M. Carmel Borders is president of the Tapestry Foundation, which is dedicated to improving literacy at both the local and national levels. Funds from the Tapestry Foundation established the Texas Family Literacy Center at the University of Texas in Austin and provided seed money for the Kentucky Institute for Family Literacy, housed under the National Center for Family Literacy in Louisville, Kentucky. The Centers support practitioners in adult and early literacy programs by providing resources and training in best practices. The Centers also offer annual statewide conferences.

Ms. Borders serves on the advisory board for both the Texas and Kentucky Centers and is a member of the Texas Consortium for Literacy and the Kentucky Family Literacy consortium. Ms. Borders also served on the State Board for Educator Certification in Texas. She has 20 years of experience in education as a high school teacher and university lecturer. Ms. Borders earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.