Our Founders
Crafting Legacies
Dr. Faith Chao founded the Evergreen Education Foundation in 2001 and served as President until December 2017. Her vision is simple yet impactful – to inspire people to bring educational opportunities to children in rural China, especially through libraries. In 2004, Dr. Chao’s vision and leadership resulted in the China Evergreen Rural Library (CERL) Service Center receiving international recognition by winning the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning US$500,000 Award. Dr. Chao also provided important advice to libraries and library staff: For example, due to EEF support for circulation automation and the addition of information services, including the e-reading room, Tongwei County Library received national recognition and a promotion to the second tier of public libraries in China.
Dr. Chao also promoted staff development through many EEF programs: For example, in 2012, she personally led 30 rural Chinese teachers & librarians on a study tour to visit Libraries, educational, and cultural institutions in Taiwan. Throughout the years, Dr. Chao expanded her vision. She was instrumental in promoting information literacy in rural China. As President, Dr. Chao provided leadership by initiating the following programs:
- Teacher Professional Development & Training Series (2002)
- Information Technology in Education (ITIE) Conference (2204)
- Project-Based (Problem-Based) Learning: 30-50 EEF supported projects annually (2009)
- Online Courses for Teacher Professional Development & Training (2011)
- Engaging Chinese public libraries in projects related to Local Culture and Oral History (2014)
- Makerspace projects and programs for EEF schools, teachers, and students (2014)
- EEF Project-Based Learning workshops for teachers in rural China Schools (2015)
- Creating Makerspaces in China Public Libraries (2016)
Additionally, while President, she promoted the programs and achievements of EEF through presentations at conferences, including:
- Benefits from NGO – School library cooperation: the China experience, 2008 Presentation at International Association of School Librarianship Conference, Berkeley, CA, USA
- A model for expanding information resources to China’s rural communities, 2007 presentation at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Expanding information access to China’s rural communities: 2007 presentation at World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council, Durban, South Africa.
Dr. Eileen Tang co-founded the Evergreen Education Foundation in 2001 and remained deeply involved in its mission until her passing in 2017. Her journey with Evergreen began when she visited Qinghai in 2001, where she witnessed firsthand the immense challenges faced by students in rural communities. Moved by their resilience and determination to pursue education despite hardships, she returned from her visit with a strong resolve to make a difference. Immediately, she established the Evergreen Foundation Scholarship Program, beginning with support for 10 students at PingAn Middle School, the very school she had toured. She personally championed the growth of the initiative, ensuring that more students had access to educational opportunities.
Under her leadership, the scholarship program flourished, providing over 2,000 scholarships to more than 700 individual students across 17 schools in nine rural provinces. Through her vision, Evergreen Education Foundation remains committed to supporting underserved students and fostering a love for lifelong learning.
Dr. Ruth Hafter co-founded the Evergreen Education Foundation in 2001; she also participated in organizing initial Evergreen workshops and conferences. She was the main presenter at the 2002 workshop in Xining with over 60 participants. This groundbreaking workshop was an important beginning that set the tone for all of Evergreen’s future workshops and conferences.
Dr. Hafter has held leadership positions in several academic libraries: Head Librarian, St. Mary’s U., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1969-1975; Library Director, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California, 1978-1986; Dean of the Library, San Jose State University, 1986-1991and was Professor, San Jose State School of Library & Information Science, 1987-1999. In 1986, she published Academic Librarians and Cataloging Networks: Visibility, Quality Control, and Professional Status (Praeger).
Ruth Hafter has a Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies, University of California, Berkeley; MLS, Columbia University; Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration (HRPBA) certificate; and BA in History and Economics, cum laude, Brandeis University.