KPMG U.S. Foundation President Anita Whitehead Appointed to First Book Board of Directors

Washington, D.C. – Sept. 9, 2025 – First Book, the national nonprofit dedicated to furthering educational opportunity for children in low-income communities, has appointed Anita Whitehead, the president and chair of the KPMG U.S. Foundation (KPMG), to its Board of Directors.

Anita’s career at KPMG spans more than 20 years. In addition to leading KPMG’s philanthropic strategy, Anita advises nonprofit and corporate clients in her role as principal of KPMG’s Development & Exempt Organizations practice.

Over the past 17 years, KPMG has worked with First Book through the KPMG Family for Literacy (KFFL), together distributing more than seven million books and resources to schools and programs, reaching more than 256,000 children in low-income communities across the US, and engaging 60,000 KPMG volunteers from 70+ KPMG offices.

“KPMG and the KPMG U.S. Foundation share First Book’s belief in the power of education,” said Anita. “Engaging our people to expand First Book’s network is a very exciting way to grow our collaboration. I’m truly honored to support First Book in this new Board role, as they work to reach more educators and children with the resources they need to prosper.”

“First Book would not be the organization it is today without KPMG and its long-standing support,” said Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. “In addition to holding hands with us to distribute millions of books, KPMG and the KPMG US Foundation have been at our side to sharpen our business plans, and support First Book’s initial efforts to integrate the benefits of AI across the organization – through funding and access to KPMG’s AI team of experts. Anita is a strategic leader who will both challenge and champion First Book as we work to navigate today’s changing educational environment. This is especially critical over the coming five years as we scale our efforts from serving 6.5 million children annually to reaching all of the 27 million children in under-resourced communities in the US.”

Anita’s current community service roles include serving as Board Chair of Global Impact, and on the Points of Light Corporate Service Council. She has also held leadership roles with the Association for Corporate Citizenship Professionals, and with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Prior to KPMG, Anita was a financial analyst at the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates in Washington, D.C., and a financial analyst for Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, Ind.

Anita holds a master’s in health administration from Indiana University, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Virginia Tech, and a certification in corporate responsibility from the University of Notre Dame.

Education transforms lives. First Book is building a world where every child has access to a quality education. We work to remove barriers to education and level the playing field for kids in need. At the heart of our work are the 600,000+ members of the First Book Network, the largest online community of individual educators, professionals and volunteers dedicated to supporting children living in low-income communities across North America. This Network is the key to creating lasting change. Through our research arm, First Book Research & Insights, we conduct studies that aggregate their voices to identify challenges, needs, and solutions. To address their needs, we provide free and low-cost books, resources and access to leading experts through the First Book Marketplace, which uses aggregated buying power to support their work. Founded in Washington D.C. in 1992 as a nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is dedicated to eliminating barriers to learning and inspiring young minds. Learn more at firstbook.org and visit our award-winning eCommerce website at fbmarketplace.org.