John Wood

John Wood is an American business executive and philanthropist. He is the founder of Room to Read, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and gender equality in education in developing countries.

Room to Read is a non-profit organization founded by John Wood. It focuses on improving literacy and gender equality in education in developing countries. The organization builds libraries and schools, publishes local language children's books, and provides scholarships to girls.

John Wood was previously an executive at Microsoft, where he worked for over a decade. He served as the director of business development for the company's Greater China region, overseeing the establishment of the first Microsoft office in China.

John Wood left Microsoft in 1999 after a vacation in Nepal, where he visited a local school and saw a lack of books and educational resources. This experience inspired him to leave his lucrative career in order to pursue his passion for education and global literacy.

John Wood and Room to Read have had a significant impact on global literacy and education. Since its establishment, the organization has built over 3,100 schools, established over 19,000 libraries, published over 1,800 children's books, and reached over 20 million children across Asia and Africa.