Book Bag
Meet the Team
Lea Anne Borders, founder and CEO: A lifelong book lover and former “library kid” who grew up to marry a bookstore entrepreneur, Lea Anne holds an MS in Management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, a JD from the University of California Hastings College of the Law, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to Bookelicious, Lea Anne was general counsel for MyWire, Inc., an online media retail startup, and a partner at Cooley LLP, a Silicon Valley-based law firm where she worked as a transactional tax attorney with a specialization in e-commerce. A long-time advocate for childhood literacy, Lea Anne also served for over a decade on the boards of two literacy nonprofits – Bring Me a Book Foundation and LitLab.
Steve Dalal, CPO: A seasoned product and technology leader with a blend of creative and analytical skills honed over 35 years of technical product management, particularly in Web, mobile, commerce, and streaming applications, Steve holds degrees in Electronic Media and Physics, with advanced research experience from Stanford University. His career spans founding successful companies and leading technical teams, and he is recognized for his mentorship and ability to transform ideas into successful products by pushing the boundaries of technology while delivering delightful user experiences across platforms.
Liz Doerr, CFO: A tenured finance professional with extensive leadership experience in public and private companies, Liz served as a Director at NRV Early Stage Venture Fund and CFO for CSX’s Innovation and Technology departments, prior to joining Bookelicious as its fractional CFO. She is passionate about literacy and education, serving on the Richmond School Board for 8 years and advocating for initiatives that empower learners. Liz is also committed to increasing female representation in venture capital and is the co-founder of the non profit Virginia Women in Venture.
Marisa Keegan, CSO: An executive with experience leading small and quickly growing businesses, Marisa holds an MS in Industrial Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven, and a BS from the State University of New York, Cortland. Prior to joining Bookelicious as its fractional CSO, Marisa was Vice President of Customer Success & People / Director of Operations at Bonfire, and held leadership roles at Webmail, Rackspace and Modea. For the past 14 years she has also consulted for founding and executive leadership teams in the tech startup world to help scale and grow their organizations.
Lorien Hunter, Director of Curation and Content Strategy: A Media Studies scholar with seven years of curation experience, Lorien earned her doctorate in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Southern California in 2017, where her research on identity development and representation in popular culture culminated with a study of digital technology’s effects on African identity through hip hop. She also holds a BA in Sociology from Arizona State University. Before joining Bookelicious, Lorien was Editor in Chief at Queer Majority, a project of the Bi Foundation.
Juan Manuel Bosi, Art Director: A multidisciplinary designer and illustrator with 20 years of experience, Juan is passionate about creating visually compelling narratives that bring beauty and light to the world. Before joining Bookelicious, he worked as a freelancer for clients across the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Spain, and beyond. His expertise spans illustration, design, video production, and sound, always pushing creative boundaries to achieve the highest standards in digital art. Committed to continuous learning, Juan has studied illustration, portraiture, oil painting, and storytelling.
About our Curation
Every book on the Bookelicious site has been hand-curated by our curation team, taking into account factors including a book’s quality, popularity and recency, as well as third-party professional reviews and awards. Our curators also strive to ensure that our collection of more than 40,000 titles reflects the diversity of the children living in our communities – creating, in the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, “mirrors and windows” for children to see themselves, and to learn about others. Meet our curators here.