Books with color leadership
Lawrence M. Gordon II
Lawrence M. Gordon II
Lawrence M. Gordon II
Lawrence Gordon is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Books with Color, Inc and the Founder of @booksbylg on IG, which inspires dads and male role models everywhere to read more books to children. His children inspire the content of his two self-published books Unicorn Dreams and The Dad, the Bully, and the Orange Ball. He wrot
Lawrence Gordon is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Books with Color, Inc and the Founder of @booksbylg on IG, which inspires dads and male role models everywhere to read more books to children. His children inspire the content of his two self-published books Unicorn Dreams and The Dad, the Bully, and the Orange Ball. He wrote these particular books because he saw his children weren't reflected in the children's books that were available in the mass market on these particular topics-which little did he know would become a precursor for Books with Color, Inc.
Gordon also founded a sports company with a focus on social capital called Sport Mode One. With Charlotte being last in economic mobility amongst major cities, our camps, teams, and programming aim to improve their social capital and athletic skills. Our programming is designed to help bridge the gap between communities in the Charlotte area, allowing kids to meet people they usually wouldn’t meet. Follow us on Instagram to learn more @sportmodeone and @charlotteskillfactory.
Kristina Cruise
Lawrence M. Gordon II
Lawrence M. Gordon II
Kristina Cruise is the President and Co-Founder of Books with Color, Inc. Cruise is a passionate children's advocate and award-winning philanthropist who has worked hands-on in the early literacy space for more than a decade. She is also the Founder of Living Libraries, and author of the bilingual The LiLi Key series. The LiLi Key Cruise
Kristina Cruise is the President and Co-Founder of Books with Color, Inc. Cruise is a passionate children's advocate and award-winning philanthropist who has worked hands-on in the early literacy space for more than a decade. She is also the Founder of Living Libraries, and author of the bilingual The LiLi Key series. The LiLi Key Cruise's passion for literacy ignited in 2008 when she saw a little girl in line at a food pantry at a story she was covering for a television station. That child had never touched a book before, which opened her eyes to the concept of book deserts. She took the passion created by her inquiry and used it to create Promising Pages, a 501(c)(3) non-profit which up-cycles tens of thousands a books a month to children living in Charlotte's book deserts. Cruise grew Promising Pages for nearly a decade before leaving to pursue the greater shared vision to help all children thrive via books.
Charlitta Hatch
Lawrence M. Gordon II
Charlitta Hatch
Charlitta Hatch is a founding director of the Books with Color Inc. movement where she serves as Secretary. She is a problem solver, team builder and advocate with a passion for solving racial injustice issues that plague our modern culture. She has brought her heart for service and mind for results to her professional consulting clients
Charlitta Hatch is a founding director of the Books with Color Inc. movement where she serves as Secretary. She is a problem solver, team builder and advocate with a passion for solving racial injustice issues that plague our modern culture. She has brought her heart for service and mind for results to her professional consulting clients at Slalom, Accenture and IBM for 15 years to help businesses solve complex problems so they can provide better experiences to their employees and customers. Charlitta is a proud mother and author of the Black Boy Joy series and Founder of the #Me3project movement. She is a passionate advocate for women and children, and is always looking for opportunities to inspire, encourage, and support others to be the best they can be at home, work, and in the community. She is the current President of the Junior League of Charlotte.
Books with color board of directors
Jordan Harris - Board Chair
Jordan Harris - Board Chair
Jordan Harris - Board Chair
Currently, the director of strategic partnerships and community development at University City Partners, Jordan Harris, has over a decade of community engagement, program management, and strategic planning experience. Before joining University City Partners, she was an associate director of community relations at UNC Charlotte, where she
Currently, the director of strategic partnerships and community development at University City Partners, Jordan Harris, has over a decade of community engagement, program management, and strategic planning experience. Before joining University City Partners, she was an associate director of community relations at UNC Charlotte, where she found unique and meaningful ways to plug UNC Charlotte into the community and the community into the university.
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications/Marketing from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Additionally, she serves on the Share CLT board of directors.
Ryan Sheppard - Treasurer
Jordan Harris - Board Chair
Jordan Harris - Board Chair
Ryan Shepherd is a financial advisor affiliated with Northwestern Mutual. Originally from New Jersey, she graduated with honors in Economics from Clemson University. It was during her time at Clemson that she discovered her technical number skills and her passion for leading with her heart.
Driven by her mission and values, Ryan is also d
Ryan Shepherd is a financial advisor affiliated with Northwestern Mutual. Originally from New Jersey, she graduated with honors in Economics from Clemson University. It was during her time at Clemson that she discovered her technical number skills and her passion for leading with her heart.
Driven by her mission and values, Ryan is also deeply committed to making a difference in her community. As the treasurer, Ryan utilizes her financial expertise to ensure the organization's funds are managed effectively and responsibly, enabling them to carry out their important mission.
Outside of her role as treasurer, Ryan enjoys group fitness, spending quality time with her boyfriend, playing with her cat, and making new friends wherever she goes. She is known for her warm and welcoming personality and enjoys connecting with others and building meaningful relationships.
Crystel Patterson
Jordan Harris - Board Chair
Crystel Patterson
Crystel Patterson is an Award-Winning Author and proud boy mom. Her "Inspired to Be..." book series amplifies positive narratives of Black people, inspiring children with real-life stories of achievement.
While Crystel has a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from UC Berkeley, her perspective and approach to writing
Crystel Patterson is an Award-Winning Author and proud boy mom. Her "Inspired to Be..." book series amplifies positive narratives of Black people, inspiring children with real-life stories of achievement.
While Crystel has a degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from UC Berkeley, her perspective and approach to writing uplifting children's literature are rooted in her role as a mother and her passion for empowering the next generation.
Crystel's inspiring journey and work have garnered media recognition and multiple awards. Through her captivating stories and community engagement, Crystel encourages children to follow their dreams and make a positive impact.
Harrison Martin
Harrison Martin
Crystel Patterson
Harrison Martin is the founder and co-owner of Flipfrog Books, an independent book publisher based in Winston-Salem. NC. His first book, The Bacon Tree, was originally written as a fun activity with his brother-in-law before being published in 2020. Before starting his own business, he worked in many fields, including sales, customer ser
Harrison Martin is the founder and co-owner of Flipfrog Books, an independent book publisher based in Winston-Salem. NC. His first book, The Bacon Tree, was originally written as a fun activity with his brother-in-law before being published in 2020. Before starting his own business, he worked in many fields, including sales, customer service, and business management. Harrison attended Gardner-Webb University on a full football scholarship, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies: Video & Film and International Master of Business Administration. In addition to being an author, Harrison is also a movie critic with membership in the North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA), Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA), Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), and Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC).
Kamal Bhargava
Harrison Martin
Kamal Bhargava
Kamal is a technology enthusiast with a deep understanding of enterprise systems and applications, Kamal work closely with enterprises to reimagine their technology architecture using the power of Google Cloud.
Kamal is based out in NJ and has two daughters 16 & 14 and a beautiful wife in the family. You can find me playing Racquetball, Volleyball or Cricket when I am not working.