Walking into Barbara's office, a framed quote sits on the bookshelf:                                             


The quote sums up Barbara's passion and dedication for helping students who learn differently.

An elementary teacher for more than ten years, Barbara witnessed so many smart, capable, hard working students struggle with basic reading skills. Feeling ill prepared to help these students, Barbara searched for answers as to why so many students were struggling and what she could do about it. Her search led her to graduate school, where Barbara studied language based reading disabilities. When Barbara learned that dyslexia is the most common reason smart, capable students struggle with reading, she knew she needed to do something about it.

In 2010, Barbara left the classroom and founded PDX Reading Specialist. From the beginning, her mission was clear: INSPIRE Individuals to Become CONFIDENT & CAPABLE Learners. 

At her core, Barbara is an educator and advocate working to reshape the narrative of what it means to learn differently. She is a nationally recognized speaker, delivering keynote speeches for Learning Ally, EdWeb and Decoding Dyslexia. She is passionate about training educators on how to deliver evidence based instruction, equipping them with tools to be successful, and inspiring all to believe that we can not only overcome reading challenges, but prevent them from taking hold...if we act early. 

Whether you’re a parent, educator, caregiver or community member, Barbara welcomes you and hopes her workshops inspire and empower you to help students become confident and capable learners.