John Wood, leaving MicroSoft to change the world

1. Leaving Microsoft to
Change the World
John Wood(Room to Read)

2. John Wood in his early life
• John Wood was born in January 1964, in
Hartford, Connecticut, where he spent his
early childhood. His family later settled in
Athens, Pennsylvania, where he attended high
school. He holds a bachelor's degree from the
University of Colorado, and a master's degree
in business administration from the Kellogg
Graduate School of Management at
Northwestern University.

3. Vacation
• John Woods took a vacation on 1998 to trek
through Himalayas.
• He then met a “resource director” that took
him to a school in the school had 450 children
and only had a handful of books
• The head master suggets “Perhaps, sir, you
will someday come back with books”

4. Detemination
• John Woods, inspired, to solicit book
donations from family and friends via email
sent from an Internet cafe in Kathmandu.
• John Woods then returned a year later with
3000 books and refilled the library

5. Leaving Microsoft
• He then left Microsoft on 2001 and published a
book named “Leaving Microsoft to Chang the
World” on 2006
• It was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show in
2007, with "Oprah's Book Drive" for Room to
Read raising over $3 million. Leaving Microsoft
has been published in 20 languages. It was
named one of the Top Ten non-fiction books of
2006 by Hudson's Booksellers and a Top Ten
business narrative by Amazon.com. The sequel
was published by Penguin in early 2013.

6. Room To Read
• On the same year he left, he is co-founded Room to
Read
• Currently operating in ten countries throughout Asia
and Africa (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal,
South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia)
the organization focuses on increasing literacy and
gender equality in education in developing countries.
Its programs develop literacy skills and a habit of
reading among primary school children, and support
girls to complete secondary school with the relevant
life skills to succeed in school and beyond.
• ………