The Reading League Connecticut
The Reading League Connecticut chapter was established in 2021 to support the advancement of the Science of Reading. The Reading League Connecticut shares the mission of the national organization of advancing the awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-based reading instruction.
Meet Our Team
Meet Lisa Gianni M.A., AIT/OGA, C-SLCT
Lisa is an experienced educator and professional learning facilitator. She has over 20 years in public education where her roles included classroom teacher, remedial reading specialist, and district level instructional coach. Her passion for literacy, for supporting students with reading difficulties and dyslexia, and her belief that literacy is a fundamental human right and that with informed and supported educators, all children can become skillful readers and writers led her to join the State Department of Education as an associate education consultant in the Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities. Lisa earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Central Connecticut State University, a master’s degree from the University of Saint Joseph, and remedial reading and remedial language arts specialist certification from Albertus Magnus College. She is a National LETRS Professional Learning Facilitator, is Orton Gillingham trained at the Associate level, and is a certified Structured Literacy Classroom Teacher through CERI/IDA. Lisa also teaches as an Adjunct Professor for Albertus Magnus College in the advanced alternate preparation for literacy specialist program supervising the candidate tutorial and leading the seminar in Best Practices in Intervention. She currently serves as President of the Connecticut chapter of The Reading League.
Meet Janice Yanni M.S., CAGS, C-SLDI
Janice has over 15 years of experience in public education working as a classroom teacher, literacy coach, interventionist, and Lead Facilitator for professional learning at HILL for Literacy. Janice earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Roger Williams University and both a master’s degree and certificate of advanced graduate study in reading from Central Connecticut State University. She is passionate about early literacy, supporting students with dyslexia, and parent and family advocacy. Janice is a Wilson certified instructor and a CERI certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist with a wealth of experience supporting students through tiered intervention and special education. She currently serves as Vice President for the Connecticut chapter of The Reading League and is a proud fellow of NEAG’s PreK-3 Leadership program at UCONN.
Meet Cynthia Hoemann M.S., A/OGA, C-SLDI
Meet Sarah Levine M.S., M.Ed, CE/OGA
Meet Claire Conroy, Ed.D.
Claire Conroy currently leads the Specific Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia initiative at the State Education Resource Center. She co-leads the Assistive Technology, Accessible Educational Materials, and the Universal Design for Learning Initiatives, and is also an Individualized Education Program Quality Trainer. As someone with a learning disability in math, her passion lies in educating others who teach students with learning disabilities. In the spring of 2024, Claire graduated with her doctorate in education from the University of New England, where she examined Tier I literacy instruction and its connection to racial equity.
After Claire earned her bachelor’s degree in integrated elementary and special education from the University of Hartford, she worked as a Hartford area special education teacher for eight years at the elementary and middle school level. During that time, Claire earned her master’s degree in learning design and technology from Purdue University. Additionally, she became trained at the Certified level in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Claire serves on the board of The Reading League – Connecticut chapter.
Meet Claire Zhalov
Currently, Claire serves as a reading interventionist in South Windsor, CT, collaborating closely with teachers, reading consultants, and parents to support the literacy goals of our school. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Penn State University, Claire taught as a classroom teacher for 10 years in the intermediate grades. In 2015, she obtained her master’s degree in Literacy Education from the University of Saint Joseph, as well as obtaining my #102 Reading Specialist certification from Albertus Magnus College. Claire has spent the last 15 years working as a reading interventionist in diverse settings across NYC, PA, VA, and CT. Her work has involved supporting both disadvantaged and privileged communities, giving her a deep understanding of the unique literacy needs and the complexities of literacy instruction, particularly in diverse and dynamic educational environments. In addition to her practical experience in the classroom, Claire has also played an active role in professional development, hosting workshops on the science of reading and supporting teachers in implementing evidence-based literacy practices. Claire is deeply committed to the belief that every child can become a proficient reader with the right support.
Meet Tera Dunn M.Ed., 092 cert
Tera has over 20 years of experience in education in a variety of capacities at the elementary level including literacy interventionist, para-educator and classroom teacher at the primary grade level. Prior to receiving her Master of Education from The University of Hartford, Tera earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders. While teaching at the elementary level, Tera went on to earn an advanced degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University. As a Lead Facilitator at the HILL for Literacy, she supports districts in the understanding and development of a MTSS through the lens of leadership, assessment, tiered instruction, and professional development. Tera is dedicated to helping teachers understand the science of reading and empower them to do better for all students. Tera currently serves on the Scholarship and Events Committees of the Connecticut chapter of the The Reading League.
Meet Amy Geary, M.Ed., WDT, C-SLDS
Amy believes that literacy is essential for bridging the opportunity gap. One of Amy’s favorite quotes comes from Maryann Wolf’s Proust and the Squid (2008, p. 82): “How a child first learns to read is a tale of either magic and fairies or missed chances and unnecessary loss.” As a classroom practitioner, Amy has primarily taught students with dyslexia or students who struggle with reading-related tasks in grades 6 through 8. She recognizes the frustration that students experience with academics when they are unable to access print. In modern times, being literate opens the door to opportunity. Amy sincerely believes that all children deserve to learn to read, and all teachers can learn to teach them. She is extremely honored to be a member of The Reading League Connecticut.
Meet Dan Baginski
Dan is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Citation Capital Management. Dan has over fifteen years of experience within the private equity industry. Prior to joining Citation, Dan spent over a decade at TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P and was most recently a Principal and Controller. He began his career at Deloitte and Touche as a member of the Assurance Risk Services team focusing on alternative investment vehicles. Dan graduated magna cum laude from Saint Michael’s College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and the University of Connecticut with a Masters in Accounting. He is a certified public accountant in New York.