Ameer Baraka

The Ugly Side of Dyslexia

You may have seen Ameer Baraka in Tyler Perry’s Zatima or American Horror Story. What you may not know is that Ameer’s own mother called him “dumb and stupid.” His teachers humiliated him. And his dyslexia, which made it difficult for him to read, turned the young man into a “street thug”. Now an accomplished actor, Baraka was only a few words away from a life in prison, all because he couldn’t read. Ameer is a devoted dyslexia advocate committed to stopping the school-to-prison pipeline. Join us for this inspiring session and discussion of how to remove the shame and stigma of dyslexia.

Monica Genta

180 Days of Awesome: Celebrating Every Day of Education

As a current classroom teacher, everything Monica presents is real, raw, and relevant to what is happening in schools today. And that makes a big difference. Monica is the author of four books, Game Changers, 180 Days of Awesome, Crushing It For Kids, and The Rooted Classroom, a classroom teacher, and international educational consultant and keynote speaker. Monica’s TED talk has been viewed by thousands of educators from all over the world. She has earned a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction and a Masters in Educational Leadership & Administration and is a National Board Certified teacher.

Allison Peck

Real Talk about Dyslexia: The Top 10 Things I Have Learned as a Parent and Educator

Allison Peck is currently the Vice President of Professional Development at Neuhaus Education Center in Houston, Texas. She currently holds certifications as a Certified Academic Language Therapist-Qualified Instructor, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist for the state of Texas, and a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist per the International Dyslexia Association. She is a special education, general education, and reading specialist teacher, with her experience being in the public school (middle school) and private school (elementary) realms for the last 18 years.

Antony Smith

Mathematizing Children’s Literature Sparking Connections, Joy, and Wonder Through Read-Alouds and Discussion

Antony T. Smith is an associate professor of literacy education at the University of Washington, Bothell. He works alongside teachers to create engaging literacy-mathematics learning experiences through exploring and discussing children’s literature. He is committed to the concepts of motivation, engagement, challenge, and creativity in literacy teaching and learning.

Allison Hintz

Mathematizing Children’s Literature Sparking Connections, Joy, and Wonder Through Read-Alouds and Discussion

Allison is an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Washington Bothell. She engages in learning and teaching alongside children – and the adults in their lives – to find joy and wonder for mathematics.

Carrie Thomas Beck

Dyslexia Screening Versus Evaluation: The Why, When, and How

Dr. Carrie Thomas Beck is CORE’s Director of Literacy. She came to CORE after working four years as the Dyslexia Specialist for the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). In 2019, Carrie received the Excellence in Leadership Award from the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) to recognize her contribution to improving outcomes for students with dyslexia in Oregon. Prior to joining the Department, Carrie worked as a Research Associate in the Center on Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of Oregon for ten years.

Danielle Frith

Social and Emotional Effects of Dyslexia: How Can Teachers Support These Learners?

Danielle Frith is an alumna of Monmouth University. She was a special education teacher for five years and is a Wilson level I certified instructor. She obtained her master’s degree in special education from Rider University in 2009 and is a certified Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant. Currently, she is a full-time specialist professor in the special education department at Monmouth University and an adjunct instructor at Rider University. Danielle is working towards attaining her PhD in special education from Temple University and recently completed a LEND Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

DeJunne’ Clark Jackson

Dyslexia Amidst the Science of Reading: Access, Equity, and Inclusion

DeJunne’ Clark Jackson, among other achievements, is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and nationally credentialed AET Educational Therapist. As a former classroom teacher and school counselor with over a decade in education, DeJunne’ has had the opportunity to work with a myriad of students with general and specific needs. She is most impassioned about the advocacy she’s curated surrounding dyslexia awareness, early identification, and remediation. DeJunne’ is a state leader with the advocacy group Decoding Dyslexia Louisiana, serves as the President of The Reading League Louisiana, and is currently the Vice President of Program Development with the Center for Literacy and Learning.

Jean Rishel

Multi-Modal Magic with Morphology

Jean Rishel is a Level 5 Master Instructor with the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, and a member of the Academic Team. She has presented at national conferences, as well as conducting hundreds of graduate-level trainings for educators and parents across the country on phonological awareness, phonics, and morphology. A lifelong educator, Jean taught both regular and special education, and holds certification in speech and language and early childhood, and Masters degrees in learning disabilities and in educational leadership. A former principal and superintendent in New Jersey, she is passionate about demystifying English for all learners and spreading the joy of reading.

Joan Sedita

Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices

Joan Sedita has been a literacy educator for over 40 years. She is the author of numerous books, articles and literacy professional development programs. Joan has presented keynote and workshop presentations at over 150 literacy conferences over the past 15 years. Beginning in 1975, she worked for 23 years at the Landmark School for students with dyslexia. Joan founded Keys to Literacy, a teacher training organization, in 2007. She was the MA lead trainer for Reading First, and was a LETRS author and national trainer. Joan received her Masters in Reading from Harvard University.

Joelle Perry-Nappi

Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy for Students with Dyslexia

Joelle Nappi is a Dyslexia Therapist and Special Education teacher in the Freehold Township School District, in New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Delaware and is a Level II Certified Wilson Reading Instructor and WRS Trainer Intern. She teaches Structured Literacy intervention to students at all grade levels and has provided literacy support to hundreds of students and teachers in her 20+ year career.

Laura Stewart

Unlocking Comprehension by Building Sentence Sense

Laura Stewart is an educator and organizational leader. She has served as a teacher, administrator, adjunct professor, and director of numerous professional development initiatives around the country. Previous positions include VP of Professional Development for the Rowland Reading Foundation, Chief Academic Officer for Professional Development at Highlights for Children, and Chief Innovation Officer at The Reading League. She presents nationally and internationally, and is a published author.

Leta Palmiter

Mississippi Rising: How the Last became First in Literacy Growth

Leta Palmiter, Ed.S., CALT, C-SLDS. Leta has 22 years of experience teaching in all grades, abilities, and settings. She is the founder and director of Illuminations Center for Dyslexia in Meridian, Mississippi. Their mission is to impact the lives of children, adolescents, and adults with explicit, structured literacy instruction.

Lisa Klein

Writer’s Craft and Text Structure: Grades K-2

Lisa Klein is the Executive Vice President of Keys to Literacy, a professional development organization based in Massachusetts that trains educators across the country. An experienced educator with a passion for literacy and learning, she began teaching in 1995 at the Landmark School, a school renowned for their work with children and adolescents with language-based learning disabilities.

Molly Ness

What do teachers know about dyslexia? Growth over two decades

Molly Ness is a former classroom teacher, a reading researcher, and a teacher educator. She holds a doctorate in reading education from the University of Virginia, and she spent 16 years as an associate professor at Fordham University. She's the author of four books and numerous peer-reviewed articles, her research focuses on reading comprehension, teachers’ instructional decisions, and dyslexia. Molly serves on the Board of Directors for the International Literacy Association and on the elementary advisory panel for Penguin Random House. In 2022, Dr. Ness joined Learning Ally as the Vice President of Academic Content.

Susan J. Chambre

What do teachers know about dyslexia? Growth over two decades

Susan J. Chambre joined the Marist community after completing her PhD at Fordham University in 2018. She holds an MSEd in Special Education from Hunter College and a Post-Master’s Reading Certificate from Fordham University. Before receiving her PhD, Dr. Chambre taught for over a decade in urban and suburban elementary schools as a special education teacher, teacher-trainer, and literacy coach. A self-proclaimed word geek, her research focuses on the effects of print exposure, specifically decoding, on early readers’ vocabulary learning.

Nancy Chapel Eberhardt

Practice: A Key to Automaticity

Nancy Chapel Eberhardt is currently an educational consultant with 3T Literacy Group. She has experience as a special education teacher, administrator, and professional development provider. Nancy contributed as author and co-author to the development of the literacy intervention curriculum LANGUAGE!. She recently collaborated with Margie Gillis to develop the Literacy How Professional Learning Series. Nancy is the co-author of Sortegories 3.0, a web-based app that provides practice with decoding, vocabulary and syntax to improve reading comprehension and fluency.

Sheryl Ferlito

Practice: A Key to Automaticity

Sheryl Ferlito, Ed.S., is a Special Education Literacy and Intervention Coordinator at Chippewa Valley Schools in Macomb County, Michigan. In addition to 25 years as special education educator for grades K-12, Sheryl co-facilitates the Leadership Group of the Macomb Dyslexia Network providing professional development and support for teachers and administrators. Sheryl was recently recognized by her county as a MacombReads Literacy Ambassador. She was the contributing writer for LANGUAGE! 3rd Edition and LANGUAGE! Live. She also co-authored Sortegories.

Jennifer Ferlito

Practice: A Key to Automaticity

Jennifer Ferlito is an ASHA certified Speech-language Pathologist with teacher certification in the area of speech-language impairments. She currently teaches kindergarten in Macomb Intermediate School District’s Severely Language Impaired Program implementing structured literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading. Jennifer is also a Reading Science Doctoral student at Mount St. Joseph University.

Nancy Disterlic

Lead In the Way They Will Grow

Nancy Disterlic graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Development and Dallas Baptist University with a Master of Arts in Teaching (Multisensory Instruction). She taught in Keller ISD for 12 years in both elementary and high school, as a classroom teacher, dyslexia therapist and special education teacher for students with autism. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and a member of the Academic Language Therapy Association.

Peggy Semingson

The Science of Teaching Reading: Understanding the "Big Picture"

Dr. Peggy Semingson is an associate professor in the Department of Linguistics and TESOL at The University of Texas at Arlington where she teaches practitioner-focused courses in TESOL Education. Her Ph.D. is in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Language and Literacy Studies from The University of Texas at Austin in 2008. She has been an elementary bilingual/ESL classroom teacher (6 years), bilingual reading intervention specialist (2 years), and teacher educator (13 years).

Sandhya Lakhanpal

Unlock the Doors of Literacy with Audio-Visual Content

Sandhya Lakhanpal is a certified instructor, reading specialist and curriculum designer with over 10 years of experience in three U.S. school districts. In 2011-12, Sandhya was awarded the accolade of 'ESL Instructor of the Year' by Houston Area Association of Bilingual Education (HAABE).

Tiffany Peltier

What We Know about What They Know: A Review of the Research on Stakeholder Knowledge of Dyslexia

Tiffany Peltier brings over 12 years of experience in the education field, serving as an elementary teacher in three different states, acting as an instructional coach to elementary teachers, and teaching undergraduate pre-service teachers within special education, learning, sciences, and literacy coursework at Texas A&M and the University of Oklahoma.

Tim Odegard

Identifying Students with Dyslexia in a Sea of Struggling Readers

Tim Odegard, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and holds the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. He also leads the efforts of the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Dyslexia. Before joining the faculty at MTSU, Tim served on the faculty at the University of Texas Arlington and UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

Nanci Shepardson

The Intersection of Executive Functions and Reading Comprehension: Technology to Support this Merger

Nanci Shepardson is a Reading and Educational Specialist with an M.S.Ed. in Language and Literacy and an Ed.S. in Assistive Technology.

She is a seasoned teacher and a credentialed K-12 Reading Specialist. She is a published author, an advocate for students with disabilities and their families, and is also a professional speaker on Dyslexia, language-based disabilities, and assistive technology throughout the country.

Equity and access for all, especially regarding access to research-based reading instruction and assistive technology services, are at the forefront of the work she does.