Literacy

Kimberly Almanza serves as a reading specialist in North Texas. With more than 15 years of experience, she has worked as an instructional literacy coach as well as a classroom dual language teacher.

Gloria L. Canada, EdD, is the founder of Circles of Purpose, an educational consulting company whose work focuses primarily on school leadership, family engagement, and poverty awareness.

Whitney K. Freije is an elementary school principal at A.F. Palmer Elementary, a Model PLC at Work® school in the Windsor Central School District, located in upstate New York. She specializes in empowering teachers with effective instructional practices to promote high levels of literacy and mathematics.

Peg Grafwallner is an instructional coach and reading specialist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with nearly 30 years of experience. She supports teachers, administrators, and districts in creating real and relatable content and educational approaches that offer meaningful purpose and relevance to all students.

Melissa Carli, MEd, is a project manager for several federally-funded projects at the University of Central Florida. Through the projects, Melissa supports teachers as they build their professional knowledge to support all learners.

Paige Timmerman is a high school English teacher at Salem Community High School in Salem, Illinois and a National Board Certified Teacher member since 2019. She strives to provide authentic, real-world writing opportunities that meet her students’ skills and interests.

Kourtney Hake is an English teacher at Sparta Lincoln School in Sparta, Illinois. She is also a member of the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), the Illinois Reading Council (IRC), and the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE) since 2014.

Brianna Bamber, EdD, is an assistant principal at a priority high school in Sacramento with more than 20 years of classroom experience. Her focus is on literacy instruction, best grading practices, feedback strategies, teacher clarity, and classroom culture.

Julie A. Taylor, PhD, is an education and curriculum consultant providing professional development, training, and coaching to educators, administrators, and leaders in nonprofit organizations and state education agencies nationwide and internationally.

Yvonna Graham, MEd, is a literacy advocate and founder of Mumbling Marmot Tutoring in Durango, Colorado. Specializing in dyslexia intervention and research-based reading instruction, she authored Dyslexia Tool Kit: What to Do When Phonics Isn’t Enough, Expanded Edition.