As CEO of Worldreader, a nonprofit organization that brings digital books to low-income countries, David Risher pursues his passions for both reading and technology.
Risher grew up loving books so much that his dad would reference the lyrics from “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” calling his son not king of the wild frontier, but king of the library. Now Risher, who reads to two daughters of his own, feels he was put on this planet to help every child have access to the books they need to improve their lives and realize their dreams.
From his office in San Francisco, California, he talked with Devex about his path from studying comparative literature at Princeton University, to spending over a decade at Microsoft and Amazon, to launching an organization taking a unique approach to improving literacy.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
