Senior Staff
Literacy Partners has a dedicated staff of over 30 individuals and over 100 volunteers working day and night to fight illiteracy in New York City. The success of our students depends upon support from you.
Susan A. McLean
Executive Director of Literacy Partners, Inc.
Susan A. McLean is the Executive Director of Literacy Partners, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that has been providing free literacy classes to adult New Yorkers for the last 35 years. Susan joined Literacy Partners in January 2003.
Susan currently serves on the National Governance Board of ProLiteracy America. She served as President of the New York Association for Continuing/Community Education and was on the NYACCE Executive and Board of Directors for ten years. She was a National Trainer for Teachers of Literacy for Adults with Learning Disabilities, and served on the Professional Review Board for Perspectives: The New York Journal of Adult Learning, published by Fordham University. Most recently, Ms. McLean was a participant/contributor to the Summit on New York Education and is a member of the National Leadership Excellence Academy.
Prior to joining Literacy Partners, Susan administered adult literacy programs through various Supervisory School Districts, encompassing 24 school districts for a period of 16 years. She administered all aspects of adult literacy services including Adult Basic Education, High School Equivalency, English as a Second Language, Family Literacy, and Workforce Preparation in the Rochester, NY area. In earlier positions she worked as a consultant grant writer, coordinated a Regional Alternative High School, provided high school academic intervention services, and taught a variety of high school humanities courses.
Susan received her M.S. Ed. in Education Administration with distinction from the State University of New York at Brockport, and her BS in Education, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the State University College of New York at Buffalo.
David E. Nathanson
Director of Finance and Human Resources of Literacy Partners, Inc.
David E. Nathanson is the Director of Finance and Human Resources for Literacy Partners, Inc. David joined Literacy Partners in March, 2004.
David has been working in the not-for-profit sector since 1991, serving for nine years as the Vice President of Finance and Administration for Israel Humanitarian Foundation. Previous to that, David held a position on the finance staff of the American Society for Technion, the leading American organization promoting education in science and technology as well as scientific innovation and entrepreneurship in Israel.
David is a member of the National Committee on Planned Giving and the Planned Giving Group of Greater New York. David received his BS in Accounting from Farleigh Dickinson University
Alexa Bonilla
Director of Education of Literacy Partners, Inc.
Alexa Bonilla is the Director of Education for Literacy Partners, Inc. She joined Literacy Partners in February, 2003.
Alexa has more than seven years of experience in the education field and has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for close to 15 years. Her love for education and her dedication to nonprofit organizations first led her to Teach for America. As part of that program, she was a Bilingual Teacher at Theodore Roosevelt Gathings Middle School in the Bronx. Realizing that education is the best way to serve the needs of parents, children, and communities, Alexa decided to bring her passion for teaching to the adult education field with Literacy Partners. During her tenure, she has served as a Family Literacy Coordinator, a Tutor Training Instructor, and as the Associate Director of Education.
Alexa received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Cornell University.


