Dr. Anna Myers
Anna Moriah Myers is an assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Portland. She received her PhD (2022) in Special Education from the University of Virginia. Her previous education experience includes 18 years as public-school special education teacher in Virginia, teaching and coaching in urban, suburban, and rural schools. Dr. Myers is a certified dyslexia therapist through the International Dyslexia Association and a board member of the Oregon Branch. Her research focuses on dyslexia and teacher preparation. She is specifically interested in Structure Literacy practices and teacher knowledge. Dr. Myers is an active presenter and has presented her work across the nation for the International Dyslexia Association, The Council for Learning Disabilities, The Council of Exceptional Children, and The Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Myers teaches courses in both the reading and special education endorsement programs at the University of Portland.
Dr. Ronda Fritz
Ronda Fritz is an Associate Professor of Education, specializing in early literacy instruction at Eastern Oregon University. Prior to coming to EOU, Ronda was a K-12 teacher for 19 years. She taught kindergarten, Title I Reading, middle school Language Arts, 4th and 5th grade, and ended her K-12 teaching career as a Reading specialist, where she discovered a passion for developing systems for improving outcomes for struggling readers. This passion led her to University of Oregon’s Special Education department where she received her Ph.D. in 2016. Her research interests include prevention and intervention of reading difficulties, teacher preparation, and in-service teacher professional development. Ronda’s current research includes investigating the ways teacher knowledge of reading instruction impacts teacher efficacy and student outcomes, and the impact of one-on-one tutoring delivered by pre-service teachers.
Ronda currently is a member of the International Dyslexia Association, Council for Learning Disabilities and The Reading League. Ronda is the founder and Executive Director of the EOU Reading Clinic which serves struggling readers of the Eastern Oregon region while training pre-service and in-service teachers in evidence-based methods for teaching literacy.
Michelle Harris
Michelle Harris, MS, is a third-year Research Fellow at the University of Portland. After successfully defending her dissertation research in March, she is graduating in May 2025 with her Doctorate in Education. Her research focuses on Restorative Justice Practices in Education, Best Practices in Education, and Equitable and Safe Use of AI in Education. Her research highlighting the use of AI in education was recently published in the Impacting Education Journal. Her work to help create programs for students who have experienced or been affected by incarceration has led her to collaborate with Universities, Legislators, and other Activists to develop further opportunities for others through the power of education. She has also been the Mini-Grant Program Chair for the Peace and Justice Association (PJSA) since 2021. Michelle is a Published Author, Educator, Public Speaker, and Activist with a focus on Restorative Justice in the areas of Mass Incarceration, Education Justice, Equitable AI Practices, Nuclear Disarmament, and Climate Justice.
Dr. Julie Kalnin
Julie Kalnin is an Associate Professor at the University of Portland’s School of Education. She completed her PhD (2000) in Literacy, Language, and Culture at University of California at Berkeley. Kalnin’s work has fostered partnerships between schools and universities that support professional learning teams and strengthen teachers’ abilities to carry out research in their own classrooms. Her own research focuses on teacher change and effective professional development across the career span; as a result, she has carried out applied research and program evaluation projects in partnership with schools, districts, a department of education, and, most recently a national environmental education organization.
Johnna Timmes
Johnna Timmes has spent her whole career in education, specifically focused on her love of early childhood. She is a birth to 3rd grade licensed early childhood educator who spent 7 years teaching in K-1-2 grade settings. She has been an early childhood administrator, a school district instructional coach focusing on literacy and a Director at the Oregon Dept of Education. In 2023, as Education Policy Director at Stand for Children Oregon, she wrote the legislative concept and then partnered with the Governor’s Office to pass HB 3198 Early Literacy Success Initiative. She is currently Governor Kotek’s Education Initiatives and Policy Director.
Kaeleen Kirkpatrick
Kaeleen Kirkpatrick, Ed.S., is a dedicated school psychologist and special education advocate, with 15 years of experience supporting K-12 students and families. As a doctoral research fellow and doctoral student at the University of Portland, Kaeleen specializes in research on family engagement, resiliency, and literacy. Passionate about bridging the gap between schools and families, Kaeleen advocates for evidence-based practices that empower caregivers in literacy and student success. Beyond her professional work, she is also a proud mom to 8, bringing personal and professional insights to her research and practice.
Dr. Rebecca Smith
Dr. Rebecca Smith teaches and learns from future teachers as an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Portland. After teaching middle and high schoolers for years, she earned her Ed.D. from the University of Portland, and she now teaches methods and research courses to undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Shaheen Munir-McHill
Shaheen Munir-McHill, PhD, is an associate professor of practice and coordinates the special education K-12 licensure program at Portland State University. Before joining the PSU faculty, Dr. Munir-McHill worked in K-12 school settings as a school psychologist, coordinator of a community literacy clinic, and special educator.
Char Evanson
Char Evanson is a first grade teacher in the Hillsboro School District currently in her twelfth year teaching in public schools. She is LETRS and Brainspring trained with a Masters in Education and reading endorsement from the University of Portland. She regularly uses Structured Literacy (SL) in her classroom and coaches other teachers to how to apply SL practices in their classrooms.
Claire Breiholz
Claire Breiholz teaches freshman English and AP Language and Composition at Jesuit High School in Portland. Having earned her BSSE from University of Portland (2020) and her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University, she's now in her fifth year of teaching and continually seeks innovative approaches to help students engage with literature and rhetoric as they find their places in the world.
Angela Healow
Angela Healow is the Social Emotional Learning Specialist at Willamette Education Service District in Salem, Oregon. She believes strongly in the intersection of SEL, Neuroscience, and Trauma Informed strategies. Angela also serves as a founding member of SEL4OR and has had an integral part on the Oregon Department of Education SEL Advisory Board and the State Teacher Licensure SEL Committee.
Oregon Branch of the International Dyslexia Association
The IDA Oregon Branch Student Empowerment Group started back in 2013 when Shelbe Park envisioned a group of dyslexic students who, by working together as a team, could have an opportunity to advocate for themselves and for others, to teachers, parents, and interested community groups. They are an Award-Winning Student Panel that offers presentations on both their personal experience with dyslexia in the classroom and at home and offer an interactive Assistive Technology 101 presentation that immerses participants in the tools that support students with dyslexia.
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