Board

Executive Board

President
Cindee McCarthy
Cindee has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Minnesota and is currently a senior manager of International Logistics at General Mills, Inc. For the past two years, she has applied her business expertise to IDA-UMB within a variety of roles, including: Membership Committee chair and past role as board vice president. Her community involvement goes beyond IDA-UMB. Cindee is the co-founder and chairperson for Parent Advocates for Students with Dyslexia (PASD), a local advocacy group. She has received PACER Parent Advocacy training and has been active in working with the Minnesota Legislature to improve teacher candidate training for reading instruction. In addition, Cindee has been a parent advisor for the Center for Reading Research at the University of Minnesota, working to develop an automated computer-based assessment system (CBAS) to evaluate the level and rate of early reading development. She has been a member of the Wayzata School District Technology Committee, Parent Advisory Group. Cindee and her son, Ryan, are sought-after presenters in the area of assistive technology to support reading and writing at both the local and national level. Cindee says her interest in IDA-UMB was sparked by personal experience with family members who have had to overcome and compensate for reading and writing difficulties.

First Vice President
Bette Erickson
Bette is an Orton-Gillingham reading therapist in private practice. Her involvement with IDA began over 12 years ago when she attended her first national IDA conference. Bette has been an active IDA-UMB board member for the past four years. She is a founding member of Parent Advocates for Students with Dyslexia (PASD), a local parent advocacy group. She was instrumental in establishing a school program to support struggling readers with effective Scientifically Based Reading Instruction (SBRI). Bette has been a vocal and effective advocate working with the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Board of Teaching, and was one of many who were recently instrumental in advocating state legislators to improve teacher candidate pre-service training and licensure rules as they relate to reading instruction, with the passage of House File 2 (May of 2009). A long-time participant in the IEP process, Bette’s daughter with dyslexia is now a successful college student.

Second Vice President
Kelly O’Rouke Johns
Kelly O’Rouke Johns is an author, editor, and writer with over 30 years professional publishing and marketing experience. The former Director of Creative Services for Kalmbach Publishing, Johns currently serves as Editorial Director for Anchor Media and continues to write professionally. Her career in communications includes roles as entertainment publicist for Guttman & Pam Ltd. (Beverly Hills, CA), development associate for Cosgrove Meurer Productions (Burbank, CA), script analyst for Tri-Star Pictures (Century City, CA), Editor, Commerce Magazine (Chicago, IL), and publications director for Lester B. Knight & Associates (Chicago, IL). Her works have been published in Cosmopolitan, Billboard, and many other national and local publications. She is the mother of a young child with dyslexia and has worked to advocate early intervention and reading strategies in her local school district. Johns is the founding chair of The Foundation for Early Childhood Family Services, and the outgoing chair of the national non-profit, Cheerful Givers.

Secretary
Debbie Moran
Debbie holds a BA from Carleton College in English and an MA from The University of St. Thomas in special education (learning disabilities specialty). She is currently Lower School Admissions Director at Groves Academy (a school in St. Louis Park, MN, for students who have dyslexia, other language-based learning disabilities and attention disorders) and helps coordinate outreach activities there. As a former teacher, she has worked as a private tutor and as a community liaison for a public school in Minneapolis. At Groves, and through her work with IDA-UMB, she has helped many families and community members who are looking for support. She is adept at defining needs and accessing resources within the community and brings a wealth of expertise to the board including consensus building, community building, education/advocacy, and goal-setting.

Treasurer
Marcy Pohlman
Marcy is a consultant and lay advocate for parents and children with disabilities. She is a retired certified public accountant (CPA) and former teacher for deaf and hearing impaired students. Over the years, she has developed her skills in advocacy, leadership and public policy with hands-on experience as well as education from Wrightslaw IDEA training, Council of Parents, Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA) seminars, PACER workshops, MN State Bar Association school law conferences, MACMH workshops, and others. Marcy serves as our representative on both The Coalition for Children with Disabilities (PACER), and MN Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities’ Children’s Committee. And, she is one of many parents who were instrumental in advocating state legislators to improve teacher candidate pre-service training and licensure rules as they relate to reading instruction, with the passage of House File 2, in May of 2009.

Jan Hagedorn, MA
Currently the Reading Readiness Director at The Reading Center, Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota, Jan received her MA in Human and Health Services Administration from St. Mary’s University. In her role at The Reading Center, she has developed and implemented a Reading Readiness program using scientific, research–based principles for pre-readers and their parents—to prepare children for reading. As an Individual Reading Therapist, Jan provides one-on-one instruction to children with reading difficulty using principles of O-G. Her many accomplishments include consulting for PAIIR (the early childhood programs for ISD# 535 Rochester, MN), serving as co-chair of Federation 2002, a multi-state convention for fiber artists, PTSA president at elementary, middle school and high school, PTSA treasurer, Area Council of PTSA treasurer, regional representative for Minnesota Parenting Center, and she is a PACER-trained parent advocate. Jan is active in volunteering her time toward collaborating with state legislators for best practices in reading instruction.

Leo Stern
An attorney informed by his own dyslexia, Leo was a commercial litigator with the international law firm of Fredrikson & Byron for more than 35 years. He is now Of Counsel to his firm, and serves as a mediator and arbitrator. He is treasurer of The June Stern Family Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping kindergarten through third grade children in the Twin Cities to advance their reading skills. Leo is also a board member of several social service nonprofit organizations.
 

Board Members at Large

Paul A. Evangelist, M.Ed
Paul’s experience brings a wealth of public school perspective to the board. He began his career over three decades ago as an elementary school teacher in the Minneapolis schools, obtaining a certificate to teach emotionally disturbed students along the way. After acquiring an M.Ed in special education, Paul earned his administration licensure for secondary education, and a director of special education licensure. With administration experience at both the building and district level, he has been an intervention specialist, a public school principal, and a director of special education. Paul’s talents include: staff development, troubleshooting, advocacy, collaboration with related agencies, professional training for principals, interpretation and understanding of special education law, program and IEP development and implementation, and the hiring and evaluation of staff in all disability areas. He was most recently the Director of Special Education for Designs for Learning, but retired in June of 2009.

Nancy C. Lawlor
An Orton-Gillingham certified reading therapist and a handwriting specialist, Nancy has a BA in elementary education and is completing graduate work at Hamline University. The mother of three and an active volunteer in school communities, she has a private practice as a reading therapist, providing services for students ages six to 21. Nancy has played a strategic role in helping to design and facilitate IDA-UMB’s Youth Strand at our recent spring conferences.

Amy Lesher
Amy Lesher is a speech/language pathologist and owner of Rosenberg Center (Roseville, MN). She has worked in the field of speech-language pathology for over 10 years. Amy has worked with individuals with special needs for nearly 20 years, specifically with individuals with dyslexia as a speech-language pathologist providing assessment and treatment for language issues related to their language-based disabilities. The author of the book Finding Out About Friends and Feelings for Preschoolers, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Minnesota and a Master of Science degree from University of Hawaii-Manoa at the John H. Burns School of Medicine in speech-language pathology. As a graduate student, she worked with families and children as the coordinator for Hawaii Literacy.

Wendy Mathistad
Wendy Mathistad has a Bachelor of Science in education from Eastern Illinois University. She is a teacher and lower school co-division director at Groves Academy (St. Louis Park, MN), a school for students diagnosed with dyslexia, other language-based learning disabilities, and attention disorders. She is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach and is certified in The Wilson Reading System.

Jeanie Munsterman
Jeanie is currently a reading intervention teacher working with small groups of first and second grade students in a public school setting, using the Orton-Gillingham method. Jeanie’s passion and desire for reading success for all students, combined with her constant quest for high-quality teacher training to fulfill that desire, led her to IDA-UMB in 2003. As a result, Jeanie went on to supplement her elementary teaching degree with Orton-Gillingham training. She is a certified member of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE) and is completing her Master's in Human Development with the focus on scientifically research based reading instruction. Jeanie has served as director/teacher of a preschool, taught kindergarten, first, second and fourth grade, developed and implemented an after school reading program and volunteered as a reading therapist. Jeanie served on the Content Advisory Committee Birth to Grade 3 Test Framework Review for the new reading rules and the MN Teacher Licensure Examinations Materials Review.

Rebecca Schmitt
Rebecca Schmitt’s professional expertise lies in the area of commercial photography. Her interest in IDA-UMB developed about ten years ago after her son was diagnosed with learning disabilities through The Reading Center/Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota in Rochester, MN. Rebecca’s extensive community involvement includes work on the South Washington County district curriculum advisory committee and the parent advisory of the Washington County Mental Health Collaborative. She keeps well-informed on the issues of mental health, learning disabilities, and education, through numerous workshops each year. Rebecca recently contributed her videographic editing skills in support of the 2008 Senate subcommittee legislative work toward effective reading instruction. Her videos can be seen on YouTube through www.MNRight2Read.org. She has been an active volunteer for IDA-UMB, serving on and contributing to the efforts of its Publicity & Communications Committee for a number of years prior to becoming a board member.

Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith is an Orton-Gillingham tutor and a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in teaching, elementary education license, and K-12 reading endorsement, at the University of St. Thomas. She has a background in grant writing. Sarah is interested in event planning and grant writing for IDA-UMB and has a passion for advocating for students with dyslexia, SBRI, and assisting parents and professionals in understanding the challenges associated with this language-based learning disability.

Jeff Thelen
Jeff is a graduate of Winona State University, majoring in elementary education. He has earned a Masters degree from St. Mary’s University in education, teaching and learning, and another Masters degree in science and reading with a literacy specialization from Walden University. Jeff serves on the staff of Forest Hills Elementary School (Eden Prairie, MN) as a reading specialist, Title I supervisor, reading/math academy coordinator, and summer school coordinator. Prior to teaching, Jeff was a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins (1989-93). He is an active voice in helping to implement scientifically-based instructional methodologies for students in need of effective reading intervention in the public school setting. He is trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach, and is actively engaged in practicing and training others to implement the best-of-the-best for all students.

Lynda Whisney
Lynda Whisney is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in communication and marketing, and a Masters degree in Human Development – with a focus on holistic therapies – from St. Mary’s University. Lynda has a strong personal and professional interest in the impact of stress and emotional distress experienced by the child and family of a student with a learning disability. She became acquainted with IDA-UMB ten years ago through the organization’s annual conference, while searching to find out how to help her son learn to read. For the past two years, Lynda has volunteered by planning and co-teaching the Youth Strand of the IDA-UMB spring conference, along with her son Brian. She is a founding member of a local parent advocacy group for students with dyslexia (PASD), and a passionate parent advocate in the IEP process.