 |
|
 |
San Diego Branch of the
International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Board
Tracy Block,
President
Jennifer Petrich, PhD, Vice President
Elena Mendoza, Treasurer
Megan Cohen,
Secretary
Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Past
President
Christy Hendrickson, M.D.
Julie Kujawski
Spencer Wetter
Jennifer McMakin
Tracy Block, President
Tracy Block is a Tutor/Learner Coordinator for READ/San Diego, the
adult literacy program of the San Diego Public Library. She has
been a tutor trainer for 10 years; has revised and updated the tutor
training modules; select materials, teaching techniques and strategies
for individual tutor/learner pairs; developed curriculum; conducted
assessments and trained volunteer assessors; coordinated workplace
literacy programs; conducted workshops in a variety of adult literacy
topics; tutored children and adults with learning disabilities;
developed the Families For Literacy Program at READ/San Diego; and
worked on a national initiative with the National Institute for
Literacy.
<< back to top
 Jennifer
Petrich, Vice President
Jennifer Petrich earned a BA in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University
(1994) and a BA in Psychology from Towson University (1995). From
1993-1997, Jennifer worked as a cognitive and reading therapist
at New Heights Learning Center in Towson, Maryland, where she was
trained in three Lindamood-Bell programs: Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing
(LiPS), Visualizing/Verbalizing (V/V) and Visualizing/Conceptualizing
(V/C). In 2004, she received a PhD in Neuroscience from University
of Maryland, Baltimore after completing a dissertation on developmental
dyslexia. She then took a research position at the University of
California, San Diego studying the visual system and has lectured
there on the auditory system and the neural mechanisms of reading
and reading disorders. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at
the Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience at San Diego
State University.
<< back to top
 Elena
Mendoza, Treasurer
Elena Mendoza is an Educational Therapist and an expert in the
diagnosis and remediation of language based learning disabilities.
A native Californian, Elena is currently an independent Educational
Therapist in San Diego. Elena spent the past ten years in Georgia
where she founded and successfully built the Phoenix Center for
Reading & Language Development, Inc. As a former Consultant for
Lindamood-Bell Centers, Elena has experience with proven, process-based
programs that address difficulties in reading, spelling, comprehension,
language, and math. In her spare time, Elena enjoys the great outdoors
and spending time with family and friends. She has been a member
of IDA for 8 years.
<< back to top
 Megan
Cohen, Secretary
Megan Cohen is a passionate educator with a firm belief in the effectiveness
of individualized, one-on-one instruction. Megan specializes in reading intervention
for children with dyslexia, study skills and metacognitive strategies, and standardized
test preparation. A San Diego native and La Jolla High School graduate, Megan received
her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in International Political Economy
and her Master's degree in Elementary Education and California Multiple Subject Teaching
Credential from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. From August 2004 through
January 2009, Megan served as Elementary Director for Wells Academic Solutions, developing
a successful K-6 program. Megan's professional background includes teaching first grade
through Teach for America in inner city Los Angeles, mentoring and tutoring inner city
students, and presenting teacher-training workshops on school-site and for the California
Association for Bilingual Education (CABE).
<< back to top
 Kelli
Sandman-Hurley, Past President
Kelli Sandman-Hurley is a Literacy Tutor/Learner Coordinator for
READ/San Diego, the adult literacy program of the San Diego Public
Library. She earned her Masters degree in Education with a specialization
in adults with learning disabilities. Kelli is a Board Member of
the Southern California Library Literacy Network, Doctoral Student
Council in Education, and Doctoral Student Advisory Group. Currently,
she is working on a doctorate in Literacy at San Diego State and
the University of San Diego, where she is specializing in Dyslexia,
Adult Literacy, and Neuroscience in Education.
<< back to top
 Christy
Hendrickson, M.D.
Christy Hendrickson received her B.A. degree in Psychology from
UC Berkeley and her Medical Degree from University of Oklahoma.
After 17 years of practicing clinical medicine and raising a son
with dyslexia, she transitioned into Educational Therapy. She completed
the post-graduate program in Educational Therapy at UC San Diego
and has had specialized training in multisensory reading programs,
such as Lindamood Bell. She currently has an Educational Therapy
practice in Solana Beach where she specializes in all types of reading
problems, including dyslexia. She has been a member of IDA for 15
years and served as a Board Member for the last three.
<< back to top
Julie Kujawski
Julie grew up as a struggling reader, but was able to go to college
and graduated from Marquette University in 1980 with a BS degree
in Dental Hygiene. She is now raising a dyslexic child and feels
she can contribute to the San Diego Board of the IDA her experiences
of working with and supporting a son, diagnosed with dyslexia between
3rd and 4rth grade, now a freshman in high school and working with
the obstacles a dyslexic child might go through in a school environment.
<< back to top
Spencer Wetter
Dr. Spencer Wetter received his PhD at the University of California, San Diego
and San Diego State. He has worked extensively with children and adults providing
neuropsychological assessment. His experience includes several clinical populations,
such as Autism, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyeslexia, Learning
Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Dementia. His career has been dedicated
to understanding how these disorders affect the brain, how they impact people's lives,
and what are the most effective methods of intervention. Dr. Wetter currently continues
his work at The Applied Neuropsychological Institute in La Jolla, CA, and at Rady Children's
Hospital in San Diego, where he is also a contributing member of Pediatric Neuropsychology
Rounds.
<< back to top
|
 |
|
Our Mission:
Dedicated to the study and treatment of individuals with
specific language disability.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
