Michael Lombardo

Michael Lombardo is a seasoned social entrepreneur and three-time founder of scaled and high-impact organizations. Before founding BrightBee, he founded one of the earliest online tutoring providers focused on K-12 schools, BookNook, which has been recognized by both MIT and Teachers College for its innovation and impact on student achievement. Before founding BookNook, Michael served as the first Chief Executive Officer of the children’s literacy nonprofit Reading Partners, growing it from a small regional operation in Silicon Valley to a nationally-scaled organization serving students across 14 states and receiving awards from Stanford University and the Obama administration's Social Innovation Fund. He also served as an education advisor to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, helping launch her signature Oakland Promise initiative. Michael also has extensive experience in higher education, having held senior administrative positions at the University of California, Berkeley and currently serving as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of California, Riverside. He also previously served as a Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford University and has been a featured speaker at the World Affairs Council, Social Venture Partners International, and China-US Strategic Philanthropy at Beijing Normal University.