We are pleased to welcome Ann Marie Barter as our Grace Place Family Literacy Model^® Administrator.

Barter joins Grace Place, following nearly six years with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, where she served as the Senior Director of Curriculum and Training. In this role, Barter traveled nationally, developing and evaluating literacy programs to help communities with low-literacy risk factors overcome barriers to success associated with unmet literacy needs. Barter also wrote curriculum, created program standards, and delivered training at national conferences and regionally during her tenure with the Foundation.

At Grace Place, Barter will facilitate the growth and implementation of the Grace Place Family Literacy Model^® (GPFLM). Barter will oversee existing GPFLM partner programs and evaluate and establish new sites for the Model across the country, ensuring a continued high standard of programming and working towards Grace Place for Children and Families’ mission to provide pathways out of poverty by educating children and families.

“I have traveled all over the country reviewing early childhood education and family literacy programs, and Grace Place is arguably the best in the country. I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to join the Grace Place team, and to lead the growth of this outstanding program,” Barter said.

Barter’s hiring comes as Grace Place implements a plan of strategic growth for the family literacy program. “All of us at Grace Place are thrilled to have Ann Marie join the team. Her expansive knowledge and vast experience are just what Grace Place needs to move GPFLM forward in this exciting growth stage,” Chief Program Officer Diane Ponton said. “We have received interest from organizations across the country, and I’m excited to see the program extended beyond families in Collier County and addressing the challenge of multi-generational poverty in more communities around the country.”