Our Story & Mission
The Excellence Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy, digital inclusion, and lifelong learning across the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. Since our founding in 2006, we have served tens of thousands of community members through free reading programs, mobile library outreach, and educational workshops that meet people where they are.
Patricia Okonkwo-Hughes
Executive Director & Founder, MLIS
Education: Master of Library & Information Science, Kent State University (2001)
Prior Role: Branch Manager, Columbus Metropolitan Library — Hilltop Branch (2001–2006)
Certifications: American Library Association Affiliate Member; Ohio Library Council Leadership Fellow
Experience: 22+ years in library science, community programming, and nonprofit leadership
Meet Our Founder
Patricia “Pat” Okonkwo-Hughes spent five years as Branch Manager at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Hilltop location, where she witnessed firsthand the transformative power of targeted literacy interventions in underserved neighborhoods. She observed that families who lived more than a mile from a library branch were significantly less likely to hold library cards, borrow materials, or participate in reading programs, not because of disinterest but because of transportation barriers, nontraditional work schedules, and a lack of culturally responsive outreach.
In 2006, Pat founded The Excellence Library with a donated school bus converted into the organization’s first mobile library. That original bookmobile served four Columbus neighborhoods in its first year, carrying 800 donated books and powered by five volunteer tutors. Today, the organization operates a modern 32-foot custom mobile library serving 18 neighborhoods, maintains a permanent reading room in downtown Columbus, and coordinates over 120 active volunteers delivering seven distinct literacy programs year-round.
Pat’s guiding philosophy is that literacy is not simply the ability to read words on a page but rather the foundational competency that enables full participation in civic, economic, and social life. This conviction shapes every program the organization offers, from phonics-based tutoring for young children to digital skills workshops helping seniors navigate telehealth appointments and online banking safely.
Advisory Board
Dr. Raymond Chen
Board Chair
Professor of Education Policy, Ohio State University. Dr. Chen’s research on early childhood literacy outcomes in Title I school districts provides the evidence base for our program design and assessment methodology.
Maria Esperanza Delgado
Vice Chair
Director of Community Programs, Columbus International. Maria oversees cultural integration services for refugee and immigrant families and coordinates our ESL program’s bilingual resource development across four languages.
James Worthington III
Treasurer
Retired Partner, BDO USA. James brings 35 years of nonprofit financial management and compliance experience, ensuring Excellence Library meets all IRS requirements and maintains fiscal accountability to donors.
Aisha Noor Hassan
Secretary
Program Director, Somali Community Association of Ohio. Aisha champions culturally responsive programming and ensures our services are accessible to Columbus’s growing East African community.
Coach Terrence Williams
Member
Athletic Director, Columbus Eastmoor Academy. Coach Williams connects our After-School Reading Club with student athletes and advocates for literacy as a core component of youth development alongside athletics.
Linda Brewer-Katz
Member
Regional Manager, Columbus Metropolitan Library. Linda facilitates our institutional partnership with the public library system, coordinating inter-library loan services and co-branded programming.
Our Core Values
Universal Access
Every program is free and open to all Columbus residents regardless of age, income, immigration status, or prior education. We eliminate financial barriers because literacy is a right, not a privilege.
Cultural Responsiveness
Our programs reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of Columbus. Materials are available in multiple languages, and instruction methods honor participants’ cultural backgrounds and learning traditions.
Evidence-Based Practice
Program design is informed by reading science research, and outcomes are tracked through rigorous assessment in partnership with Ohio State University’s College of Education. We iterate based on data, not assumptions.
Community Partnership
We multiply our impact through deep collaboration with schools, libraries, social service agencies, and cultural organizations. No single organization can address literacy alone; excellence requires collective commitment.
The Founding Story
In the spring of 2006, Pat Okonkwo-Hughes parked a donated and repainted Columbus City Schools bus in the parking lot of the Sullivant Gardens community center on the west side of Columbus. Inside were 800 books donated by the Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, a folding table, and a hand-lettered sign reading “Free Books — Take One, Leave One.” Five volunteers from her church helped her operate the pop-up library every Saturday morning for three months.
By August of that first summer, the bus library had circulated over 1,200 books and attracted the attention of United Way of Central Ohio, which awarded a $15,000 seed grant to formalize the operation. Pat filed for 501(c)(3) status, incorporated as The Excellence Library Foundation with the Ohio Secretary of State (registration #2847130), and began building the organizational infrastructure that would grow from one donated bus to a comprehensive literacy institution serving the entire Columbus metropolitan area.
Twenty years later, that founding impulse remains unchanged: bring books and learning directly to the people who need them most, remove every barrier to participation, and trust that literacy, once kindled, transforms not just individuals but entire communities.
Join Our Mission
Whether you can volunteer an hour a week, donate books, or contribute financially, your support directly strengthens literacy in Columbus.
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