The Reading League Indiana
The Reading League Indiana is an affiliate chapter of a 30,000 member national not-for-profit organization, The Reading League. Together we promote knowledge to reimagine the future of literacy education and accelerate the global movement toward reading instruction rooted in science.
Mission
Our mission is to advance the awareness, understanding and use of evidence-based reading instruction across the state, by connecting all stakeholders and providing sound educational resources.
Vision
Our vision is that every child in our state is able to read proficiently.
We recognize literacy as a fundamental right that empowers individuals in a society. Research has yielded proven instructional practices that provide equitable access to the knowledge students need to be competent readers. We believe that all children deserve to learn to read and that all teachers can learn to teach them.
To bring our vision to reality, we have developed three core areas of focus:
Education: Providing sound educational resources
We are committed to ensuring that educators are equipped with the knowledge they need to effectively teach all students how to read.
Collaboration: Developing strong partnerships & connecting stakeholders
We will work to build a collaborative environment throughout our state among parents, educators, school leaders, pre-service teachers, colleges and universities, mission-aligned partner organizations, and community leaders.
Advocacy: Statewide advocacy that promotes long-term systemic change
All students deserve to have an education rooted in equity that is built upon access to the tools they need to reach their full potential, including a science-based approach to reading. We acknowledge and will work to eliminate the disparity in access to evidence-based literacy instruction that currently exists in Indiana.
Together, these core areas will accelerate the global movement toward reading instruction rooted in science here in our state. We know we will truly be successful when reading metrics soar throughout Indiana.
Meet Our Team
Meet Stefany Bragg
Stefany Bragg is a professional development specialist and virtual coach for The Reading League. She also works for Marian University supports literacy coaches through the Indiana Literacy Cadre. She has been teaching for over 14 years with a master’s degree in Reading Science from Mount Saint Joseph and an additional certification in Dyslexia. Her passion is bringing knowledge of evidenced aligned instruction to educators across the country but even more so in Indiana. Her first person experience of aligning instruction and seeing the results of this instruction is her reason behind her passion. Stefany is committed to the mission of bringing awareness, understanding, and use of scientific based instruction to all stakeholders.
Meet Eddie Rangel
Eddie began his teaching career in Southern California, teaching 4th and 5th Grade music. He moved to Indianapolis in 2012 where he taught instrumental music, 1st Grade, and 5th Grade for Indianapolis Public Schools. In 2015, Eddie became the founding assistant principal of Tindley Genesis Academy, a K-5 public charter school. Eddie then served as the principal of Tindley Renaissance, before transitioning back to Tindley Genesis as principal. While at Tindley Genesis, 100% of 3rd graders passed the Indiana state promotional reading exam and ranked as the second-highest performing public school in the greater-Indianapolis area. Student achievement results also grew 19 points in math and 14 points in English/Language Arts proficiency. In July of 2019, Eddie was accepted as an Innovation School Fellow at Indianapolis’s education non-profit, The Mind Trust, where he co-founded Adelante Schools as the founding Executive Director. Adelante Schools is an Indianapolis-based non-profit school management organization that operates Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School on the southside of Indianapolis.
Meet Stefanie Husejnovic
As a member of The Reading League Indiana, I have enjoyed growing as a professional and connecting with like-minded educators through the book studies, coffee chats, webinars and the in-person event that I attended this fall. I have been able to implement teaching practices that I’ve learned with my students right away and share them with my colleagues. It can be challenging to navigate through a Science of Reading journey in addition to the demands of being a public school educator, but it’s important and the outcomes are worth it. I have seen the benefits with my own students and in my school. I want to be on The Reading League board to be part of empowering educators with the knowledge and tools to effectively teach all of their students how to read.
Meet Joellan Muyskens-Chang
Joellan’s path to The Reading League – Indiana came by way of being a parent, as well as a guest teacher and volunteer in her children’s schools. With a family history of reading struggle that was never properly diagnosed, Joellan is attune to the lifelong implications of low literacy achievement on a person’s ability to fully participate in society, their socialization, behavior, employability, self-esteem and overall self-concept. Joellan has always had a curiosity for how people learn and that curiosity led her to this body of research. Joellan has become a passionate advocate for evidence-based reading and writing instruction within her local district and at the state level, and she hopes to draw on her professional experiences fostering partnerships, organizing programs and events, and using data to drive decision-making as she promotes the mission of TRL-IN as a member of the board. Joellan holds a BA in psychology from Wichita State University and a MS in exercise psychology and physiology from Purdue University.
Meet Jodi Denton
Throughout her 19-years as an educator in Indiana, Jodi Denton has had the honor of collaborating with students and fellow educators across diverse educational landscapes spanning grades 4 through 12. With a career encompassing roles as a classroom instructor, resource specialist, and alternative education English teacher, she has navigated both suburban and urban educational environments. Currently, Jodi serves as a member of the faculty at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis, where she engages in structured literacy methodologies and fosters a culture of continuous learning alongside exceptional high school students and colleagues. Jodi was recently named Franklin Central High School’s Teacher of the Year. Additionally, she has been honored with the Science of Reading Champion award by the Reading League Indiana, for her advocacy for literacy advancement for students at the secondary level. Jodi graduated from Ball State University with a bachelor’s degree, where she majored in elementary education and exceptional needs. She also holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Olivet Nazarene.
Meet Brandi Dreher
Brandi Dreher has worked in elementary education for more than 20 years with a primary focus in early childhood. She has worked in both the public and private sectors and currently teaches Kindergarten and serves on the leadership team at St. Mary of the Knobs in Southern Indiana. Brandi will complete her M.A. in Reading Science with a dyslexia certification in May 2025 from Mount St. Joseph University, and enjoys sharing what she has learned with colleagues and parents, but she is most excited when the science comes alive within her students as they learn to read and write.
Meet Holly Ehle
Holly is a full-time educator who has over 25 years of experience teaching K-2 and serving as an early literacy specialist. She has the very unique opportunity of working with both beginning readers AND pre-service teachers! Holly serves as an Assistant Professor of Education at Huntington University, teaching reading science courses to pre-service teachers, supervising student teachers, and is currently managing a Lily Foundation grant project to help design and build a “science of reading” lab at her university. Simultaneously, she works actively in primary classrooms on a regular basis and serves as weekly reading tutor. Holly is passionate about student engagement, differentiated instruction, early literacy, and educational neuroscience. She is completing her Ph.D. in Reading, Language, & Literacy with a specialization in Educational Neuroscience and loves helping teachers better understand exactly how the brain learns when beginning to read and write. Professionally, her mission is to teach EVERY child to be a proficient reader and writer, including those with dyslexia and/or other learning challenges. Outside of the classroom, her mission is to help teachers bridge the gap between research and practice in fun and engaging ways.
Meet Dr. Michelle Jackson
Dr. Michelle Jackson is the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning for Indianapolis Public Schools. As the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, she leads the district’s strategy for core instruction (Literacy, Math, Science, and Social Studies), STEM, Early Childhood, MTSS, Academic Professional Development, Assessment and Coaching. She has been in education for over 20 years. She has been an administrator at the elementary and high school levels. Dr. Jackson was the Principal of Meredith Nicholson Elementary IPS School 96, the Assistant Principal at Shortridge High School: An IB World School, a Spanish teacher for Speedway High School, an online Spanish instructor for Indiana Online and an adjunct professor for Vincennes University.
A passionate educational leader committed to fostering dynamic transformative learning environments for educators and students, Dr. Jackson goes beyond administrative responsibilities to encompass a deep-seated dedication to the growth and development of both educators and students. Dr. Jackson recognizes the unique strengths and talents within her team to create opportunities for everyone to flourish while demonstrating resilience, empathy, and a genuine enthusiasm for lifelong learning, by daring to lead.
Dr. Jackson has a Ph.D in Education with a Specialization in Leadership in Educational Administration from Capella University, a M.A.T. in Teaching Spanish from Indiana University Purdue University and the University of Salamanca, and a B.A. in Spanish from Butler University.
Meet Dr. Catherine McBride
Cammie McBride is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, as well as a past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. Educated in the public schools in Lafayette, Indiana as a child, she has carried out many research studies on reading and writing development and impairment across languages, cultures, and scripts. Cammie currently co-leads a Lilly grant along with College of Education colleagues at Purdue University on teacher education. She has written two books on literacy and co-edited six others.
Meet Sandra Moore
Sandra Moore is the Director of Early Literacy K-5 for the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation in Evansville, Indiana. She also works for Marian University supports literacy coaches through the Indiana Literacy Cadre. With over 15 years of experience in public education, Sandra has dedicated her career to fostering a love of reading and learning among young students. She is a Certified LETRS Trainer with extensive knowledge of the Science of Reading, demonstrating her expertise in evidence-based literacy instruction. Sandra also serves as a Board Member for The Reading League Indiana, where she contributes to the advancement of literacy education statewide. Married for 30 years, she is the proud mother of three grown children.
Meet Adrienne Mormino
Adrienne is a literacy advocate. With a Master’s in Teaching and a background in child development, she has worked as an early childhood educator, curriculum designer, and professional development leader. Her passion for literacy advocacy deepened when she had to navigate the school system for her own children with dyslexia and language-based learning differences, using her expertise and ongoing deep dive into evidence-based instruction to ensure they received the support they needed. Adrienne is a content creator and coach for Reading Simplified. She co-founded R.E.A.D.S. (Recognizing, Educating, Advocating for Dyslexic Students) to support families, raise awareness, and influence state policy, including testifying for Indiana’s Senate Bill 217 (“The Dyslexia Bill”). She also serves on the Academic Achievement Team for Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (C.A.R.E.), securing grants and collaboratively developing literacy programs that promote reading as a social justice issue. Adrienne is committed to ensuring all students have access to effective reading instruction, especially those who struggle the most.
Meet Natalie Shaw
Natalie Shaw spent 15 years in the Indiana public school system. She taught Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades before transitioning to an Instructional Coach with a primary focus on literacy. During this time, she also served as a School Dyslexia Coordinator. Natalie spent two years as a Lower Elementary Learning Team facilitator through Teach For America and regularly led professional development sessions for early career teachers. In 2014, she was selected as a policy fellow with Teach Plus and later served as a group facilitator. From 2019-2020, she was an adjunct professor teaching the course Best Practices in Literacy at Marian University. Natalie is excited to work alongside other community leaders who are passionate about ensuring equitable access to high-quality literacy instruction for all Indiana students.
Meet Dr. Karyn Tomkinson
Dr. Karyn Tomkinson is a National Literacy Director with extensive experience in leading transformative literacy initiatives grounded in the science of reading. She also serves as an adjunct professor and teaches graduate-level reading courses. Karyn has over 20 years of experience in public education as a special education teacher, reading interventionist, District Literacy Coach, and Director of Curriculum. She completed her doctorate degree from Ball State University in 2016 in Special Education, with a cognate in Educational Leadership. Her dissertation on the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) assessment and third-grade retention allowed her to research how children learn to read and identify best practices.
Karyn has been trained in LETRS Volume I and II, IMSE Comprehensive, IMSE Morphology+, and Structures. As a licensed Indiana teacher, she will soon complete Keys to Literacy training. Currently, she is attending Mount Saint Joseph University, where she is working toward her Science of Reading certificate and IDA certification. She loves learning about how the brain learns to read and is passionate about improving literacy outcomes for children. A mother of four boys and a lifelong learner, Karyn is dedicated to education and continuous growth.
