Membership is open to
- Nationally-based, non-profit organizations
- Organizations with a major purpose of supporting individuals with learning disabilities
- Organizations that demonstrate a commitment and capacity to improve the quality of education, programs, and services for individuals with learning disabilities
Interested in becoming a member organization?
Download the NJCLD Membership Information document and the NJCLD Application for Membership
Current NJCLD Representatives
Lynne Fitzhugh, Ph.D., CALT-QI, represents the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) and has served on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) since 2019 as a member of the Public Policy Subcommittee. She is the Founder and President of the Colorado Literacy & Learning Center and is the Director and Senior Lecturer of the Master of Arts in Teaching–Dyslexia Specialist program at Colorado College. Dr. Fitzhugh is a Past President of the Academic Language Therapy Association and a former board member of the International Dyslexia Association. She contributed to the Barbara Bush Foundation’s National Action Plan for Adult Literacy and has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership and contributions to the field of dyslexia and learning disabilities. Dr. Fitzhugh lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and is the proud parent of four children and seven grandchildren.
Vicki King M. Ed., CALT, QI is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and a Qualified Instructor representing the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA). She works as the Dyslexia Specialist and Program Advisor for the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) of the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Prior to taking the position with DESE, she had a private practice providing dyslexia therapy and dyslexia therapist training for teachers. Vicki has a total of 26 years in education and has held positions as K-12 Special Education Resource Teacher, K-4 Literacy Interventionist, Reading Specialist, Literacy Facilitator, Dyslexia Therapist, and adjunct instructor. Vicki was the 2017 Arkansas Reading Association Educator of the Year recipient. Vicki lives in Central Arkansas with her husband, Walter (Bronco), and children, Quaid and Aiden.
Michelle Qazi, MEd, CALT-QI served as President of the Academic Language Therapy Association from 2024 to 2026 and is a nationally recognized leader in dyslexia advocacy, literacy education, and teacher training. She previously served as President of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of ALTA and as Vice President of Programs for the organization, where she helped advance high-quality standards in Multisensory Structured Language Education. From 2019 to 2025, Michelle served as Director of Literacy for the Boulder Valley School District, where she led districtwide efforts to improve early literacy outcomes. In this role, she developed the district’s first universal dyslexia screener in both English and Spanish for all kindergarten students—an initiative that has had lasting impact on early identification and equitable access to support. Michelle was also instrumental in the creation and passage of Colorado Senate Bill 25-200, which now requires dyslexia screening for all kindergarten through third-grade students statewide. Her work reflects a deep commitment to systems-level change grounded in research, collaboration, and student-centered practice. First and foremost, Michelle is a teacher. She is deeply passionate about ensuring that every student receives the instruction they need to learn to read, and that every teacher is equipped with the training and tools necessary to deliver effective Multisensory Structured Language Education.
Christina Mockridge is one of the representatives for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) of which she has been a member for over 20 years. Christina holds a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Vanderbilt University and her Educational Leadership credentials from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She currently serves as one of the Exceptional Children Program Managers for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools where she works with parents, service providers, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to ensure evidence-based practices are followed when working with students with disabilities. Christina is interested in the link between language and literacy and how speech-language pathologists can maximize their time with students to support reading needs. Christina is trained as a Reading Research to Classroom Practice presenter for the state of North Carolina and has provided professional development around language and literacy at the local, state, and national levels. Christina is passionate about public school supports and closing the research to practice gap through her work with NJCLD.
Sunjung K. Thao, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Central Arkansas. She is a certified speech-language pathologist whose teaching, research, and service focus on language, literacy, and cognition in children and adolescents with learning disabilities, including dyslexia and related language-based disorders.
Dr. Thao’s work emphasizes culturally responsive, family-centered, and community-engaged practices. She is particularly passionate about preparing future speech-language pathologists to advocate effectively for individuals with disabilities and their families through service-learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and authentic clinical experiences. Her research examines language and reading development, literacy assessment and intervention, and innovative training approaches for students, including the use of technology and experiential learning.
As a faculty service-learning liaison, Dr. Thao leads multiple community partnerships that support children, families, and caregivers while advancing student learning and professional identity development. She is also the director of the eyeRead Lab, where she conducts research on reading and learning processes.
Dr. Thao is deeply committed to equity, access, and collaboration across disciplines and systems. She is honored to contribute her expertise to organizations dedicated to improving outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities.
Glennis Daniels–Bacchus represents the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). She has been a member of NJCLD from 2016 and is on the Public Policy committee. Glennis is currently the Director of Disability Support Services and the ADA Coordinator for the College of Southern Maryland. She holds a B.A from Fordham University and M.S from Polytechnic/NYU. In her current position, Glennis is responsible for the development of policies and procedure for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amended Act (ADAAA) of 2008. Glennis develops and provides training programs for faculty and staff on the various laws, including the responsibility of post-secondary to adhere to those laws. Glennis developed a collaborative transition team that works to helps students with disabilities and their parents through transition to post-secondary institutions. She also represents Maryland’s post-secondary institutions on the Governor’s Interagency Transition Council (IATC) for youth with disabilities. With over 30 years of experience in the higher education, including services for students with disabilities, auditing DSS programs, processing post-secondary international students with Immigration and Naturalization rules and regulations, and presenting at state and national conferences on a wide variety of topics. Glennis is from Guyana, South America; married, and the parent of a daughter.
Janet Medina, Psy.D., represents the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Janet has served on the NJCLD since 2012 and currently works on the Public Policy committee. Janet is Associate Professor of Education Emerita at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD where she taught for 19 years. Originally trained as an anthropologist, she worked as an archaeologist for a few years and taught PreK-12th grade Special education for a number of years in New York state. At the postsecondary level, she worked with college students with disabilities at the time when colleges and universities were first developing postsecondary Disability Support Services (DSS) programs. Her two most recent publications include a chapter in the book, Behavior Management: Positive Applications for Teachers, 7th edition (2016) by Tom Zirpoli entitled: Diversity in the Classroom, and a book published by AHEAD entitled, Interpreting Diagnostic Assessments of Adolescents and Adults with Learning Disabilities, 2nd edition (2017). In her spare time, she likes to read books, hike, travel, quilt, and spin, knit, and weave fiber.
Juli Bowman, M.Ed., BCET, represents the Association of Educational Therapists (AET), through whom she is credentialed as a Board Certified Educational Therapist and is a Public Policy committee member. Juli is the Founder and Principal of Prepped Learning, a group educational therapy practice, serving students with complex learning needs through psycho-educational assessment, structured literacy and multisensory math interventions, executive function coaching, and collaboration with allied professionals. Juli’s career in special education spans over 25 years, with experience in clinical practice, educational consulting, teaching, dyslexia and dysgraphia interventions, teacher education, and instructional design. Juli is a Doctoral candidate in Neuroeducation at Johns Hopkins University. She holds degrees in Special Education with a concentration in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Indiana University and in Curriculum and Instruction with an endorsement as a Literacy Specialist from the University of Virginia.
A proud member of the Association of Educational Therapists (AET), Laura Doto, MA, ET/P is a professional educational therapist working at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Prior to this, Laura was Director of Academic Support for Montclair Kimberley Academy and a Medical Coach for Feinberg School of Medicine. She has attended and presented at various national conferences. Most recently, Laura earned her Universal Design for Learning practitioner certification from HGSE. As a discussion facilitator and avid reader, Laura values generative interactions with colleagues across disciplines.
Debi Gartland represents the Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD). She has served on the NJCLD since 1993 and currently works on the Public Policy subcommittee. She has a Ph.D. from Penn State and has worked as a Special Education teacher and Assistant Principal. Debi is Professor of Special Education at Towson University (Maryland) and coordinates the Elementary Education-Special Education (EESE) Professional Development School program, working with EESE undergraduates in Howard County Public Schools in their senior internship year. In addition to dual-certification teacher preparation, her scholarship interests include advocacy and national policy, especially in the field of Learning Disabilities. Debi hails from Newton, MA, but currently lives in Maryland with her husband and nearby their two daughters.
Roberta Strosnider, Ed.D., Professor Emerita of Special Education, Towson University, represents the Council for Learning Disabilities on NJCLD and has been in the field of Education for fifty years. She has had the opportunity to work with many students of all ages and stages of learning. Her most recent work has been in advocacy for students with learning disabilities and training teachers to provide executive function skill training to their students. She co-founded and directed Project Boost to enhance students’ executive function skills. Currently, she serves as co-director of the Institute on Executive Functioning. Her publications include two books she co-authored, The Executive Function Guidebook: Strategies to Help All Students Achieve Success and Everyday Executive Function Strategies: Improve Student Engagement, Self-Regulation, Behavior and Learning. Roberta’s high school, undergraduate college, and the Council for Learning Disabilities are among those who have recognized her for outstanding contributions to special education. Roberta and her husband are from West Virginia but after several corporate moves now call Florida home.
Miriam Ortiz represents the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD). Dr. Ortiz obtained her Ph.D. in Education and Human Development from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with a focus on Special Education and Response to Intervention. Prior to completing her Ph.D. she worked in Tallahassee, Florida as a K-12 teacher for students with behavior and emotional disabilities. She has worked closely with teachers and researchers across the country to improve the academic achievement of struggling students and students with disabilities. She has taught courses and delivered professional development on the topics of Early Literacy, Behavior Management and Intervention, Assessment, Program Evaluation, and Special Education. Dr. Ortiz is currently the CEO and Chief Consultant at Beyond the Research LLC where she helps organizations apply evidence-based practices in education. She also serves as the Executive Director for the Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Ortiz is passionate about connecting research to practice.
Elsa Cardenas Hagan, President Valley Speech Language and Learning Center, Brownsville, Texas. Elsa currently serves as the Chairperson of the NJCLD and Vice-Chairperson of the International Dyslexia Association. Elsa’s interests include the diagnosis and treatment of English learners with language and learning disabilities. On April 27th, 2018 Elsa received the Dr. Lucias Waites Award for Service to Individuals with Dyslexia from the Academic Language Therapy Association.
Eric Tridas practiced developmental and behavioral pediatrics in the Tampa Bay Area for 37 years. He is founder and Senior Partner of The Tridas Group, a developmental pediatrics consulting and software company. Dr. Tridas is an IDA representative at the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Learning Disability Association of America, and Past President of the International Dyslexia Association. He is also the State Medical Director for Pediatric Health Choice for Florida-Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Facilities (PPEC). He is a retired Clinical Associate Professor in Pediatrics at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. Tridas is the recipient of the 2017 International Dyslexia Association Margaret Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the International Dyslexia Association Sylvia Richardson Hall of Fame. He also received the 2012 IMSLEC Innovator Award. Dr. Tridas is coauthor of the Learning Disability Chapter in the upcoming edition of the Textbook of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. He also edited and co-authored From ABC to ADHD: What Every Parent Should Know About Dyslexia and Attention Problems. Dr, Tridas lectures and consults nationally and internationally on behavioral and developmental pediatrics topics.
Nancy Cushen White, EdD, C-SLDS, CALT-QI, BCET represents The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) on the NJCLD (2003-2012; 2015 to present) and currently serves on the Public Policy Subcommittee. She is a Clinical Professor-Pediatrics/Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine, at the University of CA, San Francisco. Over the past 40+ years, she has taught students in general and special education classrooms at public and independent schools, provided psychoeducational assessment and literacy intervention, trained pre- and in-service teachers and practitioners, developed curricula, and been involved in policy. She piloted a SFUSD special day class for 2e—Twice Exceptional students—gifted with a diagnosis of dyslexia; taught young adults in a pre-trial diversion program through SF Superior Court; worked as a Literacy Intervention Consultant and Case Manager for Lexicon Reading Center—Dubai—United Arab Emirates for 9 years; and has trained teachers in the Slingerland Multimodal Structured Language Approach (Structured Literacy) as a Certified Instructor of Teaching for the Slingerland Literacy Institute since 1975. She has received awards from IDA (2007—Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award and 2023—Distinction of Service Award), International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (2014—Etoile DuBard Award of Excellence), and the Academic Language Therapy Association (2016—Luke Waites Award of Service). She is a past member of IDA’s Board of Directors; served as Editor-in-Chief of The Examiner, IDA’s E-Newsletter; and currently serves on the Editorial Boards for IDA’s Perspectives on Language and Literacy and Fact Sheets. She continues to work on several boards and advisory boards (e.g., Northern CA Branch of IDA; International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council); and associated literacy work groups, including the CA Assembly Bill 1369 Dyslexia Guidelines Writing Work Group, formed to assist the CA Department of Education in developing program guidelines for dyslexia. Nancy lives in San Francisco with her husband Bebo, Norton the cat, and Odysseus the tortoise. She is the humble mother of two adult sons and two grandsons.
JoAnna J. Barnes, J.D., represents the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA). She has served on the NJCLD since 2015 and is the current NJCLD Treasurer. JoAnna holds a B.A. and J.D. from Georgetown University. JoAnna is President of the Learning Disabilities Association of North Carolina; she also served from 2014 to 2022 on the LDA of America Board of Directors. She practiced law from 1986 to 1999 in Maryland and D.C.; her practice primarily focused on affordable housing finance and federal housing programs. Since 1999, JoAnna has focused her legal skills and energies on community service and in the last two decades has been active advocating on issues impacting those with learning disabilities. JoAnna lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and is the parent of two adult children (ages 30 and 27) with learning disabilities who were each identified in early grade school and who are both now college graduates.
Dr. Jaumeiko Coleman is the owner and founder of The Learning T.I.P., a pediatric speech-language pathology practice. She enjoys collaborating interprofessionally to promote robust social, academic, avocational, and vocational outcomes for those she serves. Dr. Coleman’s 25+ year career focus on spoken language and literacy acquisition informed her work in public and private schools and universities, a not-for-profit professional association, and an edTech company. She is a board member of the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), an LDA representative on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, and a Fellow in the SLP Academy of the National Academies of Practice.
Monica McHale-Small, Ph.D. represents the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA). She has served on the NJCLD since 2017 and currently works on the Public Policy and Symposium subcommittees. Monica is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Temple University. Having retired from public education after twenty-seven years of service in Pennsylvania. Monica started her career as a school psychologist and later moved into administration. She earned her doctorate and masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education. An advocate for translating research into action, she served on the advisory committee for Pennsylvania’s Dyslexia Screening and Early Literacy Intervention Pilot. Monica advocates for responsible inclusion and equity for historically underserved students including racially, culturally and linguistically diverse learners and students with disabilities. She co-founded the Greater Lehigh Valley Consortium for Equity and Excellence and she currently consults with the ACLU of PA on School to Prison Pipeline issues. Monica has served on the Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Association, the International Dyslexia Association, and the National Association of Pupil Services Administrators. Monica serves her own community as a board member and volunteer advocate for Coatesville Citizens Who Seek Educational Equality. Most importantly, Monica is parent to four successful adult children who navigated their own learning challenges.
Catherine Perkins, Ph.D., represents the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and has served on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) since 2018, where she sits on the Operations Subcommittee. She is Coordinator of the Educational Specialist Program in School Psychology at Georgia State University (GSU) and a research fellow with the Center for Research on School Climate. A licensed psychologist in Georgia, Dr. Perkins is affiliated with the International School Psychology Association (ISPA), NASP, and the Georgia Association of School Psychologists (GASP). She chairs the NASP Leadership Development Committee and contributes to the work of the Leadership Assembly. Dr. Perkins earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Georgia State University, with specialization in developmental neuropsychology, biopsychology, and the social–emotional development of children and adolescents.
Lindsay Kubatzky is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). Lindsay conducts research and produces various written products related to the many current federal and state policy challenges and opportunities facing students with learning disabilities. Lindsay first joined NCLD as a Policy Research Associate and then as the Policy Manager. Prior to joining NCLD, Lindsay was the Government Affairs Coordinator for the National PTA. There, he supported the National PTA’s public policy agenda and grassroots advocacy efforts to support public schools. Before that, he was a Legislative Aide in the Texas Legislature where he worked on a wide range of issues including education, economic development, government transparency and unemployment. Lindsay holds a B.A. in government from the University of Texas at Austin and an Ed.M from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Maria S. Murray, PhD, is CEO and President of The Reading League. Prior to founding The Reading League, Dr. Murray was an associate professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, where she taught courses related to literacy assessment and intervention for ten years. She received her Ph.D. in Reading Education from Syracuse University, where she served as project coordinator for Dr. Benita Blachman’s numerous federally-funded early reading intervention grants. Dr. Murray is passionate regarding the prevention and remediation of reading difficulty, and consistently strives to increase educator knowledge and the connections between research and practice.
Andrea Setmeyer is a nationally certified school psychologist located in Indianapolis, Indiana with more than a decade of experience in public schools. Currently, she is honored to serve as the national chapter director for The Reading League, supporting a growing network of vibrant chapter leaders throughout the country. Andrea is passionate about ensuring that every student has access to a teacher who has knowledge of evidence-aligned reading instruction.
Michelle S. Storie, Ph.D., is a New York State licensed psychologist and permanently certified school psychologist. She is an Associate Professor in the Counseling and Psychological Services Department at the State University of New York at Oswego and Coordinator of the School Psychology Program. Dr. Storie has also served as Director of the Syracuse University Psychoeducational Teaching Laboratory since 2000. She has eighteen years of experience as a school psychologist, working in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. Dr. Storie is one of the founding board members of The Reading League and serves on the Learning Disabilities Association of America’s Professional Advisory Board. She is also a member of the National Association of School Psychologists and was a former Treasurer and Conference Chairperson for the New York Association of School Psychologists. Dr. Storie runs a part-time private practice, where she specializes in assessment of dyslexia, anxiety, and ADHD in children, adolescents, and college students. Dr. Storie also conducts professional development for school districts on dyslexia and the Science of Reading. She recently co-authored the book Assessing Dyslexia in the Schools: Empowering Practitioners through Reading Science. Dr. Storie’s research interests include dyslexia screenings, evidence-based practices for assessment and intervention of reading deficits, educator knowledge of effective reading practices, and impact of professional development aligned with Science of Reading on student outcomes.