BOARD MEMBERS BY REGION
SERVICE AREA 1 – NORTHEAST
Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblin, Hancock, Hawkins,
Jefferson, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington
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VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 1 WENDY O’NEAL Wendy is a seasoned educator with over 25 years of experience. She is 1 of less than 1% in the state who is certified and experienced in school administration, special education, and English language learning. Wendy is a highly qualified reading intervention teacher, holds a certification for TEAM evaluator since 2014, and serves on two national councils addressing teacher retention, recruiting and training. Her experiences span classroom teacher, instructional coach, and school administration with a proven record of success at the school, district, and state levels. She has served for almost two decades as an adjunct professor. Recently, she worked as a consultant for the Tennessee Department of Education, evaluating universities’ teacher preparation programs strengthening alignment to reading practices and standards. As a parent of a child with dyslexia and a middle school reading intervention teacher, Wendy brings a unique perspective and deep understanding of the challenges and supports needed for struggling readers. |
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SERVICE AREA 2 – SMOKY MOUNTAIN
Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Cumberland, Fentress, Knox, Loudon,
McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Roane, Scott, Sevier
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VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 2 DENISE HOLMES Denise is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP) and Structured Language Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS). She provides one-to-one academic therapy and multisensory math intervention. Denise also serves on the Knox County Dyslexia Advisory Council. She has a B.S. in Psychology from the College of Charleston and lives in Knox County. |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 2 MIKE MATVY Mike serves as a Director of Service Area 2, representing Knox County. He has Bachelor’s in Education, Master’s in Guidance and Counseling, and Ed.S. in school psychology. Mike retired from public education in 2010 and currently shares his talent and expertise in assistive technology services and app development specifically for individuals with dyslexia. |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 2 ALEXIS BOUCHER Alexis is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Tennessee. Her research focuses on developing effective interventions for students with dyslexia in upper elementary grades. Alexis is an experienced elementary special educator who enjoys mentoring and teaching pre-service and in-service educators, administrators, and researchers in reading development, instruction, and intervention. |
SERVICE AREA 3 – SOUTHEAST
Bledsoe, Bradley, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs,
Putnam, Rhea, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren, White
| DIRECTOR – AREA 3 |
SERVICE AREA 4a – NORTH CENTRAL
Cheatham, Clay, Davidson, Dickson, Jackson, Macon,
Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson
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VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 4a MELINDA HIRSCHMANN Melinda earned her Ed.D. from Lipscomb University and her Master’s in Special Education from Tennessee State University. Melinda is the Assistant Director for Educational Services and School Outreach for the Tennessee Center for the Study & Treatment of Dyslexia at Middle Tennessee State University. She provides literacy education to pre-service and in-service teachers and is a certified academic language therapist (CALT). Melinda serves as Vice President for Area 4A. |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 4a SAMANTHA GESEL Samantha (Sam) Gesel is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. She also serves as the Assistant Director to the Roberts Academy at Vanderbilt University, a school for students with dyslexia that opened for its inaugural year in August 2024. Gesel’s work focuses on intensive intervention and data-based decision-making in reading for students with or at-risk for dyslexia. Specifically, her work centers the impact of professional development on pre-service and in-service teachers’ ability to engage in data-based decision-making in reading effectively in practice to support students. |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 4a SANDY PARUS Sandy serves on the board, representing Rutherford County. She has her Bachelor’s in Journalism and Marketing for Lewis University and her Masters’ as a Reading Specialist from Olivet Nazarene University and Teaching English Language Learners from the American College of Education. Sandy is currently a reading specialist working as a dyslexia tutor in her own private practice. After working in public school for several years, Sandy has devoted her career to ensuring that students with dyslexia had access to high quality services and education to reach their fullest potential. |
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| DIRECTOR – AREA 4a JENN WARD Jenn holds a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, a Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia and Language-Based Learning Difficulties, a Master’s in Educational Psychology, and is trained in Orton-Gillingham and Take Flight. Over the past 25+ years, Jenn has worked in various educational settings, including four years at an international school in Tianjin, China. Jenn is a Dyslexia Specialist and academic coach at Hoover Learning Group. She has a passion for student learning, family support, and teacher training. |
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DIRECTOR – Area 4a
ALEX FENDER Alex is the director of evaluation at the Center for Reading at Pittsburg State University (PSU), a position she fulfills remotely from Clarksville-Montgomery County. She has an Ed.S. in school psychology from Middle Tennessee State University and an M.S. in clinical psychology from PSU. Alex is a nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP) and has worked for more than 12 years in the fields of psychology and education. She has served as a school psychologist, psychological associate, and researcher, and has worked in various settings including public schools, military installations, clinics, and hospitals. Alex is passionate about the identification of dyslexia, as well as helping individuals and families navigate the systems of support that are available. |
SERVICE AREA 4b – SOUTH CENTRAL
Bedford, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln,
Marshall, Maury, Moore, Williamson
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DIRECTOR- AREA 4b LORIE RICHARDSON Lorie received her bachelor’s degree in Business of Administration from Belmont University and a Master’s in Christian Education from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Belmont University. Lorie is a special education teacher in Bedford County and teaches struggling readers, including those with Dyslexia. “The Dyslexia Center at MTSU gave me my first training on how to teach struggling readers. Through their training, I transformed my reading instruction and have become a more effective teacher. My collaboration with others on the board has deepened my understanding of Dyslexia and how to provide intervention to my students”. |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 4b PAM FAHEY Pamela has a Bachelor of Arts in French from Southern Methodist University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Trevecca Nazarene University. She has served in public education as an involved parent of two, a substitute teacher, a paraprofessional, an elementary classroom teacher for nine years, and is currently in her 6th year as reading coach at Liberty Elementary in Franklin, Tn. She has administered the universal screeners and additional dyslexia screeners for kindergarten through fourth grades at her school over the past six years. She is passionate about ensuring that all elementary students receive explicit, systematic, multisensory phonics instruction. |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 4b STEVE PASKE Steve is the co-founder and owner of Nashville Dyslexia Center. He is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner and holds a Masters of Arts in Education from Lindenwood University. He has over 26 years of teaching experience as an elementary teacher and interim principal. Steven’s passion and desire is to provide hope and help for the struggling reader. | |
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DIRECTOR – AREA 4b
MEGAN FLEER Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Master’s of Arts in Teaching in Reading and Language Arts with a K–12 Reading Specialist Endorsement from Oakland University. Since completing her Orton Gillingham Instructor certification through the Michigan Dyslexia Institute in 2009, Megan has worked actively with students with dyslexia as a dyslexia instructor, classroom teacher, reading interventionist, and, since 2021, instructional literacy coach. In her current role as instructional literacy coach at Scales Elementary in Brentwood, Tenn., she works intimately with all school constituents, including classroom teachers to improve their dyslexia-specific teaching practices, school administration and the school psychologist to understand the state’s goals and standards, parents in meetings about their children and regarding volunteering, and students in dyslexia-specific intervention. As a member of the IDA-TN board, Megan brings extensive knowledge of the State of Tennessee’s dyslexia-specific standards and goals, and an intimate, practical familiarity with all stakeholders integral to improving support for literacy and language-based learning differences. |
SERVICE AREA 5 – WEST
Barton, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Henry, Haywood, Henderson lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy,
Oblon, Perry, Shelby, Tipton, Wayne, Weakley
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VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 5 NICHI HICKERSON Nichi is a long-time resident of Trenton, Tennessee, and she works as a reading specialist in the neighboring district in Bradford, TN. She and her husband, who is a school board member for the Trenton Special School District, are active supporters of the two school districts in which they work. Nichi has a Master’s Degree in Education with a Reading Specialist Endorsement. She has taught kindergarten, third grade, and Title I in an RTI classroom. She is currently working as a first grade teacher. Nichi ‘s passion for teaching children to read began as a teenager when she worked in an after school program and later when she worked as an assistant in a special education classroom. These experiences led her to obtaining a degree in education. |
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| DIRECTOR – AREA 5 RACHEL WALL Rachel’s professional career was spent working in politics in Washington, DC. planning special events for the United States Congress and working as a staff member for two previous Speakers of the House of Representatives. Rachel serves on the board of the Bodine School and is a parent of 2 children with dyslexia and a third with “dyslexic tendencies”. Rachel is a passionate advocate for children with dyslexia and their families. For those who suffer through the struggles and obstacles of the unknown before diagnosis to wading through the confusion of diagnosis and the eventual “what now”, she is eager to support any organization that functions to provide resources that ease the burden of families facing dyslexia. |
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REBECCA SEMLER Rebecca has resided in Memphis since birth and has a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from Oklahoma Christian University and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Freed-Hardeman University. She is an Associate practitioner certified through the Orton Gillingham Academy. Additionally, she is trained in the Yoshimoto O-G approach in both reading and math, LiPS, SMILA, and Marilyn Zecher’s Multisensory Math approach. Rebecca found her passion for helping struggling readers while working for 11 years in various roles at Bodine School, a school for students with dyslexia. Currently, she serves as a K-12 learning specialist at Harding Academy in Memphis as well as the department chair of the school’s academic differentiation program, Thrive. |
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| MEMBERS AT LARGE |
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ASHLEY HILL |
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| SARAH D. RITCHIE, Ph.D.
Sarah is a private practice clinical neuropsychologist in Brentwood. She continues her dedication to providing comprehensive evaluations grounded in neuroscience to promote understanding and meaningful treatment planning for her patients. The majority are children with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and ASD, though she also sees young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders. Collaborations with SLP, OT, learning specialist, and school admin friends have been invaluable in the service of her patients, as has her advocacy-focused engagement with legislative friends who care deeply about education. She holds a B.S. in psychology and sociology from Millsaps College (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa distinctions) and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi. She completed two post-doctoral fellowships, including a 2-year fellowship in neuropsychology with the UT Neuroscience Institute at Le Bonheur. She has been a UTHSC Clinical Assistant Professor since 2009 (pediatrics/neurology division), was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Mississippi, and has been on the advisory board for Best Buddies International TN chapter for years. She is dedicated to sponsoring events held by organizations promoting literacy and those helping adults with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities thrive . |
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