PRESENTERS & SESSIONS

Mary Kamer

Professional Learning Lead | Memphis Literacy Institute

Mary serves as the Professional Learning Lead for the Memphis Literacy Institute, bringing over 15 years of experience across multiple educational roles including classroom teacher, literacy content specialist, reading interventionist, literacy coach, and systems-level structured literacy implementation support. She currently contributes to MLI's initiatives as a course professor in the Reading Specialist Certification Program and Residency Program, where she has trained more than 70 Reading Specialists during her tenure. In addition, Mary designs professional learning experiences in literacy and language for diverse audiences that advance MLI's vision of Every School, Every Student reading at grade level.

With deep expertise in serving historically marginalized Memphis communities, Mary is grounded in the belief that teachers are the most important factor in children's literacy development. Having witnessed firsthand the transformative power of structured literacy, she holds firm to the vision and trusts the process—because she has seen that it works. Mary is passionate about the power of early intervention as a critical strategy for preventing reading failure, understanding that timely, evidence-based instruction can change the trajectory of a child's academic and life outcomes.

Mary dedicates her work to supporting and training educators across varied experience levels and contexts, specializing in helping teachers and leaders develop deep understanding of evidence-based practices. She excels at bridging theory into sustainable practices that measurably impact student outcomes for the students who need it most.

Session:
From Play to Academic Language: Leveraging Developmentally Appropriate Practices to Build Linguistic Foundations in Early Childhood

Alana Mangham, M.Ed.

Founder and Literacy Consultant | Bright Brains

Alana Mangham, M.S.Ed., is entering her 18th year in education and has had the privilege of working with some of the nation’s leading literacy organizations, including The Center for Literacy & Learning, Lexia, Heggerty, and IMSE. She currently collaborates with colleagues from Otter Reading and The Teachers Table and recently launched literacy consulting and curriculum development through Bright Brains Studio.

Alana has taught in both New York City and Louisiana. During her time as the ELA Curriculum Specialist in Rapides Parish, her work gained national recognition and was highlighted by EAB in the publication Narrowing the Third Grade Reading Gap.
A respected voice in the literacy community, Alana has appeared as a guest on Education Week alongside Dr. Louisa Moats and has been featured on Amplify’s Science of Reading podcast. Her writing has been published in the May/June 2020 issue of The Reading League Journal as well as in several online publications.

Alana served as a member of the Louisiana Education Commission and the LDOE Dyslexia Workgroup. She has led numerous webinars and presented at national conferences, sharing her passion for literacy and her commitment to blending the science of reading, educational research, and real-world classroom experience to empower educators.

Session:
Fine Motor Nutrition: The Daily Diet for Dexterity and Code Awareness in Early Elementary

Keshia Megie-Thompson

Literacy Specialist | Mount St. Joseph University

Keshia currently serves as the Owner and Founder of Trace Literacy, a private MSLE therapy clinic dedicated to helping students with dyslexia and other reading challenges. She also works as a Literacy Specialist for the Center for Reading Science at Mount St. Joseph University (MSJ), focusing on implementation, coaching, and training of preschool curriculum. Before this, Keshia served as the Chief Learning Officer at another private reading remediation clinic, where she spent five years developing curriculum, coaching staff, and delivering direct therapy to students.

She began her career teaching 1st and 2nd grade after joining the Teach for America Dallas Corps in 2014, and her love for literacy instruction has only grown deeper since. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Reading Science at MSJ and is expected to graduate in May 2027. She is deeply committed to evidence-based reading practices and have led professional development across schools and conferences to support structured literacy implementation.

Session:
The Power of Early Intervention, Implementing the Science of Reading in Preschool

Dr. Carolyn Durante

Senior Relationship Manager & Secondary Literacy Subject Matter Expert | AIM Institute for Learning & Research

Dr. Carolyn Durante is the Senior Relationship Manager and the Secondary Literacy Subject Matter Expert with AIM Institute for Research and Learning, where she supports more than 50 districts and state education agencies nationwide in implementing evidence-based literacy practices. She leads professional development across the country with a focus on the science of reading and secondary literacy, partnering with leaders to translate research into sustainable instructional systems.

Dr. Durante holds an Ed.D. in Professional Leadership with a focus in Literacy from the University of Houston. With prior experience as a middle school learning specialist, coordinator of assessments and data, special education teacher, and curriculum leader, she brings deep expertise in foundational skills, dyslexia intervention, and tier 1 inclusive instructional practices. In addition, Dr. Durante is Wilson Level 1 certified and a certified dyslexia Interventionist through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction.

A frequent national presenter, Dr. Durante has spoken at state and national conferences including the Massachusetts Reading Association, Mississippi Literacy Association, Everybody Reading NYC, the Arizona Department of Education, and for EdWeek. Her work centers on empowering content-area educators and secondary leaders to strengthen literacy outcomes for adolescent learners.

Session:
Unlocking Meaning: Strengthening Sentence-Level Reading and Writing

Megan Gierka, Ed.D.

Research Affilitate | Middle Tennessee State University

Dr. Megan Gierka turns research into practice and practice back into better research. An implementation scientist, literacy consultant, and co-author of an upcoming book, she spent over a decade in Pennsylvania public schools teaching learners from preschool through twelfth grade. She has since guided statewide structured literacy implementation in five states, leading initiatives that moved beyond one-off training into sustainable efforts. Megan’s current research focuses on accelerating early literacy, streamlining instructional design, and intersecting artificial intelligence tools with human memory.

Session:
Reading, Writing, and the Robot in the Room

Deborah K. Reed, Ph.D.

Director & Professor | Tennessee Reading Research Center

Dr. Deborah K. Reed currently serves as the Director of the Tennessee Reading Research Center and is a Professor in the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Dr. Reed’s research focuses on methods for improving literacy instruction and assessment, particularly among populations experiencing barriers to education. Her work has been funded by state and federal agencies as well as private foundations. She spent the first 10 years of her career as an English language arts and reading teacher and a preK-12 reading specialist, working primarily with students in California and Texas from diverse backgrounds who were exhibiting serious reading and writing difficulties. Since 2003, she has supported literacy improvement efforts in numerous states and conducted research across ages and settings. Dr. Reed has published extensively and co-authored three literacy assessments.

Session:
Background Knowledge + Inferencing Ability = Brains More Accurate Than AI

Megan Newsomme

Director, Professional Development Delivery | Amplify.

Megan Newsome is the Director of Professional Development and Strategy in Literacy for the East Coast region. In this role Megan provides ongoing literacy implementation, strategic professional development planning, and pedagogical support to district partners. She leads a team of PD Strategists to work as strategic thought partners to districts, helping them manage the change involved in district-wide curriculum adoption across key stakeholders, ultimately supporting shifts in instructional practices and improved achievement outcomes for students. She leads a team of Lead Professional Learning Specialists and their stack of Professional Learning Specialists that empower and delight district leaders and educators by providing support and delivering excellent professional development to move them forward in their literacy program(s) instructional implementation journey towards sustainability.

Prior to coming to Amplify in 2019, Megan worked in schools and districts in Cleveland Heights, OH; Frederick, MD; and Pittsburgh, PA. She has taught ELA and reading intervention in grades K-8 and was a Literacy and Instructional Coach providing professional development to leaders and teachers. As a district leader and instructional coach, Megan led a CKLA pilot and adoption of CKLA and mCLASS, committed to leading and supporting leaders and educators in using this as a vehicle to provide equitable opportunities for all students to access and successfully rise to high expectations and mastery of grade level ELA Standards. Megan has worked with EdReports as an ELA curriculum reviewer focusing on Foundational Skills.

Megan holds a BA in Elementary Education from John Carroll University, is certified in Elementary Education and as a Reading Specialist in Pennsylvania and is a National Board Certified Teacher of Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood.

Session:
The Science of Writing: Bridging Research-Based Instructional Shifts to Strengthen Student Literacy

Dr. Pam Kastner

Educational Consultant | Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

Pam Kastner, Ed.D., is an educational consultant and the former state lead for literacy in Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) Harrisburg. Currently, Dr. Kastner is honored to serve as a contributing faculty member at Mount Saint Joseph University in the Reading Science Program where she teaches in the Masters’ and Doctoral Program and was honored as the Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2023.

Dr. Kastner has presented widely across the United States and Internationally. She partners with State Departments of Education and school districts throughout the nation to provide on-site technical assistance, consultation and coaching. Dr. Kastner serves on the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition and has the honor of serving as the President of The Reading League Pennsylvania, The Reading League Journal’s Practitioner Editorial Board, and is a member of The Science of Reading: A Defining Movement coalition.

Sessions:
Practice Makes Permanent: Aligning Practice to How Students Learn Using the Instructional Hierarchy

Integrate, Don’t Isolate! Linguistic Bridges that Connect Sounds, Symbols, and Meaning in Early Literacy

Seema Tejura

Managing Director | The Literacy Architects

Seema Tejura has over 18 years of experience leading literacy initiatives in New York, DC, Dallas, and Pittsburgh as a reading specialist, literacy coach, reading director, and chief academic officer. She founded The Literacy Architects in 2018 to bring knowledge about evidence-based reading instruction to educators across the country.

The Literacy Architects offers professional development and coaching to support Pre-K-12th grade teachers, leaders, tutors, and higher education professors in implementing structured literacy routines. Through The Literacy Architects, Seema has delivered PD to organizations such as the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), District of Columbia Public Schools, the Texas Public Charter School Association, KIPP DC, and Teach for America (TFA). Seema holds Masters Degrees in the Reading Specialist and Education Leadership fields and is also a Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner and Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP).

Session:
Fluency: More Than Just Reading Fast

Caitlin Deckard, M.Ed.

Science of Reading Specialist | The Literacy Architects

Caitlin is a Science of Reading Specialist and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt University. She has held various positions in rural and urban school districts, including elementary classroom teacher, literacy interventionist, gifted and talented teacher, RTI coordinator, strategic planning board member, and Title Services program coordinator.

As a designer and facilitator of literacy professional learning, Caitlin prioritizes evidence-based best practices within the MTSS framework, while making research both accessible and approachable to educators. Her belief that literacy is a civil right and a prerequisite for survival and success within our society influences her work designing professional development and social media content for The Literacy Architects.

Caitlin is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Literacy Studies at Middle Tennessee State University.

Session:
Morph- (forms of words) -ology (the study of)