Our History
Columbus Literate Community Program, Inc. (doing business as Literacy Alliance) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to increase literacy levels in the Chattahoochee Valley. Literacy Alliance has played an integral part in improving literacy since its inception in 1990. Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP) is a state-wide initiative created in 1990 at the request of then Governor Zell Miller, to make literacy a community-wide effort to reach adults needing literacy instruction. Thanks to the diligent work of many community members and Literacy Alliance volunteers, Columbus was the first community to meet the state’s criteria to be certified as a “Literate Community”. The fall of 2021, Literacy Alliance was recertified by the Technical College System of Georgia under the direction of Brandy Tolbert.
For years Literacy Alliance’s outreach efforts focused on adult literacy and early literacy. The Adult Literacy program is designed to assist under-educated adults to become self-sufficient, primarily through improving reading and math skills. We connect participants to community resources to alleviate barriers hindering them to excel in the program and to develop and achieve their personal goals. Our early literacy programs include Kindergarten Readiness, Let’s Read Muscogee, and community outreach efforts to build vocabulary awareness and grade level reading. In recent years, we have developed ways to incorporate family literacy. This began with the expansion of the Kindergarten Readiness program; to offer the parents of participates childhood development information, workshops, and as well as literacy support for them. In 2022, we launched the Community Book Nook program to increase access to quality materials. We are also offering family workshops throughout the year.
The mission of Literacy Alliance is to address the literacy gap in the Chattahoochee Valley. Literacy Alliance provides access to an array of services that address adult, family, and early literacy.
Board of Directors 2022-2023
Our board of directors includes nine community members. Application for new members will open in Spring of 2023.
Lanita Lucas
Chair
Lanita currently serves as the Development Program Administrator as well as lead administrator for the Educational Scholarship Programs at Aflac.
Wanda Etienne
Board Member
Wanda is employed at Troy University and serves in several capacities. Her favorite role is the PASS Coordinator. She speaks to people from all over the country about fulfilling their desires with an Associate’s Degree in General Education.
Trina Lumbard
Board Member
Trina Lumbard is a 25-year educator. She is currently a Mathematics Instructor at Columbus Technical College. She has been a part of The Literacy Alliance since 2007 and where she has served in several leadership roles.
Nekia Roberts
Board Member
As the English Language Arts Content Specialist for Kindergarten- 5th grade here in Muscogee County School District I have an opportunity to collaborate and support our schools in resource allocation, training, building local community partnerships, and working alongside teachers in curriculum, instruction, and classroom literacy practices.
Marc Calhoun
Board Member
Mr. Calhoun is an attorney who has practiced law in Columbus as a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 1972. He is currently Of Counsel to the Columbus law firm of Page, Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker and Ford, P.C. He also enjoys leading a book club with a small group of adult learners.
Jonathan Evans
Treasurer
A Columbus native, Jonathan Evans is proud to call the Tri-City area home. After serving 10 years in the United States Marine Corps, Jonathan returned and has been involved in many aspects of the Columbus community. He has worked in property management for over 20 years, and his current position allows him to work closely with residents to help overcome social and economic barriers.
Ilene Kent
Board Member
Ms. Kent is currently serving her final year of a three-year term on our Board of Directors. Ilene assists with several of our community events and plays an active role in our literacy festivals. For five years prior to the Covid pandemic, Ilene volunteered with in our early literacy program each semester.
Brenda Bannister
Board Member
After spending almost 32 years with Aflac, she retired in December 2020. During Brenda’s tenure with Aflac she served on many volunteer committees to include chairing several. Working with foster children and chairing a reading program sponsored by Aflac, Brenda understands the need for literacy and the role it plays in the academic success of the children in our community.
April Hopson
Board Member
April Hopson has served as the Vice President of Adult Education since 2015. Prior positions held with Columbus Technical College were Paralegal Studies Program Director (2010). Previous years of experience in education include Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Southern Union State Community College.
Staff
Our staff oversee the daily operations of Literacy Alliance and fulfill the programs and services to assist adults, children, and families to gain the skills they need to have literacy success.
Brandy Tolbert
Executive Director
Brandy began with the organization as a volunteer Reading Buddy at Brewer Elementary in 2011. Since then she has volunteered with other organizations support youth in Columbus. She was promoted to Executive Director of Literacy Alliance July of 2023.
Suzanne Taylor
Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Suzanne also began as a volunteer with Literacy Alliance. She mentored a small group of adult learners before becoming the Administrative Assistant in 2015.
David Boyce
Adult Literacy Instructor
Mr. Boyce is a retired military veteran with over 27 years of service. He is also the author of a book entitled The Tutor. This book reflects his experience of teaching non-readers to read, write, and improve their life skills since 1986.
Contact Us
Are you looking to get involved with one of our programs or have some questions pertaining to education for someone you love?
Contact us by phone (706-748-2904) or email (info@theliteracyalliance.org) to receive answers to your questions or schedule a consultation. We would love to hear from you and assist where possible!