Ohio Valley Branch Newsletter

February 2026

The Ohio Valley Branch of the IDA is charging into 2026 with fresh momentum—new activities, new committee members, an energized Advisory Board, and incredible volunteers powering it all! We’d love for every member to get involved, and you’ll soon hear from a board member with exciting ways to participate. Mark your calendars now for our April 11th conference and April 22nd meeting—we can’t wait to see you there. A huge thank‑you to our dedicated board members for their passion and commitment to supporting our dyslexia community. Together, we’re growing, learning, and making 2026 our strongest year yet!  Carmen Mendoza, President

Board members met on February 2 to plan and collaborate for our branch

April Conference – Sign up Now

Sign up Here or scan the QR code

Members $60 and Non-members $100 for 6 hours

 April 22 at 6pm – Next Branch Meeting

at Springer Auditorium – parking lot is behind the school, enter to the left of the courtyard statue through double silver doors.  There is a large multicolored Springer sign near the doors.  

Vice President – Cari Kelly

Did you know Ohio has three IDA branches? We’re excited for the 2026 Ohio Summit on Dyslexia—an in‑person, full‑day learning event on Saturday, March 14, 2026 hosted by Ohio Central Branch, in Columbus, OH. The Summit features national experts Elsa Cárdenas‑Hagan, Lucy Hart Paulson, and Lyn Stone, offering research‑based keynotes and practical breakout sessions. It’s a great opportunity for educators, specialists, and advocates to gain evidence‑based strategies and connect with others committed to strong literacy instruction. Don’t miss it!

Visit Ohio Central IDA for details

At our December branch meeting, Maria and Anne Leeman joined us to share their inspiring story of resilience and advocacy as they navigated and succeeded with dyslexia. We welcomed our new board members and enjoyed time connecting and networking with others who are passionate about supporting individuals with dyslexia.

Parent Educator Chair – Nikki Sullivan

Check out our new parent page on the website—it’s an excellent resource to share with parents and friends looking for information, education, and support.  See website link at the bottom of this email.  

Scholarship Chair – Anne Leeman

Ohio Valley Branch Newsletter

October 2025

Last week at Oktoberfest, I was walking with my daughter Maddy, who has dyslexia. She mentioned “I hate all these signs without the logos, I can’t tell where everything is!”  For someone with Dyslexia, a common sign with similar font and colors can be daunting.  It helps her when there are different colors and pictures to figure things out quickly.  This example led me back to our Chapter meeting in September.  Carmen Mendoza shared with us her heart as upcoming President to grow our branch. She wants to grow not only practitioners in the field of dyslexia but also parents and families who help people with dyslexia.  Together we can be stronger!  Consider rejoining, encouraging others to join IDA, or just join us for a chapter meeting to learn more about how we can help people thrive with dyslexia.  -Christina Scheckel, Newsletter Chair

Scholarship Chair – Anne Leeman

OVBIDA has given out $6013 in scholarships for 2025.  Pictured are Meghan Cline and Maria Leeman, who received their scholarship certificates at our September branch meeting.  Additional awardees are Amy Heimkreiter, Caroline Kelly, and Joanna Forsha.

Parent Educator Chair – Nikki Sullivan

11.3.25- 6:30pm Springer School and Center

Sanding Down the Myths of ADHD: Facts & Strategies to Get Students Engaged

Amanda Conrad, PsyD

School Psychologist, Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology

Cincinnati Children’s

1.14.26- 6:30pm Springer School and Center

Drilling Down on Dyslexia & Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs)

Quintino R. Mano, Ph.D.

Clinical Neuropsychologist

University of Cincinnati

Register at https://www.springer-ld.org/parent-programs/

Upcoming Branch Meetings All meetings are 6-7 pm at Springer School Auditorium date icons from Flaticon.com

Nominating Chair – Cari Kelly

The Ohio Valley IDA Branch is Growing!

The Ohio Valley IDA is pleased to announce that new board positions will soon become available as our branch continues to expand. This expansion represents an incredible opportunity to strengthen our work and further our mission of supporting individuals with dyslexia and related reading differences.

We are looking for dedicated individuals who are passionate about making a difference and eager to share their talents, expertise, and energy with our community. These new roles will help guide the direction of our branch, expand outreach efforts, and create even more opportunities for individuals and families to thrive.

Keep an eye on your inbox—an email with details and a link to the Member Nomination Interest Survey will be sent out this month. Together, we can continue building a stronger, more impactful Ohio Valley IDA Branch. The following positions are up for election this November. We hope you’ll join our initiative!

Membership Chair
Leads efforts to grow branch membership by creating and implementing recruitment strategies and fostering member engagement and retention.

Nominating Chair
Oversees the nomination process by identifying and evaluating potential Board members. Presents a slate of nominees for election—including Officers, upcoming Nominating Committee members, and candidates for any vacancies—to the Board.

Legislative Chair
Monitors state and federal legislation related to literacy. Builds connections with legislators, communicates about pending bills, and provides updates to the OVB Board.

Fundraising Chair
Advances OVB/IDA’s mission by developing initiatives. Raises awareness of the branch’s programs—such as workshops, parent support groups, and services for individuals with learning differences—while collaborating with the Communications Committee to expand outreach.

Publicity Chair / Social Media Chair
Promotes OVB/IDA by publicizing events, conferences, workshops, and resources for parents and educators. Partners with the Communications Committee to ensure consistent messaging and manages social media platforms to strengthen visibility and engagement.

Website Chair
Maintains and updates the OVB/IDA website to ensure accurate and timely information about events, conferences, and resources. Coordinates with the Communications Committee to distribute communications to members and the community.

Ohio Valley Branch Newsletter

February 2025

Welcome to the relaunch of our Ohio Valley Branch Newsletter!  I’m so honored to serve as the Newsletter Chair to bridge communications to professionals and families that are trying to help people with Dyslexia.  As we rebuild our branch, newsletters will resume in October and February.  This issue has news about upcoming scholarship opportunities, our meeting in April, and a filled executive committee/directors!  Christina Scheckel

Photo by Valentin Antonini on Unsplash

Memorial

Betty Sheffield, one of our branch founders and first board president from 1978-1981, passed on November 12, 2022.  The Ohio Valley Branch of IDA was officially launched in September 1978 and covered all of Ohio and Kentucky.  Betty had a large part in starting our branch to help support and educate on reading disabilities.  She was a strong supporter, mentor, and advocate for people with dyslexia and their families.  A Cincinnati native, Betty was instrumental in bringing the Orton-Gillingham approach closer to home by traveling to train at The Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota.  She became a reading teacher, master teacher, and even lecturer at Miami of Ohio, University of Cincinnati, and consulting around the world.  She went on to advocate and support Dyslexia on a national level serving on the IDA board of directors for 13 years including serving as Vice president.  Betty was awarded the Margaret Rawson IDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.  We will be forever grateful for her leadership and support for people with Dyslexia.

April Conference – Sara Cooper

The OVBIDA is thrilled to host Dr. Cheryl Chase for our spring conference on April 12th. “Executive Functions: What are they, why are they important, and how can I help?” will define executive functioning, draw a connection between academics and behavior, and offer practical strategies to help students that have challenges in these areas. This will be a virtual conference taking place from 8:30am-3:30pm. Registration is open, click here.

Nominating Chair – Cari Kelly

Please help us welcome our newest members to the OVB IDA Board!

This past December, we welcomed our new President-Elect Carmen Mendoza, along with Treasurer Steve Sagel, and Recording Secretary Maria Aiella to our Executive Committee.

Our newest directors include:

• Conference Chair: Sara Cooper

• Scholarship Chair: Anne Leeman

• Products Chair: Ambor Moy

• Publicity & Fundraising Chair: Shelby Chamberlin

• Parent Educator Chair: Nikki Sullivan

• Newsletter Chair: Christina Scheckel

We are thrilled to have so many dedicated volunteers supporting our mission. We look forward to serving the community and can’t wait to connect with our members!

Publicity & Fundraising Chair – Shelby Chamberlin

The OVBIDA sponsored Springer School and Center’s 2025 Empowered Learning Conference was on February 14th. At this conference, we had representatives from the branch providing individuals with information on IDA membership and how to join! Thank you to all who participated!