Meet Our Tutors
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Julie is an accredited Associate with the Orton-Gillingham Academy, and has been tutoring for 20 years.
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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.
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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.
Our Staff
Jennifer M. Pultz, M.S., C/OGA
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Jennifer’s story began with a third-grade boy who could not read or spell—and a dentist who changed the course of his life.
After years of struggling in school, being pulled out for special education services, and making little progress, Jennifer’s son was introduced to a dentist who was also a trained Orton-Gillingham tutor. Within three months of receiving Orton-Gillingham instruction, he was reading. For his family, it felt nothing short of a miracle.
Through her son’s transformation, Jennifer discovered the power of structured literacy and learned that dyslexia affects approximately 1 in 5 individuals. She also discovered that many educators, including most special education teachers, do not receive specialized training in how to teach students with dyslexia.
That realization changed the direction of her life.
Already holding a master’s degree in environmental forest biology, Jennifer made the decision to change careers. She pursued rigorous training through the Orton-Gillingham Academy, becoming a Certified Orton-Gillingham tutor and continuing her professional development to achieve Clinical-level accreditation through the Academy.
For nearly 20 years, Jennifer dedicated herself to an organization committed to the Orton-Gillingham approach, witnessing firsthand how individualized, diagnostic, and multisensory instruction could transform the lives of struggling readers.
When that organization shifted away from its original Orton-Gillingham focus, Jennifer knew that preserving access to high-quality, faithful Orton-Gillingham instruction was essential. She founded the Orton-Gillingham Dyslexia Center to ensure that students with dyslexia continue to receive the evidence-based, individualized instruction they need to become confident readers.
Today, Jennifer remains committed to one mission: making the life-changing power of Orton-Gillingham available to every student with dyslexia who needs it.
Michael Sullivan, M.D.
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Mike Sullivan has spent his life solving problems. Whether in engineering, medicine, technology, or nonprofit leadership, he has a passion for finding practical solutions that help people.
A Portland, Oregon native, Mike graduated from Oregon Episcopal School before leaving for the east coast to attend the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he earned bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Electrical Engineering, combining his fascination with science and technology at a time when fields such as genetic engineering were just beginning to emerge. He stayed an extra year at MIT, researching gene splicing and gene regulation in eukaryotes.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Mike returned home to Oregon to pursue his medical degree at Oregon Health & Science University, where he earned his M.D. in 1989. Following graduation, he worked with the Medical Data Research Center and the Center for Outcomes Research and Education at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center under the guidance of pioneering cardiac surgeon Albert Starr, co-inventor of the revolutionary Starr–Edwards heart valve, the first successful artificial heart valve used in patients around the world.
Mike’s career eventually brought together his medical knowledge and technical expertise as he provided specialized computer support for medical and dental practices throughout the Portland area. His exceptional organizational skills also led him to the Blosser Center, where he served for almost 8 years, advancing to Director of Operations. During that time, he became known as the person who could tackle complex challenges, improve systems, and keep the organization running smoothly.
In 2026, Mike joined the Orton-Gillingham Dyslexia Center (OGDC) as its Director of Operations. His wide-ranging experience, steady leadership, and commitment to serving others make him an invaluable member of the team. Behind the scenes, Mike ensures that the Center’s operations support its mission of changing lives through high-quality, evidence-based dyslexia intervention.
Our Partners
Liliya Webb, Psy.D.
Webb Psychological Services
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Webb earned her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Developmental Psychology from Eastern Washington University in 2013, and went on to complete her Master of Arts and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at George Fox University, finishing in 2018. During her clinical internship with the National Psychology Training Consortium in Seattle, she gained hands-on experience working with patients of all ages across a variety of settings. Dr. Webb’s postdoctoral residency allowed her to further specialize in psychological evaluations, crisis support, and treating mood disorders.
Dr. Webb partners with us for psychological testing for OGDC clients.
The Learning Link PDX
in partnership with Dr. Liliya Webb, the Learning Link PDX works with us to provide more regional access to Orton-Gillingham Academy-trained tutors across the Portland metropolitan area.