About Us

Founder

President

Lynne Waihee

As a youngster, Lynne Waihee found magic in her otherwise mundane life through the world of princesses and princes, fairy tales and fables. In real life, Read To Me International President Lynne Waihee has led a charmed life as a former First Lady of Hawai‘i, during which time she served as the Honorary Chair for the Governor’s Council for Literacy. A former high school English teacher, literacy was a perfect fit for her role as First Lady, and Waihee has now championed childhood literacy’s cause for over 23 years. She recalls with fondness reading in bed to her own children, John IV and Jennifer, and anxiously awaits the day she has grandchildren to whom she can read. Meanwhile, she finds great joy in reading aloud to anyone’s children, and to adults as well . . . including husband John.

Executive Director

Dannah Barnes

Dannah Barnes is a 2018 MBA graduate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business and has over a decade of experience working in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. As a child, Dannah was read to by her parents and would often visit the library with her aunty. Her aunty would also create fun reading activities like writing and submitting book reports. Dannah credits her career success to her family and appreciates how they shared the joy of reading at an early age. She is excited to join the Read To Me International team and pay it forward by sharing the joy of reading aloud.

Operations Manager

Lauren Remular

Growing up, Lauren was able to discover her passion for music, singing, reading and writing. Raised in Waipahū and a graduate of Sacred Hearts Academy, Lauren had the importance of education instilled in her at a very young age. She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa majoring in Human Development and Family Studies, and has since been promoted from Program and Site Assistant to Program and Site Manager, and from Program and Site Manager to Operations Manager. She has always had a positive and loving relationship with reading because it was something that her parents did with her everyday. Some of her favorite memories of her childhood include going to the library every chance she had and finding new books whenever the Scholastic Book Fair came around during the school year. She is excited to be interning with Read To Me International, where she hopes to connect with her community while finding some new favorite books to add to her library that she can read to her nieces, nephews and keiki in the future.

Program and Community Outreach Director

Kayla Masuda

Kayla Masuda is excited to bring her teaching background, administrative experience, and love of service to her position at Read To Me International Foundation. She earned her M.Ed from Hawaii Pacific University and worked in education for a decade before switching to nonprofit work. She credits her lifelong love of books to taking frequent childhood trips to the public library, a place she still considers magical. Growing up, Kayla would often get in trouble for reading during class or long past her bedtime; as an adult who still reads late into the night, she hopes to help children and parents alike discover the joy of reading.

Program and Site Manager

Miranda Shelly

Miranda was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and attended college in Washington at the University of Puget Sound. After graduating, Miranda spent a year abroad in Japan working as an assistant English language teacher before returning home to pursue her studies in social work at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her childhood love of books was fostered by her family and she spent many hours as a child listening to fantasy stories read to her by her older sister, Emma. She is enthusiastic about joining Read To Me International and putting her experiences to good use by promoting the joy of reading aloud.