First Book Leadership

Wendy serves as First Book’s Chief Financial Officer, overseeing the organization’s finance and accounting operations, audit functions, nonprofit compliance, and overall fiscal management. Wendy brings extensive experience in corporate finance, P&L management, and product development.

Prior to joining First Book, Wendy spent 12 years focused on the education field, holding pivotal finance and product management positions for two international companies committed to providing accessible, high-quality higher education across various institutions. Wendy’s responsibilities included overseeing school financials and budget, strategic planning, and finance operations. Wendy also spearheaded a key strategic initiative to create online professional development offerings tailored to the needs of working professionals.

Fluent in Chinese, Wendy grew up in Taiwan and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the National Chengchi University in Taipei. Wendy came to the United States in her early 20s to continue her education, earning an MBA in finance from Penn State University.

In addition to working in education, Wendy has experience in the manufacturing and healthcare industries.

Dan manages First Book’s human resources department, oversees day-to-day operations at First Book’s headquarters, and provides strategic and operational guidance as part of the executive management team. Before joining First Book, Dan spent his career in accounting. He worked with publishing and media companies in New York, the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, where he led their accounting and human resources departments. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in human resources, and an MBA, all from the University of Maryland.

Etienne Veber is the Chief Operating Officer at First Book, bringing extensive leadership experience in the education, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors. Previously, he was CEO of Media Source Inc., which publishes The Library Journal, The School Library Journal, The Horn Book and distributes the Junior Library Guild, and is dedicated to enhancing literacy through professional development and curated book collections to support librarians and educators. He also served on the Executive Board of the Field Trip Factory, a charity providing free experiential learning opportunities that are connected to the curriculum and increase students’ sense of belonging as well as career awareness.

Before that, Etienne served as President of Learning Resources, Inc. which develops and distributes hands-on supplemental learning resources.  Under his 7-year leadership tenure, the company delivered considerable operational improvements while doubling in size. Prior to moving into the education sector, he held various leadership roles at the Monsanto Corporation and led Merisant Worldwide Inc., a global consumer packaged goods company.

Etienne has been an active community participant and volunteer for many years having served on the board of the French Lycée of Chicago for 10 years, as Chair of the school board of the Walter Payton Public High School for 3 years, and as Board member of the Alliance Française.  He has also been recognized for his contributions to the American Diabetes Association, the Chicago’s “Idea Week”, and the Toys Industry Association. Originally from Paris, Etienne is fluent in French. He holds a B.S. in International Management from INSEEC in Paris and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

Libby Doggett is the former deputy assistant secretary for policy and early learning for the U.S. Department of Education, where she oversaw the Race to the Top — Early Learning Challenge and the Preschool Development Grant program, provided expertise and policy guidance to the secretary of education and served as the department’s early learning liaison to the White House and other federal and state agencies. Prior to joining the Department of Education, Doggett worked at the Pew Charitable Trusts, directing its home visiting campaign and working with advocates to build political and public support for data-driven investments aligned with federal guidance. She also previously directed Pre-K Now, a 10-year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three- and four-year-olds. Doggett also worked for the National Head Start Association and began her career as a bilingual first-grade teacher at Ortega Elementary School in Austin, Texas. She holds a doctorate from the University of Texas in early childhood special education.

Kathy Franklin is Co-Founder of Key and Kite LLC, providing consulting and advisory services in the entertainment space. She was previously the founding CEO of Hidden Pigeon Company, a startup family entertainment company created to expand the reach and impact of the work of noted author/illustrator Mo Willems. As the former President of Franchise Development at James Cameron and Jon Landau’s Lightstorm Entertainment, Kathy Franklin led global brand strategy and management for the Avatar franchise across all categories and platforms in partnership with The Walt Disney Company. Prior to joining Lightstorm, Kathy was Vice President of Global Franchise Development for Disney Consumer Products, where she led brand management of the Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cars and Toy Story franchises. She had previously served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Disney’s corporate citizenship division after an early career in a range of finance, education, and design positions. She received an A.B. degree from Princeton University and an M.A. from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Since 2013, Sharon Price John has served as president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW), the global company often credited as a pioneer of “experiential retail.” She has led a strategic transformation, expanding the brand beyond kids, evolving the retail footprint, elevating ecommerce, and extending into entertainment. Under her leadership, Build-A-Bear successfully navigated the “retail apocalypse” and a global pandemic, delivering some of the most profitable years in company history while staying true to its mission of “adding a little more heart to life.”

Ms. John has over 30 years of leadership experience focused on the children’s sector. Prior to Build-A-Bear, she served as president of the Stride Rite Children’s Group at Wolverine Worldwide (NYSE: WWW) and held senior roles at Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) and Mattel (NYSE: MAT), overseeing brands like Transformers, My Little Pony, Barbie, and Disney. She also held leadership positions at VTech Toys and began her career in advertising at DDB/Needham Worldwide. She holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Ms. John serves as Chairperson of the Toy Industry Association board and has been recognized among the University of Tennessee’s Top 100 Alumni. She is the author of “Stories & Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love”, an Amazon #1 Best Seller. Ms. John lives in St. Louis with her husband, Russ, and has three children.

Karen Kehela Sherwood is an independent film and television producer. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from UCLA, she joined Imagine Entertainment, where she served as president of production and later as co-chairman of Imagine Films. As co-chairman, Karen developed and produced Imagine Entertainment’s motion picture slate, in addition to guiding the company’s development team in tracking, acquiring, and shepherding all Imagine Film projects from concept to theatrical release. In 2001, Karen executive-produced “A Beautiful Mind,” directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. She served as producer alongside Brian Grazer on “Blue Crush,” and as executive producer on “Inside Man” and the Academy Award-nominated “Frost/Nixon.” Karen also contributed to “Angels & Demons,” directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks; “Robin Hood” and “American Gangster,” directed by Ridley Scott; and “Tower Heist,” starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Karen also helmed the Imagine Writers Lab from 2010-2012, a group of nine writers financed by Reliance Big Entertainment that adapted acquired and original material for Imagine Entertainment. She is currently working to move the scripts to production. “The Good Lie,” starring Academy Award-winner Reese Witherspoon, was completed in 2013.

Manish Madhavani leads KPMG’s New York Financial Services Audit practice. In his role, Manish is responsible for driving the client experience for KPMG’s financial services client in the tri-state. Prior to his current role, he led KPMG’s Stamford office as the Office Managing Partner. Manish has over 26 years of experience in providing audit and related services and also serves as a lead audit partner on financial service clients. Manish was admitted to the partnership in 2006.

Manish is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. He was tapped by the Chairman of KPMG to be part of Accelerate 2025 task force charged with increasing underrepresented communities in the organization. This initiative led to KPMG releasing its first transparency report.

Manish is very active with NACD – Connecticut and KPMG’s Asia Pacific Islander Network. Previously he was on the Board of the Business Council of Fairfield County.

Manish is a graduate of the University of Mumbai. He started his professional career with KPMG’s member firm in India in 1995. Manish joined KPMG US in 1998. He, his wife (Surbhi), and two boys (Neil and Dev) live in Wilton, Connecticut.

Lidia Soto-Harmon has a proven track record in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors. She leads the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and adults in the nation. Last year, the SCA engaged more than 2,000 youth and young adults in hands-on environmental conservation programs who collectively provided nearly 1 million hours of service at federal, state, and local parks and natural areas. SCA participants increase the nation’s climate resiliency, reduce wildfire risks, enhance equity and environmental justice, strengthen urban communities, implement historic preservation initiatives and retire backlogged maintenance projects. Prior to SCA Lidia led the largest Girl Scout Council in the country and served as a champion for girls and their mentors. Lidia serves as an international keynote speaker and serves in the leadership of several boards of directors. She is an expert in youth and workforce development, nonprofit governance, marketing/communications, and strategic planning.

She has a background in international issues affecting women and girls through the US Department of State. She is a proud Latina, earning a Master’s in Public Administration from George Mason University and B.A. from Drew University.

Carla Thompson Payton is vice president for program strategy for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. In this role, she supports the foundation’s efforts to promote thriving children, working families, and equitable communities. Thompson Payton provides leadership and management for the creative and strategic direction of programming from design through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. As a member of the executive team, she is also responsible for the overall direction and leadership of the foundation.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2012, Thompson Payton was deputy director of the Office of Child Care at the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. There, she was responsible for developing national early childhood education policy, managing the $5 billion annual budget of the Child Care Development Fund and providing oversight to 10 regional offices serving states, tribes, and territories. Previously, she was assistant superintendent for early childhood education for the District of Columbia, where she initiated the first publicly funded pre-kindergarten program. In other professional experience, she has held positions with the Department of Education and Department of Public Welfare for the state of Pennsylvania; United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Thompson Payton has been honored for her leadership in early childhood education by the Administration for Children and Families, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Temple University Institute on Disabilities. She also has served on boards and committees for nonprofit associations and professional organizations. In addition, she is the author of three publications related to school readiness and advocacy.

Anita serves as the President and Chair of the KPMG US Foundation and is responsible for the strategy of the firm’s philanthropic giving. She also serves as a Principal in KPMG’s Development & Exempt Organizations practice, where she supports both non-profit and corporate clients on their philanthropic strategies.

Anita’s professional career has been shaped by a culture of service. She started her career in healthcare at Indiana University Medical Center and George Washington University Medical Center, and joined KPMG more than 20 years ago, helping organizations move forward on their philanthropic journeys.

In addition to serving on the First Book Board of Directors, Anita serves as the Chair of the Points of Light Corporate Service Council, and as the Board Chair for Global Impact, which has inspired greater giving for more than 60 years. She has also served as Chair of the Association for Corporate Citizenship Professionals, and as a Board member for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Anita has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Virginia Tech, a master’s in health administration from Indiana University, and a certification in corporate responsibility from the University of Notre Dame.