2017 Board of Directors Nominees

The professionals listed below have volunteered to put their names forward as nominees for our board of directors. Directors serve three-year terms, and their responsibilities include attending board meetings and serving on subcommittees to further our work in the Northern California community. If you are an IDA member, please vote via your email ballot by January 27, 2017, or cast your ballot in person if you plan to attend our annual membership meeting in San Francisco on January 28, 2017.

Sue Ron-Gonzalez, M.A.

Over the past 25 years, Sue has worked extensively with students with learning differences as a special day class teacher, resource specialist, content specialist and literacy specialist for San Francisco Unified School District. Currently, she is a dyslexia screening and support teacher on special assignment with the San Francisco Unified School District. Sue holds a certificate in educational therapy and master’s degree in special education from San Francisco State University. Since 2011, she has received grants from Fund for Teachers, Omprakash Foundation and the All People Be Happy Foundation for her yearly summer volunteer teaching in a small community in Elmina, Ghana, to support students’ literacy development with a focus on girls’ education. She is passionate about connecting her students in San Francisco with her students in Ghana through pen pal letters, videos and writing stories.

Julia Neff, M.Ed.

Julia has worked in a variety of settings in both Northern and Southern California to systematically improve academic outcomes for all learners. She currently serves as accountability coordinator for San Rafael City Schools, where she helps remove barriers to academic achievement through research-based program development and implementation for at-risk students. Merging state accountability requirements with best practices for teaching, she coordinated with school districts in Southern California to reimagine standardized assessments in the special education setting.

Her work to improve academic systems stems from her background as a resource specialist. Julia taught English, math and psychology to high school students, utilizing multisensory strategies and principles of brain-based learning. This work also led her to pursue a greater understanding of literacy. Julia began volunteering with the International Dyslexia Association in 2013 and served as president of the San Diego Branch of IDA before relocating to the Bay Area.

Cindy Lopez

Cindy is the founding head of Sand Hill School in Palo Alto, CA—a K-8 school for students with dyslexia and other learning differences. She has more than 25 years of experience in K-12 education, as a classroom teacher, a curriculum developer in educational publishing, and curriculum and professional development. Cindy holds a degree in Child Development and Family Studies and holds a California Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. She has received specialized training in both reading intervention and mathematics programs.

Our slate of officers for 2017 (all one-year terms) includes:

Cawley Carr, M.S., CCC-SLP, President
John Santonastaso, M.Ed, Vice President
Emma Elizalde, Ed.M, Secretary
David Futterman, M.A.,Treasurer