveling through the Middle East. He reads mostly American adventure novels and political non-fiction, and watches Westerns. His favorite food is Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.
	Tracey Zdravkovic Literacy Intern
Tracey hails from this grand city of Chicago and jam-packs her schedule with work, school, studying and writing. She usually survives on coffee and granola bars. Fall and winter are her favorite seasons though you may often hear her complain about wet boots and her wet feet from September to April. She has affinity for Hello Kitty memrobilia, collects pens and notebooks obsessively and watches 'I Love Lucy' reruns when she's sick. She graduated in 2009 from Loyola University with a BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing and she also minored in French language and Anthropology. She is currently attending DePaul where she will obtain her MA in Writing and Publishing. You can usually find her with her head in a book on various buses and trains.