Bios

  "Every child deserves a lap, a story, and a spark of imagination. Every book deserves a child."

Charles Snyder is the founder of Emma Reads, Inc., a Colorado-based nonprofit with a heart full of books and a mission to share the joy of reading with every child. 

His own love of stories began on his parents’ laps and truly took flight in third grade with the swashbuckling pages of Treasure Island. Years later, those bedtime tales came full circle with his daughter Emma—especially when Pete the Cat strolled in wearing his groovy buttons. Their story time tradition inspired a nonprofit built on connection, laughter, and literacy.

After 10 years in the U.S. Air Force and 26 years in the energy industry—where he led a P&L for one of the world’s largest companies—Charles now uses his larger-than-life leadership and planning skills to fuel community literacy. 

At Emma Reads, Inc., governance meets giggles, and strategy meets stories. For Charles, every book shared is a love letter to the next generation of readers—and he’s just getting started.

📧 Charles@emmareads.com | 🌐 www.emmareads.com

Dan Bouillez brings decades of entrepreneurial grit and inventive spirit to the Emma Reads team. His journey began in 1981 after graduating high school, launching a career in the high vacuum thin film coating equipment industry. Over the years, Dan carved out a path in the high-tech sector, ultimately settling in Loveland, Colorado in 2001. For the past 17 years, he has served as Director of Sales and Marketing at an ion beam source manufacturing company — a role he considers the pinnacle of his career.

With four successful start-up ventures to his name, Dan offers rare firsthand experience in building businesses from the ground up. But his creativity doesn’t end there.

In 2012, Dan turned a lifelong woodworking hobby into a second calling. He began by crafting a one-of-a-kind guitar using beetle-killed pine harvested from Colorado’s mountains. While the guitar struck a chord, it was the Cajon drum — a wooden percussion instrument — that truly captured his passion. His handcrafted drums, each one made from the same Colorado wood, quickly gained attention across 17 U.S. states and Canada. Notably, Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell purchased three.

Dan’s unique blend of technical expertise, artistic craftsmanship, and entrepreneurial drive makes him a powerful contributor to the Emma Reads mission.