MEET OUR BOARD MEMBERS

Tina Johnson
President

Tina the owner of First Strokes Swim Academy, teaching Infant Resource Swimming (ISR) survival skills for children 6 months to 6 years, swim lessons and stroke development for ages 7 to adult.   Tina grew up in Urbana and attended Illinois State University, where she received a master’s degree in Communications and an undergraduate degree is in Public Relations. Tina worked in human resources for over 20 years. 

Jedd Swisher
Board Member

Jedd was one of Marilyn Kay’s first students when she started tutoring kids with dyslexia back in 1972. His kids and grandkids have also worked with tutors at The Reading Group over the years, since dyslexia is hereditary. He is General Manager at Depke Gases and Welding, Owner of Campus Ink, and an Equity Partner in the Illinois Marathon. Jedd is a living example of the statistic, “Forty percent of entrepreneurs are dyslexic.” Jedd knows first-hand that The Reading Group changes lives.

James H. Jones, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Dr Jones started is management career in retail and wholesale after graduating from the University of Minnesota – Moorhead, MN with a BS in Political Science.  After ten years, he entered the University of Illinois and completed his Master’s and Ph.D. in Human Resource Development.  Once he completed his graduate degrees, Jim would spend the next 30 years working in healthcare and higher education.  For fifteen years Dr. Jim worked for the largest healthcare provider in the world, HCA Healthcare.  He retired from HCA in 2005 as the Sr. Vice President, Human Resources.  Following his retirement from HCA he worked for four universities as a professor, dean and vice president of adult education. Joining The Reading Group, is a change of pace to be sure, but it continues to represent an opportunity to provide service to others.  Service to others has always been a primary goal for Dr. Jim and The Reading Group certainly provides a pathway to help individuals who learn differently change their lives and the world.