Judith R. Birsh, Ed.D., Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Qualified Instructor (QI). Dr. Birsh's enduring belief that well-prepared, informed teachers are the major influence on effective instruction in the field of reading and dyslexia had its beginning in 1960, when she met her first student who, although 18 years old, read poorly. The quest to find answers to this puzzle led her to a master's degree in remedial reading and a doctorate in reading and language at Teachers College, Columbia University. After training with Aylett R. Cox in Dallas, Texas, she became a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor, founding and directing the Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills courses at Teachers College in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Program in Learning Disabilities. Since her retirement in 2000, Dr. Birsh has maintained her commitment to teacher preparation by editing the first three editions of Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, and co-editing the fourth edition with Suzanne Carreker, Ph.D. Dr. Birsh has given professional development workshops, consulted with private and public schools, written articles, and worked with students with dyslexia. In 2008, she received the Luke Waites Academic Language Therapy Association Award of Service and the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Dyslexia Association.
Kay A. Allen, M.Ed., Ms. Allen served as Executive Director of Neuhaus Education Center from 2000 to 2007 and was Associate Director there from 1985 to 2000. She is a board member of the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) and is coauthor of Multisensory Reading and Spelling (Neuhaus Education Center, 1993). She received the Nancy LaFevers Community Service Award from the Houston Branch of The International Dyslexia Association in 2016.
Marilyn Beckwith, has had a 40-year interest in the relationship of spoken language to written language, which resulted in her using multisensory structured techniques to teach basic language skills to both dyslexic and nondyslexic individuals. This interest also resulted in her following related research made possible by advancing technology, which confirms the principles taught to teachers at the Neuhaus Education Center.
Susan H. Blumenthal, Ed.D., specializes in psychoeducational evaluations and cognitive remediation for adults and adolescents with learning difficulties and academic work output problems. She started an innovative program at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy to train psychotherapists to work with adult patients with learning disabilities. In addition, she has trained teachers at Teachers College, Columbia University; Hunter College; and Manhattanville College.
Suzanne Carreker, Ph.D., CALT-QI, joined Lexia Learning in 2015 as Principal Educational Content Lead, where she spearheaded the curriculum design of a groundbreaking reading program for struggling adolescent readers. Her career includes 28 years at Neuhaus Education Center, a nonprofit organization in Houston, Texas. She co-edited the fourth edition of Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2018) with Judith Birsh. In 2018, Dr. Carreker was the recipient of the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Dyslexia Association for her commitment to excellence and advocacy for people with dyslexia.
Ellen Urquhart Engstrom, M.A., is Director of Teacher Training at Groves Academy, a K–12 independent school for students with learning disabilities and attention deficits in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before joining the staff at Groves Academy in October 2010, Ms. Engstrom was a lead education specialist in the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training in Putney, Vermont, where she gave multiple workshops and courses for educators on integrating assistive technology into the curriculum. She has a long-standing interest in language and reading disorders, as well as the assistive technologies that support students with language-based learning difficulties.
Mary L. Farrell, Ph.D., earned her Ph.D. at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), where she directs the Center for Dyslexia Studies, through which FDU's International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) and International Dyslexia Association (IDA)–accredited Orton-Gillingham teacher training program is provided. Dr. Farrell is also University Director of the Regional Center for Students with Learning Disabilities, a comprehensive support program for colleges students with learning disabilities. .
Katherine Garnett, Ed.D. founded Hunter's learning disabilities graduate program in 1980. A year later, she launched the HC Learning Lab, nationally recognized in 1996 as an "Exemplary LD Program." Professor Garnett also developed the special education training for The Edison Schools and partnered with Uncommon, Achievement First, and Kipp charter systems. She has spearheaded grant programs; authored articles, chapters, and monographs; served on editorial boards; and consulted with a wide variety of public and private schools, K–12.
Elsa Cįrdenas-Hagan, Ed.D., is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and a Certified Academic Language Therapist. She holds a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction. She works with the Texas Institute for Measurement Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston. Dr. Cįrdenas-Hagan is the author of Esperanza (HOPE), a Spanish language program designed to assist students who struggle with learning to read. Her research interests include the development of early reading assessments and reading interventions for Spanish-speaking English language learners. She serves as a board member of The International Dyslexia Association.
Linda Hecker, M.Ed., has served many roles at Landmark College since its founding in 1985. She frequently presents workshops, seminars, and graduate courses for educators and parents and is the author of numerous articles and book chapters.
Anthony Henley, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area whose practice focuses on learning and attention disorders. He has worked for more than 20 years as a learning disabilities specialist providing remediation, evaluation, and consultation services, and he has presented locally and nationally on the diagnosis and remediation of learning disabilities.
Ms. Hennessy is an experienced teacher, diagnostician and administrator who currently works as a literacy consultant. Nancy has worked across grade levels K–12 with both general and special educators. While in public schools, she provided leadership in the development of innovative curriculum for special needs students and a statewide revision of special education code, and she led a state-of-the-art professional development program for all teachers. She is a former Wilson Language Lead Trainer and National Trainer for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS; Sopris-West).
Nancy has delivered keynote addresses, workshops, and training to educators nationally and internationally on topics including professional development, strategic planning, and components of skilled reading and writing and dyslexia. She has also developed professional development offerings on reading instruction for the AIM Institute of Learning & Research and on dyslexia for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Most recently, Nancy has focused on delivering virtual and in-person professional learning opportunities focused on reading comprehension.
Nancy co-authored the second revision of Module 6 of LETRS, Digging for Meaning: Teaching Text Comprehension, and authored Chapter 15, “Working with Word Meaning: Vocabulary Instruction,ā€ in Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, fourth edition (Birsh & Carreker, 2018).
Nancy has held various positions for the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), including President, Branch Council Chair, and National Conference Chair. She also served on the National Joint Committee for Learning Disabilities. She is an honorary member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, the 2011 recipient of IDA’s Margaret Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award, and the recipient of the 2012 June Lyday Orton Award from the North Carolina Branch of IDA (NCIDA).
Marcia K. Henry, Ph.D., brings more than 40 years of experience working in the field of reading and dyslexia as a diagnostician, tutor, teacher, and professor. Dr. Henry received her doctorate in educational psychology from Stanford University. Prior to her retirement in 1995, she was a professor in the Division of Special Education at San Jose State University, where she taught and directed the Center for Educational Research on Dyslexia. Dr. Henry taught as a Fulbright Lecturer/Research Scholar at the University of Trondheim, Norway, in 1991. Dr. Henry speaks frequently at regional, national, and international conferences on topics related to intervention strategies for dyslexic learners. She also writes for a variety of professional journals and serves on the editorial boards of Dyslexia and Annals of Dyslexia, the journals of The British Dyslexia Association and The International Dyslexia Association (IDA), respectively. Since retirement Dr. Henry has taught at the University of New Mexico, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She provides teacher training related to the teaching of reading and related language arts and consults with several school districts and states on informed reading instruction. Dr. Henry is the author of teaching materials for integrated decoding and spelling instruction. She is a past president (1992-1996) of the Orton Dyslexia Society (now known as IDA). She is a fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy and received the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from IDA in 2000. Dr. Henry now lives on Madeline Island in Lake Superior, where she spends much of her time writing. She volunteers as a tutor at the island two-room elementary school when needed. She compiled Dyslexia: Samuel T. Orton and His Legacy for IDA's 50th anniversary in 1999.
Judith C. Hochman, M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D., is Founder and Chief Academic Officer of The Writing Revolution and is Founder of The Windward Teacher Training Institute in White Plains, New York. She is Former Head of The Windward School in White Plains, New York, an independent school for students with learning and language disabilities. Dr. Hochman was also Superintendent of Schools for the Greenburgh-Graham Union Free School District in Hastings, New York.
Michele Kule-Korgood, J.D., is an attorney in private practice, with an office located in Forest Hills, New York. Her practice focuses almost exclusively on representing parents of children with disabilities in obtaining appropriate special education services. Ms. Kule- Korgood has more than 15 years of experience in special education law and has represented families who are challenging the recommendations made by school districts in more than 1,000 matters. Her experience as a former special education teacher gives her unique insight into the complex issues surrounding these matters. She is an active member of the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Issues Affecting People with Disabilities and sits on the board of the Center for Learning Differences and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. She is a frequent speaker at conferences regarding the rights of students with disabilities to secure an appropriate education. Ms. Kule-Korgood earned her juris doctor degree from Hofstra University Law School and, prior to that, obtained a bachelor of science degree in special education and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Boston University.
Eileen S. Marzola, Ed.D., received her doctorate in special education (with a focus on learning disabilities) from Teachers College, Columbia University. She taught for more than 35 years at every level from kindergarten through graduate school and has conducted numerous staff development trainings for those interested in improving instructional strategies for struggling learners. Dr. Marzola has been a keynote speaker and presented at many national and international conferences; she has published articles in professional journals and chapters in books about learning disabilities. She was honored by the New York State Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children with the New York State Teacher of the Year Award. Dr. Marzola is Past President of the New York Branch of The International Dyslexia Association and also served on its Board of Directors. She also served on the Board of Directors of Everyone Reading in New York and created and presented a webinar on comprehension for the New Jersey Department of Education.
Graham F. Neuhaus, Ph.D., is a faculty member of the Psychology Department of the University of Houston–Downtown, where she teaches, mentors students, and conducts research in the area of automaticity and reading fluency.
Claire Nissenbaum, M.A., is Founder and Emeritus Director of the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (retired September 2009) and Founding Board Member of the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC). Ms. Nissenbaum has been a specialist for more than 35 years. She is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Masonic Children's Learning Centers and received the Siena School (Maryland) Award for Significant and Lasting Contributions to the Education of Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (2009). She has also received the Etoile DuBard Award from IMSLEC for Excellence in Education (2009).
Jean Schedler, Ph.D., partners with schools to develop and implement sustainable reading workshops and school-based programs. As an Academy Graduate of Learning Forward, her work focuses on the intersection of reading curriculum and professional learning. Dr. Schedler is a former International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Branch President. Her experience includes classroom teacher, reading director in a private school for special needs, adjunct professor, and teacher trainer across grade levels. Dr. Schedler works nationally and internationally with schools, training centers, and educational organizations.
Joan Sedita, M.Ed., Founder and CEO of Keys to Literacy, has been in the literacy education field for more than 40 years. She received her B.A. from Boston College and her M.Ed. in reading from Harvard University. She began her career at the Landmark School in Massachusetts for students with reading and learning disabilities, where she worked from 1975 to 1998 as a teacher and administrator. Joan was Founder and Director of the Landmark College Preparation Program and the Landmark Outreach Training Program. While at the Landmark School, she also was a member of a team that conducted psychoeducational evaluations at Boston Children’s Hospital.
From 1998 to 2007, as Founder of Sedita Learning Strategies, Joan trained educators and consulted with schools and literacy organizations throughout the country. During this time, she was Lead Developer and Trainer for the Massachusetts Reading First initiative and Consultant to the state’s Secondary Reading initiative. Joan also authored several guides for using the Kurzweil text-to-speech software to support reading and study skills, and she was a national author and trainer for LETRS: Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. She was a member of the Educational Testing Service Praxis National Reading Advisory Committee and a board member of Learning Disabilities Worldwide.
Joan is currently CEO of Keys to Literacy (KTL), a literacy professional learning company she founded in 2007 that develops, publishes, and delivers reading and writing professional development to educators across the country. KTL’s professional development and on-line course have been delivered to thousands of teachers across the country, hundreds of districts and every state – and include topics such as Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Early Writing, Keys to Content Writing, Keys Vocabulary Routine, and Keys to Adolescent Literacy, amongst others. Joan has also authored numerous books, book chapters, and articles related to literacy instruction, as well as several customized professional development programs that include online courses, training manuals, and professional development delivery materials.
Margaret Jo Shepherd, Ed.D., was cofounder of the program in learning disabilities and the Special Education Child Study Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. Unlike most programs preparing teachers for students with specific learning disabilities, the Teachers College program included a required course in multisensory language instruction. Since retiring from the Teachers College faculty in 1998, Dr. Shepherd has developed a graduate program preparing special education teachers at Cairo University and new primary school textbooks for government schools in Afghanistan. She also helped create an in-service program for teachers in rural schools in Afghanistan. She is currently working with Teachers College team on a teacher education project in Pakistan.
Gordon Sherman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Newgrange School and Education Center. Before joining the Newgrange School and Education Center, Dr. Sherman was Director of the Dyslexia Research Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a faculty member in neurology (neuroscience) at Harvard Medical School. He received his doctorate in developmental psychobiology from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Sherman is a former president of The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and a recipient of two of its most prestigious honors, the Samuel T. Orton Award and the Norman Geschwind Memorial Lecture Award. He also was inducted into IDA's Sylvia O. Richardson Hall of Honor. Dr. Sherman speaks nationally and internationally to parents, teachers, and scientists about cerebrodiversity, learning differences, and brain development.
Jo Anne Simon, J.D., is an attorney in private practice in Brooklyn, New York, concentrating on disability rights litigation and consultation in higher education and high-stakes testing. A former disability services provider, teacher of the deaf, and sign language interpreter, she was lead counsel to the plaintiff in Bartlett v. New York State Board of Law Examiners through all phases of litigation. In 2008, she testified before the U.S. Senate regarding the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act (PL 110-325) on education and standardized testing. She is currently President of The International Dyslexia Association–New York and a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. She regularly advises faculty and administrators regarding issues pertaining to higher education and the transition of students with disabilities from high school to postsecondary education.
Lydia H. Soifer, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, and a faculty member of the Early Intervention Training Institute of the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center of the Montefiore Hospital Medical Center. As a parent educator, teacher trainer, and staff developer in public and private schools, mainstream, and special education schools, Dr. Soifer's focus has been on the dynamic among the factors influencing a child's ability to learn. Her approach is cognitive-linguistic in nature, with an emphasis on the role of both the teacher's trained and conscious use of language and the student's language abilities in effective teaching and learning. Dr. Soifer is a frequent presenter at national and local conferences and regularly offers courses on language, literacy, and learning, as well as training in her program, Classroom Language Dynamics.
Margaret B. Stern, M.Ed., was a math consultant to The Gateway School, where Structural Arithmetic was further developed. She is coauthor with Catherine Stern of Children Discover Arithmetic (HarperCollins, 1971) and the Structural Arithmetic Teacher Guides and Workbooks (Random House, 1965–1966). She is the 1989 recipient of the Orton Dyslexia Society Award and the 1998 recipient of the Bank Street College of Education Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in the Field of Education.
Joanna K. Uhry, Ed.D., teaches teachers about beginning reading and about dyslexia. She is the coordinator of Fordham University's Ph.D. Program in Language, Literacy, and Learning and carries out research on the underlying cognitive processes used by young children learning to read and write. Earlier experiences include teaching reading as an elementary teacher; directing a clinic for assessment and tutoring for children with learning disabilities at Teachers College, Columbia University; and directing the Ennis William Cosby Graduate Certificate Program, a professional development program at Fordham University for teachers in high-needs, early childhood urban classrooms.
Barbara A. Wilson, M.Ed., is the co- founder and president of Wilson Language Training, which provides materials and professional learning throughout the country. In 1988, Ms. Wilson authored the Wilson Reading System®, now in its fourth edition, based on reading research and her work at Massachusetts General Hospital Reading Disabilities Clinic, where she taught adults with dyslexia. Ms. Wilson developed and oversees graduate courses and clinical practicums, which lead to Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner and Therapist certifications, which are accredited International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Tier 3 training programs. More than 25,000 teachers hold Wilson certifications in the United States. This certification is also an integral component for several university programs. Ms. Wilson has authored two other multisensory structured language programs: Fundations® for K–3 students and Just Words® for students in Grades 4–12 and adults. Ms. Wilson provides professional expertise for several organizations and efforts dedicated to reading and dyslexia. She was invited to the White House to speak to the President's Domestic Policy Adviser on Education regarding the issue of literacy in America's middle and high schools, and in 2015, she testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in support of H.R. 3033, the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia (READ) Act, which was later signed into law. Ms. Wilson has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from two Massachusetts institutions: Becker College and Fitchburg State University.
