Claiborne Gayden, Vice-President
Prior to helping lead the statewide roll-out of Tennessee's Imagination Library in 2004, Gayden taught English at Tennessee State University and served as Executive Director of Nashville Sister Cities. He holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Colorado, and an Master of Arts in English from Tennessee State University. Gayden manages the Foundation's Distressed County Grant program to assist counties with transitional funding covering the full cost of Imagination Library monthly book orders. He also oversees fulfillment on special projects, such as the purchase of Imagination Library complete book sets for all Head Start classrooms, and all State-funded Voluntary Pre-K for All classrooms throughout Tennessee -- provided through the use of donated funds from GBBF's major corporate sponsors. He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for Nashville Public Television (WNPT).