Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D., H.E. Hartfelder/Southland Corp. Regents Chair in Human Development and Executive Director, The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin, Sanchez Building, 1912 Speedway, Austin, Texas 78712
Sharon Vaughn is the executive director of The Meadows Center, an organized research unit at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the recipient of the American Education Research Association Special Interest Group Distinguished Researcher Award, the International Reading Association Albert J. Harris Award, the University of Texas Distinguished Faculty Award, and the Jeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Learning Disabilities from the Council for Exceptional Children. She is the author of more than 35 books and 250 research articles. Vaughn is currently the principal investigator on several research grants from the Institute for Education Sciences, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech and language pathologist, a certified teacher, dyslexia therapist, certified academic language therapist and a qualified instructor. She is the President of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas and works with the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston. Elsa has spent the last 2 decades working with national research teams designing assessments and interventions for English learners who struggle with learning to read. She has a passion for ensuring that every child in schools across the world has access to a highly qualified educator who can implement effective language and literacy instruction to diverse populations. Elsa has also dedicated her time and expertise to many organizations. She serves as the Chairperson of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, she is a Past-Vice- Chairperson of the International Dyslexia Association, Past Chairperson of the Texas State Board for Speech Pathology and Audiology and Past Chairperson of the Texas State Dyslexia Advisory Board. She has also served as a board member of the Academic Language Therapy Association, Southwest Regional Education Laboratory and Texas Comprehensive Center at the American Institutes for Research. Elsa has served her local community as Co-Founder of Brownsville READS! She is recognized for her reading reform efforts at the local, state, national and international levels. Elsa has written many scholarly articles, curricular programs, and book chapters related to language and literacy development among English learners. It is her hope that pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to learn evidence-based practices for teaching literacy to all students, including those who are English learners and struggle with learning to read. Elsa has been recognized for her dedication to persons with dyslexia. She is the recipient of the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Dyslexia Association, the Dr. Luke Waites Award of Service to persons with Dyslexia by the Academic Language Therapy Association and the Champion of Dyslexia Award by the Texas Education Agency.
Dr. Carlson is Associate Research Professor and Associate Director of Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston. She has 25 years of experience and expertise in exploratory, evaluative, and randomized controlled trials (RCT) research. She has served as a principal investigator and co-principal investigator on several large-scale program project grants examining the development of language, literacy, and math skills in school-age students and English learners; the mediating effects of effective instruction, teacher knowledge, and professional development programs; and the efficacy of several language and literacy intervention programs.>
Dr. Cavazos conducts research and provides technical assistance to states and districts. She assists districts and schools in preparing teachers to effectively work with culturally and linguistically diverse learners with and without exceptionalities. Her extensive experience centers on the intersection of culture, language, and disabilities and providing linguistic and academic interventions for English learners and students in special education. Dr. Cavazos holds a Ph.D. in multicultural special education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Cheesman, who has worked in the field of dyslexia education since 1990, earned credentials as a Qualified Instructor of Academic Language Therapists at Columbia University and is certified as a Dyslexia Therapist by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). She has presented lectures and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, and Kuwait. An active member of the Global Partners of IDA, Dr. Cheesman received a Fulbright Specialist Grant to develop Institutional Accreditation Standards for dyslexia organizations worldwide.
Ms. Lovelace-Gonzalez is an educational diagnostician and a certified Academic Language Therapist with 30 years’ experience in public schools. She previously served for 5 years as the state Dyslexia Consultant for Texas. Ms. Lovelace-Gonzalez recently served on the Texas Education Agency Statewide committee for the 2018 update of the State Dyslexia Handbook.
Mr. Nieser is a project manager for the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston. He has more than 30 years of experience in elementary, bilingual education. He has worked on numerous projects that focus on various aspects of early literacy. He has presented at national and local bilingual conferences and is a national trainer for the Tejas LEE (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2010) and Esperanza early reading instruments (Valley Speech Language and Learning Center, 2015).
Dr. Pollard-Durodola is a professor in the Early Childhood, Multilingual, and Special Education Department of the School of Education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Her scholarship attends to the prevention/intervention of language and literacy difficulties (Spanish/English) among students at risk of academic difficulties. Central to her scholarship is developing intervention curricula that build on validated instructional design principles, evaluating their impact on the language and reading development of struggling readers, and investigating how to improve the quality of language/literacy practices of teachers and parents of English learners. She is interested in bridging research and practice by examining the feasibility/usability of research-based practices. She has published in peerreviewed journals such as Exceptional Children; Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness; The Elementary School Journal; Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools; and Bilingual Research Journal.
Dr. Reutebuch holds a doctorate in special education with experience directing large-scale intervention, evaluation, and, professional development projects. She has served as a classroom teacher and reading coach before transitioning into higher education. Her areas of research include reading difficulty/disability in children and youth, including those targeting English learners and individuals with autism.
Ms. Rico is a bilingual educator who works at the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center and Saint Mary's School in Brownsville, Texas. Her expertise includes working with English learners who experience reading difficulties. Most recently, she has specialized in educational technology to incorporate a hybrid model of instruction. She has also served as a co-editor for curriculum designed to meet the language and literacy needs of bilingual students.
Dr. Tridas is the Director of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics at Pediatric Epilepsy & Neurology Specialists. He is Clinical Associate Professor in Pediatrics at the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida, a member of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, and Past President of the International Dyslexia Association. He provides consultation services in areas related to child development and behavior, nationally and internationally.
