Our Team
Intervention Coordinator and Lead Provider
Tammy Tieu, Co-Founder, Intervention Coordinator and Lead Provider
Tammy Tieu is the Intervention Coordinator and Lead Provider for TLC (The Literacy Center for Dyslexia). This non-profit organization was born out of the great need for specially trained dyslexia interventionists and practitioners to service students who have language-based learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia. TLC strives to make tutoring affordable for all families as well as support teachers who wish to pursue certifications in dyslexia therapy and intervention. Born and raised in North Smithfield, RI, Tammy attended Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts where she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and her Master’s Degree in Special Education.
She has always had a heart for children and a passion for teaching. She taught for 15 years in Massachusetts at a school that trained its teachers to implement an intervention for students with dyslexia called the Wilson Reading System. Tammy moved with her husband and 4 children to Florida in 2008. After a 5-year hiatus from teaching, she taught first grade at The Island School in Boca Grande. The Island School also uses Wilson Reading, which once again sparked Tammy’s passion for assisting struggling readers. When she realized how great the need was, she made the decision to leave The Island School in 2019 and began a private tutoring business specializing in dyslexia intervention before founding TLC. Tammy is proud to be a Wilson Certified Dyslexia Practitioner and is excited to watch the students at TLC gain self-confidence and success as they progress through our intervention programs.
Administration Team
Denise Cluff, Office Manager
Laura Davidson, Evening Receptionist
Katrina Esparra, Bookkeeper
Providers
Anne Edwards
Lead Teacher/Dyslexia Practitioner
Anne Edwards, Tutor and Board Member of TLC has been teaching reading for over 15 years. She is currently certified in Elementary Education, Exceptional Student Education and endorsed in Reading, Gifted Education, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. She has been a Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner since 2015.
Kelly A. Williams, M.S.
Evaluator, Educator, & Advocate Board Secretary
Kelly has enjoyed a 20 plus year career in literacy education. Beginning in Maryland, then continuing in Virginia, she had the opportunity to teach at every level – elementary, middle, and high school – adding the unique experience of seeing literacy development from emergent through adult proficiency. While working on her Masters in Reading at Johns Hopkins University, her youngest son started showing signs of Dyslexia, which allowed her to develop an instructional program to help him in school as part of her degree. As a result, Kelly was invited to join JHU as a professor of literacy upon graduation, and spent over 10 years training new and experienced teachers in research-based best-practices in reading instruction. The last 2 years she has focused on implementing the science of reading approach into her school-based instruction and across the district. In addition, as literacy leader and Dyslexia expert, she advocated for and developed proper instructional intervention for students with learning differences. Now that Kelly & her husband Chuck are Florida residents, she wants to continue to educate and advocate for students ensuring their successful achievement in all aspects of literacy.
Bethany Taulbee
Trained DyslexiaProvider & Yoga Therapist
Bethany Taulbee is passionate about bringing healing and oneness to the world through teaching. As a former preschool teacher, and a mother of an adult son who is on the autism spectrum, Bethany has a unique perspective on working with several ages and diverse needs. Her 14 years in early childhood education brought out her inner child and through a journey of healing and self love, led her to a personal yoga practice. After practicing for years, Bethany decided to take her yogi path further by becoming a certified yoga instructor and has her Master Level Reiki training (Energetic Healing). Bethany is also certified and is working towards additional certifications towards the Wilson Method for tutoring children with Dyslexia. She specializes in combining mindfulness with the academic experience by using multisensory methods to enhance learning and decrease stress. Her focus is on the rhythm and flow of the mind, body, and spirit connection. Bethany’s long term goals involve reaching towards becoming a Yoga Therapist and completing all Wilson Levels which will enhance the tutoring experience for her students. Bethany seeks to share her gifts with others by planting seeds of love to grow through self-care and community collaboration.
Heidi Sheckler
Dyslexia Practitioner
Heidi taught students with special needs in suburban and urban public schools in Connecticut for 35 years. She earned her Masters Degree in Special Education (ESE) at Southern Connecticut State University and a certificate of Advanced Study (second Masters) at Fairfield University. Completing the Wilson Reading System and Fundations Certificate along with Orton Gillingham Academy Certification enables her to help students who struggle with language -based challenges become successful readers. Heidi continues to enjoy teaching students who struggle and loves to see that spark of confidence in them grow.
Sherry Dodd
Provider
Sherry Dodd is a retired teacher who taught grades K-5 at Vineland Elementary School for over 20 years. She has a passion for helping struggling readers as her middle daughter experienced difficulty with reading. Sherry and her husband are proud parents of 3 daughters who attended Vineland, L.A. Ainger, and Lemon Bay. They are also proud grandparents of 2 grandsons with another on the way. Sherry likes to walk, exercise, watch sports and knit in her free time.
Kelly Brooker
Provider & Dyslexia Practitioner
Kelly Brooker is an Orton Gillingham Instructor. Kelly is originally from Iowa. From there she lived in Southern California for approximately 5 years and then New Hampshire for approximately 27 years before moving to Florida. Kelly and her husband were sort of “part-timers” starting around April of 2014 while they waited for their youngest daughter to graduate from high school. After she graduated, they became permanent residents in August of 2019.
They moved to Florida because Kelly’s husband had several previous co-workers/golfing buddies that had retired and had already moved here. Also, they were tired of the cold and shoveling snow!
Becoming a teacher was a decision she made a little later in life. She received her NH Teaching Certification in Elementary Education K-8 in 1994. She taught Readiness/First Grade for five years and then Kindergarten for one year. After that, she stopped teaching to start a family. She began her Orton Gillingham training in 2003 through the Masons at the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Nashua, NH. She received her certification at the Initial Level in 2004, the Advanced Level in 2007,
Trainer of Initial Level in 2009, and Trainer of Advanced Level in 2018. During this same time, she worked as a tutor at the Dyslexia Center, moving her way up to Supervisor, Trainer, and eventually Co-Director. She also was working as a one-on-one OG tutor in the public school system for ten years. She is trained in the Lindamood-Bell LIPS program as well as being certified as a Certified Academic Language Practitioner through ALTA organization since 2010. TLC is grateful to have her expertise!
Kelly says that the best part about working with struggling readers is the look on their faces and motivation when things start to click and make sense to them. They realize that they are capable of learning to read and spell and that they can be successful!
In her free time, Kelly likes to relax by reading and coloring by number. She enjoys walking and bike riding. KelIy also loves to watch hockey, especially Tampa Bay Lightning ! She has a favorite mantra, or saying and that is, “I believe that things happen for a reason.”
Patty Giguere
Provider/ Trained Dyslexia Interventionist
Bio Pending
Debbie Parker
Provider/ Trained Dyslexia Interventionist
Deborah, after being equipped with degrees in Pre-K, Elementary Education, Special Education and lastly a Masters in Reading Education from Syracuse University, spent her 30 year career working with struggling learners from K-12 in upstate New York. She has had a myriad of experiences training teachers locally, regionally and nationally in a ‘code-emphasis approach’ for teaching reading. Her epiphany for what works came from participating in a 2 year research project at Syracuse University that studied the brains of dyslexic children and implemented a technique that completely changed these kids’ lives. From this came her deep belief that all children can become successful readers using a specialized approach which led her to conduct not only teacher education classes, but parent education workshops as well. She’s had a plethora of first hand experiences of watching students who believed they were stupid and hated reading to transform into capable readers and thinkers along with their home life and future prospects. Now retired and living in Florida, Deborah desires to continue impacting students’ lives with the love of reading.
Donna Considine
Provider/ Trained Dyslexia Interventionist
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Sherry McDonald
Provider/ Trained Dyslexia Interventionist
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© Copyright 2023 // The Literacy Center // All Rights Reserved
Board of Directors
President: Melissa Southwell
Secretary: Kelly Williams
Vice President/ Fundraising Chairperson: Wai Tieu
Board Member: Jonathan Varner
Board Member: Debbie Parker
