Marblehead Resident To Literacy Gap Support Organization

MARBLEHEAD, MA — A longtime Marblehead resident and former president of the Fidelity Investments' charitable foundation is the new Chair of the Board of Directors at Literations, an organization whose mission is to close the literacy gap among children in Greater Boston.

Amy Danforth worked for more than 20 years as a leader and business builder at Fidelity Investments and spent two years leading its charitable efforts that have provided nearly $20 billion in grants since 1991.

She was also head of Premium Services, Fidelity's first high-net-worth offering, and Portfolio Advisory Services, both of which experienced double-digit growth in her tenure.he w

Literation's mission is to improve the literacy skills of young children through the mentorship of trained volunteer literacy coaches.

"With over 70 percent of 4th graders at 'below proficient' reading levels, the literacy gap is a critical issue," she said. "I am excited to help lead Literations through its next phase of growth, as we seek to more than double the number of children we help each year, in an even greater number of high-need communities."

"As we prepare to launch our most ambitious strategic plan yet, Amy is the perfect person to lead our Board of Directors," Literations Executive Director Wes Enicks said. "With her strong background in organizational growth and understanding of our core values, Amy will play a key role in the success of Literations strategic growth plan.

"We are excited to welcome Amy Danforth as the new Board Chair."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)