Growing up in a household that emphasizes education, learning, and compassion has inspired Jonathan “JT” Wu to give back to the community since an early age.
As a child of Malaysian Chinese and Filipino Chinese immigrants, who were themselves scholarship graduates of the University of Mississippi, Wu has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that access to education can have on young lives.
Credit: Georgia Asian Times
Credit: Georgia Asian Times
A proud Georgia native, he founded Preface with one goal in mind: helping children of all backgrounds gain access to the tools, resources, and mentorship necessary to achieve their American Dreams.
“My team and I founded Preface as a no-cost and high-impact relational mentorship model that champions the foundational power of educational opportunity. We train the next generation of student leaders to help young children on their own reading journeys - in English and other languages. Early childhood literacy is the cornerstone for lifelong learning success and every child, no matter where they live or what language they speak, deserves the chance to pursue their dreams.” said Wu.
He established Preface in 2019 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to support childhood literacy by pairing high school mentors with elementary school students to develop a lifetime learning experience.
Preface has expanded its programs to 14 states in the country and has forged impactful organizational partnerships both across the US and internationally. It also raised over $115,000 in scholarship funds this year alone during its 2023 Annual Fundraising Dinner Gala in September.
Its award-winning relational model has helped elementary school students make gains in literacy skills nearly twice as fast as their peers, while high schoolers gained firsthand service experience and a newfound appreciation for careers in education. Since 2022, Preface Ambassadors have facilitated over 2,000 hours of virtual reading sessions with elementary students.
Wu remains active in his community, serving on leadership at Brookhaven Presbyterian Church and acting as a Founding Principal of BCD Properties, an affordable housing initiative aiming to reduce rent-dependence and wealth inequality in the metro Atlanta area.
Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Gwinnett County Public Library Board of Trustees and serves on the boards of the Alchemy Sky Foundation, a music-oriented support system for Georgia veterans, the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, the Georgia Rotary Laws of Life Essay Contest, Good Samaritan Centers of Gwinnett, and the Special Needs School of Gwinnett. He has been honored by YNPN Atlanta as one of its 2020 ‘30 Under 30′ Nonprofit Leaders and previously served on the Young Professionals Advisory Board for the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce.
He was also elected in 2023 as the 8th Chairman of the Gwinnett County Public Library System, overseeing the single largest circulating public library system in Georgia with a $25+ million budget. During his tenure, Wu aims to deepen existing partnerships with state, local, and federal leaders to further enhance the quality of service in early education, workforce development and economic opportunity across Gwinnett.
More recently, Wu has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Asian-Americans in Georgia by the Georgia Asian Times, been honored by the Points of Light Foundation as a community change-maker, and has been named a Young Leader by the Council of the United States and Italy.
He is an alumnus of the McCallie School, JT received an A.B. cum laude in Public Policy from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.
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