Meet Our Tutors

Shelley Baker-Gard was born in Portland, Oregon, and continues to live there with her family. She is a Portland State University graduate with a B.S. in Anthropology and a M.S. in Communications. After retiring from a career in the telecommunications industry as a project manager and technical writer, she began tutoring in 2020. Her tutor training is in the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching dyslexic students  reading, spelling and handwriting.  She is a member of the Orton Gillingham Academy at the Associate level and enjoys watching the students she tutors gain confidence in these critical life skills. She is also a published author and editor.  In 2023,  she coauthored the book, They Never Asked: Senryū Poetry From the WWII Portland Assembly Center (Oregon State University Press). For her, the OG approach to tutoring can provide a new chapter in the lives of those with the gift of dyslexia.

Brenda Bokenyi is a licensed elementary teacher, art teacher and collage artist. She earned her BA in Fine Arts from Brandeis University and her MEd from Lesley University. She has more than 20 years of experience as an elementary Spanish Immersion teacher and reading interventionist. She is Orton-Gillingham certified at the Academy Associate Level, continuing to work under the mentorship of a fellow. Additionally, she is trained in Multisensory Math and LETRS, a Science of Reading program. She holds her reading endorsement with the state of Oregon. The combination of her skills as an educator, Spanish fluency and her creative mindset create a unique experience for students. She can be found creating art, hiking with her dog or baking yummy treats at her home in Portland, Oregon.

Julie is an Associate Certified Orton-Gillingham tutor. She has worked with dyslexic students from age 6 to adults, and find each student has many gifts and talents they can share, which enhances the tutoring experience. Julie is very passionate about the success and self-confidence of her students, knowing that their struggles with reading, writing and spelling may seem impossible. The journey a student and parent embark on in Orton-Gillingham tutoring will be life-changing, and one Julie looks forward to sharing with every student that requests to work with her.

Julie became aware of her own dyslexia when she was a young adult and she began to understand the impact it had on her life. It took many years to find her way to Orton-Gillingham and to a greater awareness of the positive change this tutoring approach can have on a child’s life. In those between years Julie taught dance and owned her own studio, spent a number of years working with children with special needs, and also as director of children and youth ministries.

As your tutor, Julie will work to forge a relationship with both student and parents in order to collaborate about the student’s needs and at the same time follow the multisensory foundation based approach of Orton-Gillingham tutoring.

Jessica’s Orton-Gillingham journey began when, at the age of 30, she received a scholarship to work with an Orton-Gillingham tutor. While completing her teaching degree, she faced a heartbreaking obstacle: despite her dedication and hard work, she was unable to pass the Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) required to become a licensed teacher. She feared her lifelong dream of teaching might never become a reality.

Everything changed when a group of educators trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach entered her life and gave her hope. Working with an Academy-trained Orton-Gillingham tutor, Jessica experienced something she had never believed possible—for the first time, she discovered that she truly could learn to read and spell with confidence.

Reflecting on her educational journey, Jessica realized that years of struggling to keep pace with her classmates had left lasting emotional scars. Even the thought of taking another high-stakes exam brought back painful memories and symptoms associated with trauma. After months of intensive Orton-Gillingham instruction, she successfully passed the ORELA exam and achieved her dream of becoming a licensed teacher.

Inspired by the life-changing impact of the Orton-Gillingham Approach, Jessica went on to become an Academy-trained Orton-Gillingham tutor herself. Today, she shares her passion with her second-grade students and beyond, helping children discover the same confidence and joy in learning that transformed her own life. She is committed to ensuring that every learner has access to effective, evidence-based instruction and is honored to be part of an organization dedicated to changing lives through the Orton-Gillingham Approach.

Jessica enthusiastically shares her story wherever she goes, inspiring others with what she calls the “Orton-Gillingham miracle.”

We are honored to have Jessica as a member of our organization. Her compassion, perseverance, and firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by struggling readers make her an invaluable asset to our tutor community and an inspiration to the families we serve.

Ginny grew up in Portland, Oregon, with parents who were both teachers and artists. Diagnosed with dyslexia in fifth grade, she remembers firsthand how challenging elementary school could be. Fortunately, Ginny had the opportunity to work with Kay Caplan, one of the premier Orton-Gillingham Academy-trained tutors in the Portland area. With Kay’s guidance, Ginny not only learned to overcome many of the challenges associated with dyslexia, but also discovered a lifelong love of reading.

Her own experience inspired Ginny to dedicate her career to helping children with dyslexia. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1995 and later earned a Master’s degree in Special Education. became an Orton-Gillingham Academy-trained tutor in 2010. With decades of special education teaching experience, Ginny is one of OGDC’s longest-serving and most experienced tutors. Her personal journey gives her a unique understanding of the challenges students face—and the confidence that, with the right instruction and support, they can become successful readers and spellers.

Colleen received her Bachelors of Arts with a focus on education from Portland State University and her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College.

She worked for 1 year with middle school students and then switched to the primary grades for Portland Public Schools. Working with the younger students in early literacy is where Colleen found her passion for teaching. She left the classroom to raise two amazing kids who are now lovely young adults.

She discovered the world of Orton-Gillingham when her daughter started tutoring with an Orton-Gillingham Academy trained tutor at the Blosser Center. Because of the success her daughter experienced with OG, Colleen decided to returned to education studying the Orton-Gillingham approach under Fellows Cathy Wyrick and Dorothy Blosser Whitehead in 2011. She began tutoring for the Blosser Center in 2012, and she now reports she is thrilled to be a part of this new endeavor, The Orton-Gillingham Dyslexia Center.

Lucinda has always loved kids and words, and she hopes to share this love of language with all of her students. Lucinda began her career at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA, receiving a teaching license from the state of Massachusetts. From there, she ventured west to the Bay Area, teaching elementary and middle school levels at the Nueva School in Hillsborough and Sea Crest School in Half Moon Bay. During her many years in the classroom, she noted that a few bright, hardworking students consistently struggled to retain general reading and writing instruction. Lucinda is grateful to have discovered the Orton-Gillingham approach since then and is currently working toward her certification as an associate practitioner. She lives in Northeast Portland with her wonderful husband, two fun-loving children, and new puppy.

Rose is a seasoned teacher completing her Orton-Gillingham practicum. She brings 18 years of teaching experience from Waldorf kindergarten to Chinese/Japanese/Spanish private elementary, to public middle school, and public high schools ranging from the most remote in the Lower 48 (high desert Nevada) to Oregon’s largest and most diverse (David Douglas). She is a passionate educator, earning her National Board Certification for English Language Arts for Adolescents and Young Adults. Rose is known for championing each learner to overcome barriers to become their best, and as a reflective instructor, always seeking to better outcomes.

She maintains a therapeutic lens, having worked as a clinical art therapist with children and families. This background is invaluable for close listening, relationship forming, and high ethical standards. Additionally, it provides deeper understanding and more viable avenues to work with neurodivergent children.

The underpinning of Rose’s work is more than 30 years of consciousness studies, meditation, and leadership training. Mindfulness practices are the foundation of her Awareness Coaching for individuals and groups.  

Rose holds a BFA in Painting from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, an MA in Art Therapy, an MS Ed in Waldorf Elementary Education, is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher, an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, and is an Orton-Gillingham Associate candidate of the Oregon Dyslexia Institute.