Episode 26: Scaling Literacy with Jeff Conyers of the Dollywood Foundation

Can a single book change the trajectory of a child’s life? Jeff Conyers believes so—and with 150 million books mailed and counting, the data is on his side. In this episode, you’ll learn the heartwarming personal story that inspired Dolly Parton to launch the Imagination Library and how a "turnkey" replication model allows local communities worldwide to gift books to every child from birth to age five. Cathy Ackerman sits down with Jeff Conyers, CEO of the Dollywood Foundation. They discuss Jeff's unconventional path from Governor Phil Bredesen’s "body man" to the leader of a global literacy nonprofit. You'll hear about the foundation’s massive growth during the pandemic, the logistics of mailing 1.8 million books monthly, and what it’s really like to work with the "Little Engine That Did" herself—Dolly Parton. Listen now to discover how the Imagination Library is lowering barriers to literacy one mailbox at a time.