Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Officers and Directors (2025-2026)
Biographies
Mary Murray Stowe
President
Dr. Stowe works with teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, directors and coordinators of special education through the Training and Technical Assistance Center at William & Mary and the Virginia Department of Education as an educational specialist. Mary is certified as a SIM™ Certified Learning Strategy Professional Developer, in apprenticeship to become a SIM™ Certified Content Enhancement Routine Professional Developer, Certified Local LETRS Classic Trainer, and LETRS Third Edition Facilitator. Currently, Mary also serves as a consultant for the National Center for Improving Literacy and President of the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.
Angela Taylor
Vice President/Scholarship Committee Chair
Angela Taylor received a degree in Chemistry from Rutgers University. She worked for Ortho Biotech before becoming alternate route certified through the critical needs program. She is a licensed teacher in Virginia and South Carolina and is National Board Certified in Early Adolescence Science. She has worked with public and private school students from levels 5 through 12. She has worked with children with learning differences throughout her 21 years of teaching. She was a middle and upper school science teacher at the New Community School in Richmond, Virginia. She retired from full-time teaching in 2022 but continues to substitute teach at the school. Prior to moving to Richmond, she taught in South Carolina. She is a South Carolina Master Naturalist and volunteers with Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Angela loves to share her passion for science with her students and feels it is a great subject to teach to students with learning differences because it is hands-on and can build on their strengths and help them find their passion.
Amanda Fawkes
Treasurer
Amanda Fawkes is the Associate Director for Financial Planning and College Effectiveness in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. During her tenure at Virginia Tech, she has provided leadership for the business and administrative operations for programs in several different areas and units. Most recently, she was the Director of Business Affairs at the Richmond, VA campus of the School of Public and International Affairs(SPIA). In this role she developed a long-term strategy to build sponsored program revenue through leadership programming specific to public management within Virginia state agencies. She was a key member of the leadership team for the Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) program, and developed the budget, business plan and hiring plan for the VMF, an early career internship rotation based in several state agencies throughout Virginia. She also provided leadership in partnership with the Director of the School of Public and International Affairs on special projects and initiatives. Her efforts supported the National Security Executive Leadership program, the Ridenour Faculty Fellowship and the SPIA Applied Lab, a professional practice environment for Virginia Tech Ph.D. students. Amanda has served as a teaching consultant and facilitator for courses in public budgeting, public and nonprofit financial management, and financial health of Public and Nonprofit Organizations at Virginia Tech. She was the coordinator for the Nonprofit and Nongovernmental Management Graduate Certificate and the Public and Nonprofit Financial Management graduate certificate in SPIA. Joining the Virginia Tech community in 2007, Amanda has worked across several areas of the university executive administration including the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience, and the Office of the Senior Fellow for Resource Development. Amanda completed her Master of Public Administration degree and Graduate Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Financial Management at Virginia Tech. She completed her undergraduate studies at Laurentian University in Canada with a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education.
Outside of her work at Virginia Tech, Amanda serves as a member of the board of directors for the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She was nominated to serve on the executive leadership team as treasurer and chairs the budget and finance committee of the board. Amanda resides in Richmond, VA with her husband and two sons.
Rebecca Simmons
Secretary/Fundraising Committee Chair
Rebecca Simmons works as a Coordinator of Specialized Curriculum and Family Resources for Campbell County Public Schools. She has the privilege of working closely with teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, directors and families to support special education initiatives. During her 30+ years in education she has been a Reading Specialist, Literacy Coach, and Coordinator in Special Education. She continues to provide reading intervention and assessment through her private practice as an Educational Diagnostician. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Randolph College instructing future special education teachers in Assessment & Evaluation for Special Education. She is a local LETRS facilitator and provides individual and group professional development in reading instruction for administrators and teachers. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and exploring the world with her husband, friends, and family.
Jennifer Appleton
Director
Jennifer Appleton, M.Ed., CALT-QI is an educator and advocate who has dedicated her career to helping students with language-based learning differences. As Director of Education & Outreach at the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center (ASDEC), she leads the training and supervision of professionals in therapy-level reading and writing intervention. She also continues to work directly with students, ages 7 through adulthood, providing individualized, research-based instruction.
Before joining ASDEC, Jennifer taught in Fairfax and Baltimore County Public Schools, where she served as both a classroom teacher and reading specialist. These experiences shaped her approach to bringing evidence-based literacy programs into practice. She is also the author of The Diabolical Tale of Demanding Little d and His Very Distressed Dad, a playful yet purposeful story that helps children build narrative memory while addressing the common challenge of b/d reversals.
Jennifer serves on the board of the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and is the incoming president of the Virginia Chapter of the Academic Language Therapy Association. In all of her roles, she is guided by a belief in the potential of every student and a commitment to ensuring they receive the support they need to thrive.
Cindy Buckley
Director
Dr. Buckley is a Senior Curriculum Specialist at Lexia where she supports professional development for educators related to the science of reading. Previously, she worked as a Literacy Specialist through the Training and Technical Assistance Center of the Virginia Department of Education, an adjunct professor at George Mason University, and a Special Education teacher with certifications in Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities. Past volunteer roles include serving as the Gainesville District representative to the Prince William County SEAC committee and on the board of the Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities.
Lisa Cipolletti
Director
Dr. Cipolletti is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She teaches literacy courses to pre-service teachers of early and elementary education. Lisa serves as the Ruth Harris Fellow, collaborating with a team on initiatives related to dyslexia and language learning disabilities. These initiatives focus on teacher preparation and community engagement, two areas of great interest to Lisa.
She received the Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Award (EPIA) from VCU in 2025, the VCU School of Education Outstanding Term Faculty Award in 2023, and the VCU School of Education Community Engagement Award in 2020.
Lisa received her undergraduate degree from The College of William and Mary, a master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a doctorate from Mount St. Joseph University. She is a licensed reading specialist in Virginia, serving students in grades K-12, and obtained the Teaching / Practitioner Level in Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Structured Reading in June 2025 from the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council. Before joining VCU, she taught elementary school in Virginia.
Terri Cozart
Director
Terri James Cozart has spent 34 years teaching in Virginia. She is a retired Reading Specialist, a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist, and an Associate Member of the Orton Gillingham Academy. In addition, she has authored articles in both The Reading Teacher and The Collection.
Mary Addeo-Dodson
Director
Mary Addeo-Dodson is a Secondary Program Specialist at the Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) at VCU. Mary received her undergraduate degree at Columbia College in Columbia SC, and a master’s in special education at the University of Texas, El Paso. As a career special educator and department chair, she has extensive experience in providing multisensory reading instruction to students of all ages. Mary is a Wilson certified instructor and taught Wilson’s Just Words for several years at the high school level.
Currently, she provides support for teachers in Regions 1 and 8 in the Orton-Gillingham approach, Fusion Reading, and inclusive practices
Kelly Erickson
Director
Jennifer Floyd
Director/Membership Committee Chair and Event Committee Chair
Kari Fortis
Director
Kari Fotis, M.Ed., C-SLDS, is the Founder and Director of the Hampton Roads Dyslexia Center (HRDC) in Newport News, VA. Kari opened the center after nearly 20 years teaching and tutoring as a special education teacher. HRDC provides diagnostic testing and evidence-based intensive intervention for people with learning disabilities. HRDC also provides professional development, education, support, and advocacy services for families in the surrounding areas. Additionally, Kari works as an educational diagnostician for the Virginia Center for Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities (VCARDD) in Richmond, VA.
Kari graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Psychology and then went on to earn a M.Ed. in Special Education Curriculum and Instruction from the College of William and Mary. After her initial training in the Wilson Readying System (WRS), Kari went on to earn the highest level of certification as a Wilson Language Dyslexia Therapist. Additionally, she is a certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist with the Center for Effective Reading Interventions (CERI), a subsidiary of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
Kari works to increase understanding and awareness of challenges in special education by presenting at conferences at the state and national level. She also serves as a guest lecturer at Christopher Newport University and for The College of William and Mary’s law students serving with the PELE Advocacy Clinic. Kari holds professional membership with the IDA, CERI, ILA, and the Council for Exceptional Children. As an active member in her community, Kari also serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Branch of the IDA and Learning Disability Association of America (LDA). In her free time, Kari enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her first grandbaby!
Paulette Heron
Director
Ms. Paulette G. Heron serves as the Director of Exceptional Education for Caroline County Public Schools. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky in Elementary Education and a master’s degree from Bellarmine University in Education with an emphasis on Learning and Behavior Disorders and another master’s degree from Western Governors University in Administration and Supervision. Through her 31 years as an educator and advocate for students, Ms. Heron has worked to provide literacy training as a reading specialist as well as SDI training as a special educator leader. She currently serves as the Region 3 Co-chair for Directors of Special Education for the Virginia Department of Education.
Diane Madden
Director
Diane is an educator with 20 years of teaching experience. She holds a master’s degree in special education with an endorsement in Dyslexia Studies. She is currently enrolled in the reading specialist program at Shenandoah University. Diane was a classroom teacher in Stafford County for many years before switching career paths and working as a Dyslexia Specialist for Prince William County at the Kelly Administration Building. From there she entered a PhD program as a full-time research assistant and faculty at George Mason University. She continued to work for Mason through VDOE at the Teacher Training and Technical Assistance Center at George Mason University. She missed kids and decided to spend her last 3 years back in the classroom as a level one teacher at Lake Ridge Elementary School. Her long-term goal is to establish a nonprofit that focuses on tutoring and advocacy for students who cannot afford it.
Jennifer Miller
Director
Vicki Myers
Director/Branch Administrator
Beth Petzer
Director/Nominating Committee Chair
Beth Petzer is a retired Language Fundamentals Teacher, Department Chair, and Learning Specialist with 27 years of experience in special education. For 18 years, she dedicated her career to teaching students and mentoring educators at The New Community School, an institution focused on educating and supporting students with dyslexia and related difficulties. She led professional development sessions on The New Community School’s structured literacy approach known as Keystone. She is currently a private tutor. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and holds a Virginia teaching license with an endorsement in Specific Learning Disabilities K-12. Beth earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and her Master of Education from Virginia Commonwealth University.
England Reddy
Director
England Reddy serves as a Reading and Upper School Learning Specialist, Language Fundamentals Department Chair, and Language Fundamentals Teacher at The New Community School in Richmond, Virginia. She delivers targeted, evidence-based reading interventions for students with dyslexia and other learning differences while leading professional development for faculty on literacy instruction, executive functioning, and student support. England has been instrumental in reimagining and updating systems and processes at the school to better support the evolving student body and enhance teacher effectiveness.
England is also a Micro-Credential Assessor for The Lastinger Center at the University of Florida, providing virtual professional development and individualized feedback to educators.
Her extensive certifications include Comprehensive IMSE Orton-Gillingham, UFLI Comprehensive and Basic, AIM Institute’s Pathways to Proficient Reading and Pathways to Structured Literacy, and The Hochman Method training. She recently passed the KPEERI exam through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) and is pursuing her Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS) designation.
England earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and master’s degree in special education from the University of Florida. After beginning her career teaching elementary students in Florida, she moved to Richmond in 2021 with her husband. She worked in Henrico County Public Schools before joining The New Community School, where she now works primarily with high school students. England serves as President-Elect of the Richmond chapter of the Virginia State Literacy Association and President of her local Sigma Kappa alumni chapter. When not supporting students and educators, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and their two cats—including one who found her at The New Community School and became part of the family!
Jessica Taylor
Director
Jessica Taylor is a Reading Specialist with Charlottesville City Schools in Charlottesville, VA. She received her undergraduate degree from William Smith College and a Masters in Reading Education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She has held a variety of positions throughout her career including classroom teacher, Reading Specialist and Literacy Coordinator for her current school division where she has worked since 1995. She holds a particular interest in MTSS and is currently serving as the Advanced Tiers Chair in her building. She has training with Orton Gillingham as well as her Dyslexia Certificate from the University of Florida (Dec.2025).
Natalee Tuck Eck
Director
Natalee Tuck Eck has spent the last 17 years serving as a public-school educator. After earning her associates degree from J. Sargeant Reynolds, Natalee went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and her master’s degree from Grand Canyon University. She holds degrees in Special Education, Sociology, and Liberal Arts. As a professional, she has experience in leadership roles including as a coordinator, department chairperson and special education teacher. She is currently a division wide special education coordinator in Caroline County Public Schools, where she provides instructional support in multiple schools, K-12, with a focus on structured literacy. Natalee’s vision and beliefs can be described as “passionate about bringing evidence-based practices to general and special education classrooms in the public-school setting to support all students in achieving reading success. For this reason, participating on the VBIDA board will allow access to the latest research and a team of like-minded individuals who are working to move research into practice.” She currently resides in Central Virginia with her husband and two daughters.
Rebecca Warner
Director
Rebecca Warner is a 2012 founding member of the Virginia chapter of Decoding Dyslexia, (DDVA) and a board member of the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (VBIDA). Active in legislative efforts in the VA General Assembly as well as a co-host for DDVA meetings, her experience includes speaking engagements, fundraising, and events. Owner and designer of the dyslexia symbol pqbd ®, she advocates for awareness and training in dyslexia both on a national and international level with projects that include the Dyslexia Friendly Library, Police National Dyslexia Association in the UK, Learning Disabilities Conference Japan, Dyslexia Organisation Kenya, and the marketing committee for Riverside School. She is the mother of two neurodiverse sons, a dyslexic senior at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an ADHD junior at the University of Virginia. She and her dyslexic husband live in Richmond, VA.