Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari

Co-Founders, 826 Valencia

"Nínive Calegari and Dave Eggers co-founded 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center for youth ages 6–18 in San Francisco. Since its founding in 2002 this has grown into six chapters across the United States. Both have also done more work for youth and schools, from ScholarMatch to the Teacher Salary Project. Through and through, they have been committed to community; what's more, in a world that doesn't care much what young people have to say, they have together and individually alway, always, created space for youth voice, and platforms to elevate youth speaking truth to power."

Nínive Calegari is the co-founder, with Dave Eggers, of 826 National, which she helped grow from a local tutoring program into an influential education phenomenon that partners with schools, families, and community organizations across the country. A former teacher herself, Nínive Calegari is the president of the Teacher Salary Project; the co-author of Teachers Have It Easy; and the co-producer of American Teacher, a documentary by Oscar-winning director Vanessa Roth, with narration by Matt Damon. Today she is the CEO of Enterprise for Youth, which offers training and paid internships to San Francisco youth.

Dave Eggers is the author of many books, including The Monk of Mokha and The Circle. He is the founder of McSweeney’s Publishing and co-founder of Voice of Witness, a book series that uses oral history to illuminate human rights crises. In 2002, he co-founded 826 Valencia, a youth writing center with a pirate-supply storefront, which has inspired similar programs around the world. That program led to ScholarMatch, which connects donors with students to make college possible for all. He is co-founder of the International Congress of Youth Voices, and the winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.