Our Team - Decoding Dyslexia Oregon

Board Members

Kara Clark, President
Kara Clark has two children with Dyslexia and like so many families has had to educate herself to get her children the help they need. Kara has a passion for increasing awareness around Dyslexia and helping to create a supportive parent community. She believes parents are stronger and more effective when they can advocate for systemic change and provide emotional support to each other as part of a larger community. It became evident to Kara that there are immense inequities and socioeconomic barriers to obtaining intervention within our educational systems. Over the last two years Kara has focused on advocating for Structured Literacy as well as getting teachers the tools needed to provide evidence-based practices in order to ensure that all kids have access to literacy.

Kelly Ravsten, Treasurer
Kelly is an Independent Consultant/Advisor who provides operational expertise, organizational advice and process improvement planning to organizations and individuals. Kelly is a parent of a child with dyslexia and is passionate about raising dyslexia awareness and improving resources and access to resources for students with dyslexia in Oregon schools.

Paulina Larenas, Interim Secretary
My name is Paulina Larenas, I am a Latina woman whose second language is English . I am a parent of an adult daughter who has a rare genetic disorder and a son who has ADHD and dyslexia. They both receive special education services and I know by experience how difficult this process can be. I have been working in the special education field as a professional for about 14 years, supporting families with disabilities to navigate the systems, advocating, providing resources, facilitating trainings and collaborating with other organizations across the state to provide support and information for families. As a parent I have about 20 years of experience advocating for my children in all the complex systems we have. Helping families to understand special education, giving them the tools to advocate can change the future of a student/child. The more we know, the more we can make a difference.

Mi nombre es Paulina Larenas, soy una mujer latina cuyo segundo idioma es el inglés. Soy madre de una hija adulta que tiene un trastorno genético poco común y un hijo que tiene ADHD y dislexia. Ambos reciben servicios de educación especial y sé por experiencia propia lo difícil que puede ser este proceso. He trabajado en el campo de la educación especial como profesional durante aproximadamente 14 años, apoyando a familias con discapacidades para navegar por los sistemas, defendiendo, brindando recursos, facilitando capacitaciones y colaborando con otras organizaciones en todo el estado para brindar apoyo e información a las familias. Como madre, tengo alrededor de 20 años de experiencia defendiendo a mis hijos y navegando todos los sistemas complejos que tenemos. Ayudar a las familias a comprender la educación especial y brindarles las herramientas para conocer sus derechos puede cambiar el futuro de un estudiante/niño. Cuanto más sepamos, más podremos hacer la diferencia.

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Angela Marie D’Antonio
Angela is a certified Barton Reading and Spelling tutor, academic coach, and passionate dyslexia advocate. As the founder of a private tutoring practice, she empowers neurodiverse students through structured literacy and assistive technology. A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Angela draws from both professional expertise and personal experience as a homeschooling parent to help families navigate a system that often overlooks dyslexic learners. Angela joined the board of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon to expand outreach to the eastern part of the state. She hopes to build a local network of community volunteers to provide free or low-cost tutoring for students and adults with dyslexia who might otherwise go without support.

Dr. Scott Smith
Dr. Scott Smith has been in education for the past 40 years. Growing up in Eastern Oregon he struggled with school. His fifth-grade teacher told his parents he needed to find a trade because he would never be able to read or spell or write and attend college. Dr. Smith is a third-generation successful dyslexic.

His parents knew with the support that would not be the case. He obtained his Bachelors Degree from Western Oregon University, Masters from Lesley University, in Cambridge, MA and his Doctorate from Northcentral University in Prescott Valley, Arizona. He spent 26 years in elementary classrooms in Umatilla, Oregon, finishing his experience there as their Reading Coach. He then became an Assistant Professor at Eastern Oregon University in the Elementary Pre-Service teacher program. He worked as an instructional coach for the InterMountain ESD serving 18 rural school districts area of focus is pre-reading skills and reading instruction and dyslexia along with classroom instructional support. His book “Discovering Effective Reading Reading Instruction” (2019) he explains the hows and whys of Science-Based reading instruction. Scott contributes to Decoding Dyslexia as the Parent Support Coordinator for the Parent to Parent program.

Jacqueline Victoria Alvarado
My name is Jacqueline Victoria Alvarado, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I began my education as a Spanish-speaking student, and a teacher who supported me in learning English early on played a huge role in my life and inspired my passion for education. I moved to Portland when I was 12 years old, and throughout my schooling I experienced many challenges that taught me how hard students must work to succeed. Those experiences are what motivated me to become an educator. I have worked in a juvenile detention center for the past eight years, supporting and advocating for youth with complex needs. I hold a Special Education license and have continued my education by earning an Intervention Reading Endorsement and a Dyslexia Certificate from Pacific University. I am deeply committed to working with children and believe that when we support and believe in students early on, we give them the tools they need to succeed not only in school, but in life.

Interested in joining our Board? Click Here for more information.

Volunteers/Advisors

Barbara Steinberg, Director The Kids Network
Barbara Steinberg has been part of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon since its very beginning. She first met the organization’s founders at the inaugural meeting in a bike shop (circa 2012) and has been a constant, joyful presence ever since. Barbara has participated in and celebrated Dyslexia Awareness Month events, often leading games, activities, and team-building experiences designed to help children with dyslexia feel confident, connected, and deeply seen for who they are.

Her connection to Decoding Dyslexia is rooted in her belief that community, belonging, and self-confidence are foundational to a child’s success—academically and in life. Barbara is especially passionate about creating spaces where children can build friendships, recognize their strengths, and develop a strong sense of self. She is honored to join the Decoding Dyslexia Oregon team in a more formal role as the Director The Kids Network, where she is excited to foster relationships, build confidence, and support children in becoming self-actualized humans who know they have the power to change the world.

Professionally, Barbara is an internationally recognized literacy consultant and speaker. Her work focuses on evidence-based literacy instruction and the Science of Reading, and she has trained thousands of educators worldwide. This professional lens deeply informs her advocacy and reinforces her commitment to ensuring that children with dyslexia are not only supported—but celebrated.

Lisa Lyon, MPH, Co-Founder, Advisor & Former Board Member (2016 – 2025)
As the parent of a 10th grade son who has dyslexia, Lisa feels passionate about increasing public awareness of dyslexia. She enjoys connecting with other parents and sharing resources to make their journeys with dyslexia a little easier and more efficient. Currently, Lisa coordinates the monthly lecture series and supports the development of new Oregon Decoding Dyslexia chapters.

Staff

Diana Sticker, MPH, Co-Founder & Marketing Director
Diana is a former research professional with a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She and her daughter have dyslexia. Diana is passionate about creating systematic change that supports children with dyslexia and manages the marketing, communications and operations efforts and contributes to the legislative arm of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon.