Abbie DuFrayne

Abbie was born and raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and lived in Philadelphia for 11 years after college before she relocated to Seattle, Washington. Impressed by the programs and availability of book in Seattle, Abbie looks forward to bringing literacy and book exchange programs to the Philadelphia area. She believes in the opportunities and joy reading books brings to people and is excited by the enthusiasm for this project from her communities in Philadelphia and Seattle. Read more of Abbie's story here.

Favorite Books: Just Kids by Patti Smith, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder 

Jacklyn Herbst

Jacklyn has loved reading her whole life and maintains a continually growing, impressive catalog of books on Goodreads. After living on the East Coat while attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a BS and a Masters of Engineering, Philly Bookshelf’s mission is close to her heart. Currently, Jacklyn is an engineer with Facebook where she helps create magic on new and exciting devices. She brings the same tenacity for creative improvements to helping increase access to books.

Favorite Book: Coming soon!

Zac Brown

Zac has been reader all his life, reading just about anything he could get his hands on at his childhood home as well as his grandmother’s home. Zac first encountered the disparity in reading levels among students he tutored while attending the University of Miami. Since that experience, he’s been passionate about supporting libraries and community reading programs. Zac works as a Software Engineer. In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his family.

Favorite Fiction Books: Stoner by John Williams and Silence by Endo Shusaku

Favorite Non-fiction Books: The Cuckoo’s Egg by Cliff Stoll and Salt by Mark Kurlansky

Favorite Children’s Fiction Book: Redwall by Brian Jacques

Whitney Giaimo

Whitney has lived in the Seattle area her whole life, growing up in Bellevue and attending Seattle Pacific University for Electrical Engineering. Currently, she works in Surface Hardware at Microsoft as a Program Manager. Whitney has always been an avid reader, usually reading 20-40 books a year,  mostly non-fiction. Because reading was such a big part of her childhood, she hopes to help bring those same opportunities to the libraries and schools in the Philadelphia area.

 Favorite Books: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty and The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

Favorite Children’s Book: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Brandon Sher

Brandon moved to Philadelphia in 2009 after graduating from the University of Florida.  He is an employment attorney at Ogletree Deakins where he focuses his practice on employment litigation and counseling.  Brandon is eternally grateful that his parents stressed the importance of reading and writing at an early age.  He believes reading is important for children because it enhances imagination and creativity, improves writing skills, and reduces stress.  Brandon is looking forward to making more books available and accessible in Philadelphia.  

Favorite Books: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell; The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Favorite Children’s Books: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom; Corduroy by Don Freeman

Honorary Board Members (Non-Voting)

Aneesh Mehta

Aneesh lived in Philadelphia for 10 years before relocating with his wife and children to the Seattle area in 2015. He is a member of the legal team at Microsoft and President of the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA). While he lived in Philadelphia, Aneesh was an active member of the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia. He is a strong supporter of literacy and looks forward to increasing the number of books in neighborhoods with the greatest need.

Favorite Children’s Book: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Favorite Genre: Non-fiction/historical books (Michael Lewis, Mark Bowden, Erik Larsen)

Ali Taleghani

Rashmi Mehta