Sylvia Hannah Sinclaire has spent nearly fifty years with a focus on how to assist students to become proficient, accurate readers, spellers, and writers.  Sylvia’s experience spans from teaching in classrooms, and small groups, to clinical settings, with students from five to fifty-five years of age. As a Reading Specialist/Consultant she in worked in a large school district assessing students’ literacy needs and designing appropriate interventions.  Seeing a continued need in Edmonton and Victoria, Sylvia opened private educational clinics where she was also the director.  She also worked with the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta to help design workshops and create an online course called the “Reading Readiness Screening Tool”, which identifies and offers intervention of children at-risk of reading difficulties in kindergarten and grade one.  Sylvia is the author of the teaching manual “Why Your Child Can’t Read and Spell and What YOU Can Do About It” and decodable books, the “Phonemic Awareness and Sequencing (PAS) Stories”, which accompany the “Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech”.

Pam Lougheed-Stack is the Literacy and Program Director for the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta (LDAA) and is a leader in the learning disability sector. Her vast experience supporting diverse learners throughout her teaching career spans across a variety of roles, including as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, learning specialist, early and late literacy specialist, and as a special educator teaching dedicated classes to students diagnosed with learning disabilities. Pam demonstrates expertise in delivering evidence-based literacy instruction and intervention, and in creating educator focused curriculum. She has led school-wide literacy initiatives and is a sought-after presenter on effective literacy instruction to various groups across Alberta. Pam is an active member of the Learning Disabilities & ADHD Network’s Advisory Council and a former director of the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta.

Dr. R. Coranne Johnson, R. Psych. has a B.Ed. with a diploma in Early Childhood Education from the University of Lethbridge. Her M.Ed. (Sp. Ed.) and PhD (Sp. Ed.) are from the University of Alberta. Coranne has been working in the education field for 36 years as a teacher, administrator, and school psychologist. She has also taught university courses in the areas of special education, psychology, and program effectiveness. Coranne is presently working in private practice. Coranne has developed a wealth of knowledge about learning, special education, inclusive education, and engaging educational stakeholders in problem solving processes through her extensive work in schools. Her love of teaching and her passion for learning provide a strong foundation for her work as a school psychologist and educator.

Kristy Dunn, Ph.D., is a researcher and learning consultant at the University of Alberta, specializing in literacy and reading intervention development for at-risk readers. She has over 15 years of teaching experience in elementary and post-secondary classrooms. Kristy recently developed an early reading intervention for Alberta Education that is being used across Grades 1 to 3 and trains teachers nationwide in structured literacy. She co-authors The Phonic Companion: 120 Lessons for Teachers and is the Senior Series Consultant for Bug Club Morphology with Pearson Education.

Nancy Musica, B.Ed.,M.Ed., is an ESL and Gifted Education Consultant with Edmonton Public Schools. She has worked in ESL for over 35 years and has taught English to both children and adults. Since 1985, Nancy has worked for Edmonton Public Schools as a school counselor, special needs coordinator and educational consultant. She is also the PD Director North for the ATA ESL Council and has been Co-Director of several ESL Council Conferences held in Edmonton.

Michelle Smith, M.Ed. Registered Psychologist brings over 35 years of extensive experience in the school system. She has served in various roles including teacher, school counsellor, school psychologist and division consultant. Throughout her career, Michelle developed the expertise to effectively assess and teach literacy skills in the elementary grades. She excels in creating effective academic interventions to support students of all ages and ability levels, with a particular focus on early literacy, literacy disorders, and promoting positive mental health for students facing learning challenges. Michelle conducts workshops for teachers and school teams, covering a range of topics related to supporting students with diverse learning profiles. Michelle is a volunteer on the Right to Read Advisory Committee, and is presently employed as director of Harmony Psychology, where she specializes in psychoeducational assessment and play therapy for school-aged children and adolescents.

Dr. George Georgiou is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta in special education and is the director of the Reading Research Laboratory. Dr. Georgiou is currently on a secondment for Alberta Education (AB ED), to oversee the development of the new ELAL curriculum. He is also the associate editor of Reading and Writing, the Reading League journals, and a member of the editorial board of seven international journals including the Journal of Educational Psychology and Annals of Dyslexia. He is conducting research in reading development and the remediation of reading difficulties. Dr. Georgiou has received several prestigious awards and was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada in 2018. That same year he received the Alberta Teachers Association Educational Research award and in 2020 he received the annual Killam professorship award.

Helene Hewitt is a school principal in Elk Island Public Schools. With 18 years in education, Helene is passionate about ensuring children experience success in learning, particularly in reading! She is a strong advocate for educators staying up to date on current educational research to keep theory and practice in alignment. Through her years working in both regular and French Immersion programs, Helene possesses an insatiable curiosity which leads her down many a garden path to learning anything and everything! She believes that relationships are at the core of the work we do to nurture healthy children in collaborative partnerships with families.