Meredith Hintze announces her resignation from Reach Out and Read Colorado and her next role as the Director, Foundation Operations and Community Engagement at COPIC.
Denver, Colorado (Monday, January 14, 2019) – Meredith Hintze, Executive Director of Reach Out and Read Colorado since 2016, announced her resignation this week. During her tenure, Hintze made respect for human capital and an appreciation for civic accountability a core part of Reach Out and Read Colorado’s strategy and identity. When she leaves her position in February 2019, she will be utilizing her unique expertise to impact culture and social responsibility at COPIC, as Director, Foundation Operations and Community Engagement.
“A new opportunity to develop a corporate citizenship program is the culmination of a decade of relationship and system building,” Hintze said in a message to Reach Out and Read Colorado supporters. She added that she does so with the conviction that Reach Out and Read Colorado is “stronger than ever, poised to thrive.”
Hintze, a Colorado native, joined Reach Out and Read Colorado in 2009. Her early work focused on establishing the organization at the intersection of healthcare and early childhood education, and she continued to shape strategic growth by assuming the role of Program Director in 2012, an organizational first.
Hintze has grown with and shaped the organization increasing the collective footprint from 128 clinics to 327 clinics; increasing the number of children Reach Out and Read Colorado serves annually from 80,000 to more than 125,000; as well as achieving the long-held strategic ideal to provide program access to families in all of Colorado’s 64 counties.
“During Meredith’s tenure, Reach Out and Read Colorado has positioned itself as a thought leader and innovator within the Reach Out and Read National network,” Reach Out and Read National CEO Brian Gallagher wrote in an email. “The Colorado affiliate’s focus on program quality, medical engagement, and parent empowerment has been a best-practice model for Reach Out and Read programs across the country.”
Hintze emphasized her feelings of pride in having been part of the organization’s unprecedented success and innovation, and she expressed confidence that the nonprofit will continue to define industry best practices with a new strategic plan and the commitment of the diverse and varied stakeholders that comprise the Reach Out and Read Colorado community.
“Meredith has been with Reach Out and Read Colorado for ten years, the last three as Executive Director. During that time, the organization has seen tremendous growth,” shared board chair Simon Hambidge. “I want to thank Meredith for her leadership; Reach Out and Read Colorado has never been in a stronger position both in terms of program reach and impact, as well as finances. We know Meredith will succeed in her new role and the Reach Out and Read Colorado Board of Directors wishes her all the best!”
About Reach Out and Read Colorado
Reach Out and Read Colorado is an evidence-based nonprofit that partners with health care providers to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. By providing age-appropriate books to children at well-child visits from 6 months to 5 years of age, Reach Out and Read Colorado prepares children for school and encourages a lifelong love of reading. Children served by Reach Out and Read Colorado enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a three- to six-month developmental edge. To learn more, visit www.reachoutandreadco.org or connect with Reach Out and Read Colorado on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ReachOutandReadColorado.
