Regional Board Members

 BOARD MEMBERS BY REGION

SERVICE AREA 1 – NORTHEAST

Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblin, Hancock, Hawkins,
Jefferson, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington

		VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 1 WENDY O’NEIL Wendy has been in education for 26 years. She holds an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership, a Master’s in early childhood special education, and a dual Bachelor’s in elementary and special education. Wendy is a highly qualified reading intervention teacher with certifications in English Language Learners and as a TEAM evaluator. 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 and supervisor to future teachers in education preparation programs. Recently, she worked as a consultant for the Tennessee Department of Education, evaluating universities’ teacher preparation programs strengthening alignment to reading practices and standards. She is a parent of a child with dyslexia.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 1 MERRIE ROBIN McREYNOLDS Merrie Robin lives in Sullivan County and has her Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Tech. As a parent of a child with dyslexia, Merrie Robin has a passion to help her own child as well as other families who have children with dyslexia. She has spent the last several years learning best practices in dyslexia education and advocating for the learning needs and well-being of kids in northeast Tennessee. After seeing how much tutoring helped her child, she became a Wilson Certified Practitioner reading specialist and now works as a dyslexia tutor in her own private practice.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 1 NINA MOORE Nina Moore serves as the Membership Secretary of the Tennessee Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She lives in Russellville, TN, and her education includes a B.S. in Elementary Education from Carson-Newman University, a M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Tennessee, and an Ed. S. in Educational Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University. Nina has taught for twenty-six years in the public schools as a first, third, and fourth grade teacher. She has also served as an instructional coach and intervention teacher for grades K-5. Having a son with dyslexia, Nina has studied best practices in teaching reading in order to support him as well as the children she teaches. Nina looks forward to continuing to be an advocate for students with dyslexia as well as advocating for professional development of best practice for teachers of reading instruction.

SERVICE AREA 2 – SMOKY MOUNTAIN

Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Cumberland, Fentress, Knox, Loudon,
McMinn, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Roane, Scott, Sevier

		VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 2 DENISE HOLMES Denise is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner and Structured Language Dyslexia Specialist. She provides 1:1 academic therapy and intervention and also serves on the Knox County Dyslexia Advisory Board. Denise has a B.S. in Psychology from the College of Charleston and lives in Knox County.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 2 LORI GALBRAITH Lori is a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner with experience working with struggling readers and ELL students. She works in private practice and serves Loudon, West Knox, Blount, Anderson and Cumberland counties. She is the co-founder of an inner city K-12th grade tutoring program in Knox County established in 2009. As a Phi Beta Kappa English graduate from the University of Tennessee with additional M.Ed. coursework in Elementary Education at Lincoln Memorial University, she has enjoyed structured literacy tutoring for 10+ years. She is passionate about education as the path to change and counts it a true blessing to serve East Tennessee kids who are looking to improve their success in school and life.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 2 AMANDA BELL MADISON Amanda earned two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and her Master’s in Divinity from Emory University. Amanda works as a hospice chaplain and provides spiritual care to patients and families in the Tennova Healthcare system. She is also an advocate for relationship building to increase awareness and opportunity for students with dyslexia and their families. Amanda is a parent of a child with dyslexia.
		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.

SERVICE AREA 3 – SOUTHEAST

Bledsoe, Bradley, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs,
Putnam, Rhea, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren, White

		VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 3 LORI ARNETT Lori, M.Ed., W.D.P, C-SLDI serves as the Tennessee Vice President (Area 3) and the chairperson for the Outreach/Professional Development Committee. She has a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Language Science and a Master’s in Education. Lori owns and operates the Middle Tennessee Reading Center in Tullahoma (Coffee County). Her certifications include the Wilson Reading Program and International Dyslexia Association/CERI. Lori is cofounder of the Literary Academy which is a professional development company with a mission to teach and train teachers in the structured literacy approach. She is a lifelong learner and passionate about teaching individuals who struggle with learning to read.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 3 ALLISON McAVOY Allison lives in Hamilton County and has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in special education and teaching from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Allison is a certified Wilson dyslexia therapist and trainer and co-owner of a reading center in Chattanooga. In addition to her role as a board member of TN-IDA, Allison is a member of the Tennessee Board of Education Dyslexia Advisory Council.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 3 ALEXANDRIA MARTIN Alexandria was born in McMinnville, TN and lives in White County. She has her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Tennessee Tech and is currently working on her master’s degree. Alexandria has watched her father struggle with dyslexia and wants to make a change in the way people perceive and treat dyslexia.

SERVICE AREA 4a – NORTH CENTRAL

Cheatham, Clay, Davidson, Dickson, Jackson, Macon,
Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson

		VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 4a JEAN HUTCHINSON Jean works as the learning specialist in the lower school at University School of Nashville. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Alabama, her Master’s in Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders from George Peabody College, and her certificate of Dyslexic Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. Jean lives in Davidson County.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 4a LYNNE WALKER Lynne serves as a Director of Service Area 4a, representing Sumner and Davidson County. She has her Bachelor’s from Baylor University and her Master’s in Educational Counseling from the University of Memphis. Lynne works as a teacher trainer in Structured Literacy and is a parent, teacher, and Certified Academic Language Therapist (C.A.L.T.) for students with dyslexia.
		DIRECTOR – 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). As a director in Area 4B, she represents Wilson and Rutherford Counties.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 4a SANDY PARUS Sandy serves on the board, representing Rutherfod 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.

SERVICE AREA 4b – SOUTH CENTRAL

Bedford, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln,
Marshall, Maury, Moore, Williamson

		TNIDA President JENNIFER FLEMING Jennifer has a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision and is the owner and director of Inspiring Minds Learning Center located in Maury County. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and also IDA and CERI Certified as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist. She is a SMILA- Simultaneous Multisensory Institute of Language Arts Instructor. Jennifer is also cofounder of the Literacy Academy, providing expert-level training to teachers in structured literacy.
		TNIDA Vice-President ASHLEY EDWARDS Ashley works as the Assistant to the Executive Director for the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. Previously, she taught middle school reading in public and private schools in Middle Tennessee, focusing primarily on students with individualized learning needs. She earned her Master’s in Reading Education from Averett University. and her Bachelor’s from Tennessee Wesleyan University.
		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”.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 4b JULIANNE JAMES Julianne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education, a Master’s degree in Dyslexia Therapy, and an Education Specialist degree in Psychometry. Julianne is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and academic coach at Hoover Learning Group in Brentwood. She is passionate about helping students build confidence and teaching them to read using a variety of multisensory methods.

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

		VICE-PRESIDENT – AREA 5 Pam DeMato Pam DeMato lives in Shelby County.and has her Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education from Southern Connecticut State University and her Master’s of Education from Christian Brothers University. She is CERI and ALTA certified and runs the RISE Learning Center in Collierville. Pam’s interest in advocacy and structured literacy programs began when her own children were diagnosed with dyslexia and she has proudly been involved with TN-IDA for 15 years.
		DIRECTOR – AREA 5 GAY LANDAICHE Gay has her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University and her trainings include several Lindamood Bell courses and Associate Level training with the Orton Gillingham Academy.  Gay is the Director of the Erika Center at Bodine School doing community outreach in the area of dyslexia. She lives in Shelby County.
		DIRECTOR – 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. 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.

MEMBER AT LARGE

ZOI TRAGA PHILIPPAKOS Zoi  serves as an at-large Board Director. She earned her Ph.D. in Literacy and her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Reading. As a professor at the University of Tennessee, Zoi conducts research in reading and writing processes with an interest in writing strategy instruction, self-regulation, and motivation. She also serves on the Knox County Dyslexia Advisory Board.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

		MARTIE WOOD Martie Wood serves as an advisor to the board and represents Knox County. She has her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Special Education from University of Tennessee-Knoxville and is certified through Slingerland, ALTA, and IDA as a Dyslexia Therapist. She is a past-president of TNIDA and has served in many board positions. Martie is the owner of Martie Wood & Associates: Academic Therapy which offers one-to-one services in Knoxville and surrounding areas. She is the originator and facilitator of the Knox County Dyslexia Advisory Council. Martie is a co-recipient of the 2019 Massey-Sexton Excellence Award.
		ROSEMARY WILLIAMS Rosemary serves as an advisor to the board, representing Shelby County. She is the founder and director of the Simultaneous Multisensory Language Arts Institute and former founder and president of the East Tennessee Orton Dyslexia Society. Rosemary is the 2019 co-recipient of the Massey-Sexton Excellence Award.