The Oakland Literacy Council Board of Directors is comprised of volunteer members who are actively involved in promoting and advancing the council’s mission.

Paula Brown, CFRE, Chair

Development Director, The Arc of Northwest Wayne County

Paula brings to the Oakland Literacy Council more than 30 years of experience in fundraising for non-profit organizations. She is currently the Fund Development Officer at Zaman International in Inkster.  Paula is deeply committed to combatting adult literacy; she is the former Executive Director of Reading Works in Detroit. 

Dr. Ashelin Currie, Vice-Chair

Literacy Consultant, Oakland Schools

In her role at Oakland Schools, Ashelin supports school district leaders, literacy coaches, and teachers, with the goal of delivering effective and appropriate literacy instruction to all students. Ashelin is the president of the Detroit Affiliate of the National Black Child Development Institute. She works extensively with children and families and other community organizations to implement systems to improve the academic lives of students beyond the school setting. Ashelin obtained her Doctorate in Reading and Language Arts with a concentration in emergent literacy from Oakland University. She earned her Master of Arts in Reading Education from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University.

Mita Bhavsar, Treasurer

Director, FINNEA Group

Mita is an industry expert in data modeling, with over 20 years of experience across multiple industries. Mita is a community advocate with a focus on math literacy. She is “passionate about education and believes that knowledge truly is power.” Mita has served as a volunteer GED Math instructor and worked with multiple nonprofit organizations leading math boot camps, promoting STEM education for young women, and ensuring that teenagers at risk for dropping out of school have a path to higher education and trade programs.  She is a certified diversity and inclusion facilitator. Mita graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor of Mathematics.

Judy Bryce, Secretary

Past President of Oakland Literacy Council Friends

Judy has worked with Oakland Literacy Council for 20 years as an office volunteer, tutor and board member. She serves on the board of Glens of Copper Creek condo association and is a former medical technologist.  

John Almstadt, Immediate Past Chair

Michigan Works Director for Oakland County, retired

John Almstadt is the recently retired director of the Oakland County Michigan Works! Agency and manager of Oakland County Workforce Development.  John has more than 30 years of experience in workforce development. In addition to his service on the Oakland Literacy Council, John has experience on numerous other Boards, including Automation Alley, the Workforce Intelligence Network, Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency, and the Oakland County Human Services Coordinating Council, of which he is a former chairperson.  

Damany Head

Chair of the Board, Pontiac Regional Chamber
Principal, Essential Recycling
Managing Partner, Top Notch Enterprise Ventures

Damany is an entrepreneur, executive coach, leader, and strategist, and team builder. He has been the Chair of the Pontiac Regional Chamber since 2016, focusing on bringing forward environmentally-, socially-, and economic-minded solutions. Damany is a graduate of Ohio Northern University, BSME, Engineering.

Sue Klunk

Former Oakland Literacy Council Development and Communications Coordinator
Bookstock Representative for OLC

Sue joined the Board in 2023 after retiring from her role as an OLC staff member.  She chairs our annual fundraising dinner Ex Libris and is the representative to Bookstock for OLC.  Sue brings strong storytelling and communication expertise to the organization and as a former tutor she understands our core service.  Sue is active in the community and serves on the Board of Aish Detroit.  She holds a Master of Education in Instructional Technology from Wayne State University and her bachelors is in business administration from Miami University.

Ellen Lipton

Vice-Chair, Michigan Board of Education
Treasurer, Hazel Park Promise Zone
Former Representative, State of Michigan

Ellen previously served six years as a Michigan State Representative where she began her advocacy for Promise Zones, which supports free community college tuition, technical training, and certification to students in select communities in Michigan. Ellen has been a tireless advocate for education, committed to eliminating educational inequities and ensuring affordable higher education. A patent attorney, Ellen graduated from Harvard Law School and earned her bachelor’s degree from Williams College.

Ann Nazareth Manning

Twenty-year Ford veteran in finance, governmental relations, and sustainability

Ann serves on the Birmingham Youth Assistance board and is an active volunteer with hunger organizations.  She has her bachelor’s in economics from Cornell and MBA from Wharton. She is fluent in French, Spanish, and Portuguese and is a former tutor for Oakland Literacy.  She also serves on the Care House Board of Directors

Kaushi Muthukuda

Manager of Attorney Professional Development and Lateral Integration, Honigman LLP

Kaushi is one of the newest members of the Board of Directors and brings talent development, retention, and promotion expertise to the Board.  She has also served as an ESL tutor for Global Detroit and served on the Michigan State University College of Social Science Alumni Association Board of Directors. As a first-generation immigrant from Sri Lanka, Kaushi understands the hardships of immigration that many OLC learners face. Kaushi received her Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University and her Bachelors from Michigan State University.

Alicia Stephens

Senior Vice-President, Director of Corporate Quality, Comerica Bank

Alicia joined the Oakland Literacy Council in January of 2018. With a background in sales, operations, communications and instructional design, she understands that literacy is the foundation of business and necessary for financial competency. She is also a board member of the Pontiac Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc., a public service organization, as well as a board Member, secretary and communications chair for the Comerica Michigan Women’s Forum.  Alicia holds a Masters in education from Wayne State University and received her Bachelors in economics and Japanese from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Shelley Taub

Former Commissioner, Oakland County
Former Representative, State of Michigan

Shelley joined the Oakland Literacy Council board in February 2021 after many years supporting the organization. Recently retired from her position as Oakland County Commissioner, Shelley brings close to 30 years of experience in state and county government. As a legislator, teacher, and community activist, Shelley has been a forceful advocate for education, literacy, human services, and the arts for community members of all ages. Shelley holds bachelor’s in education from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with post-graduate work in education and business/medical management from the University of Kansas and University of Missouri.

Marc Thomas

Dean of Teaching and Learning
Oakland Community College

Marc was elected to the Board in 2024. A recent arrival to Oakland County, Marc brings a wealth of experience in teaching and learning.  He is also a dedicated public servant having served for six years on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and as a community volunteer for International Programs at Michigan State University.  Recently, he served as the chair of the Committee to Increase Voter Participation for the City of Farmington Hills. Marc has a Doctor of Education from Ferris State University in Community College Leadership and holds Masters in Global Policy Studies (University of Illinois) and Public Administration (Western Michigan University).