Rick joined IDA in January, 2015 as CEO. Rick is responsible for the strategic advancement of the International Dyslexia Association, its brand, and all IDA programs nationally and globally. Under his leadership, the organization has designed the IDA Destiny, implemented IDA’s first global brand advancement and development initiative, TeamQuest, and integrated planning and performance management. Rick has 35 years of experience in organizational management and is nationally recognized as a top organizational strategist and visionary having managed large organizations generating over $400,000,000. During his tenure, Rick has been President and CEO of the American Liver Foundation, President of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Arizona and Maryland, CEO of the American Diabetes Association in California and New Mexico and Executive Director of the American Cancer Society in Maryland.
Newton has served as the International Dyslexia Association’s Chief Operating Officer since February, 2015 and has been instrumental in unifying the Association’s nationwide operations and brand enhancement. Newton brings over 37 years of leadership experience with senior management positions in four of the nation’s leading voluntary health agencies.
David joined IDA as Chief Financial Officer in February 2013. He is responsible for the finance and operations of the organization, which include accounting, audit, human resources, payroll, facilities/operations and compliance. As CFO, he has implemented a new accounting system with hosted services, making IDA one of the top 1% of companies to use this technology. He proactively works with auditors to ensure IDA is consistently up to date with regulations and code, as well as work with IDA’s Board and Committees to ensure IDA is financially healthy and growing. David has over 20 years of extensive experience in finance and operations. His past experience includes work in corporate, government, and non-profit sectors.
Jule joined IDA as the Chief Academic Officer in July 2017, and brings to IDA a background as an experienced classroom educator certified in special education and remedial reading, which she taught at the University level for sixteen years. Jule is an Independent Education Evaluator specializing in the identification and remediation of reading disabilities including dyslexia, and has been involved in developing state legislation regarding education preparation around dyslexia. She has also served on statewide panels that develop policy concerning dyslexia, learning disabilities, and general education response to intervention models.
Stacy joined IDA in 2012 and now serves as IDA’s Accounting Manager. Her primary responsibilities include all aspects of accounting, working across departments on budgets and forecasting, as well as assisting the CFO with the annual audit and compliance with State and Federal agencies. Alongside the CFO, Stacy is working on reducing expenditures and maximizing revenues. Stacy holds over 30 years of experience in bookkeeping and accounting.
Dana joined IDA as Bookkeeper/Human Resources in March of 2016. In the fall of 2017, she moved to the role of IDA Office and Human Resources Manager, which includes maintaining office services, payroll and benefits management, as well as employee on-boarding and off-boarding. Working collaboratively with the CFO, Dana ensures compliance with local, state and federal labor regulations, in addition to implementation of necessary updates to office and personnel policies and procedures. Dana brings 10 years of extensive payroll, benefits and human resources experience to IDA, gained through both non-profit and public sectors.
Emily joined IDA in September of 2017 as a Bookkeeper. Her role includes accounts receivable and cash receipts, including credit card and check deposit reconciliations, as well as assisting the Accounting Manager with all other aspects of accounting work.
Cyndi joined IDA in 2012 as the office Administrative Assistant and for the past 3 years, she has gained experience managing the IDA publication sales, assisting the Director of Professional Services and supporting development initiatives, which shifted her position to Manager of Special Projects. Recently, Cyndi moved into the role of Director of Conference, which she is responsible for the Annual Reading, Literacy, and Learning Conference which includes program content management, logistics, marketing, publications, and finances. In addition to conference and events, she is responsible for sponsorship and advertising.
Lauren joined IDA in 2010 as an intern in the Conference Department while finishing her degree in Mass Communications at Towson University. Upon graduation, Lauren came on staff full time to provide support for all IDA events, public relations, and the bookstore. Lauren’s current focus is the conference, which includes handling conference registration, exhibitors, and hotel relations.
Kara joined the IDA team in 2018 as the Conference Coordinator. Her event planning experience allows her to make a significant contribution to the logistics, marketing, communications, and partnership development activities surrounding our Annual Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference. Kara previously worked at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, where she fine-tuned her event planning skills.
Paul comes to IDA with 25 years of experience in development and fundraising. The previous four years were with schools for children with Dyslexia and other learning differences. He is tasked with managing the growth of the IDA membership and leading efforts to identify cultivate and solicit individual and corporate donors as well as foundation grants. He is working in partnership with management to help define, develop and implement key donor development strategies around IDA’s priority programs. He is responsible for facilitating the donor development engagement process from acquisition and retention to ongoing stewardship and relationship building. Paul holds a BA in Psychology and a Fundraising Management Specialist Certification.
Anna joined IDA in January 2009 as the Director of Partner Assurance. Her primary responsibilities are providing support to IDA Branch affiliates across the U.S. and Canada, overseeing the growth and expansion of the IDA Global Partners network, managing the process for nationwide implementation of IDA’s Destiny Initiatives, and the development and implementation of trainings and toolkits to support IDA volunteer leadership. Prior to joining IDA, Anna served as the Assistant Regional Vice President of Marketing & Communication and Interim Vice President of Program Services for the Maryland Lung Association. She also served as Program Coordinator for the office of Minority Achievement and Intervention Services for Carroll County Public Schools. Anna has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.
Denise joined IDA as Director of Media and Communications in 2015. Prior to joining IDA, she provided writing and editorial services as a consultant to businesses, nonprofits, including IDA, and professionals in education, technology, medicine, and law. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, Denise provides leadership, vision, strategic direction, and oversight for all aspects of IDA’s media and communications.
Megan has worked with IDA since 2012 and was hired in 2015 as the Media/Communications Coordinator. She manages the IDA bookstore and provides support, creative input, and logistics for IDA’s media, communications, and social networks. Megan previously worked at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health where she learned communication and outreach skills that she brought to IDA.
Helen joined IDA as a Membership Coordinator in August 2017. She is responsible for data entry, renewals, and acknowledgements. Her past experience includes work in customer service, gift processing, and event planning.
Aimee joined IDA in September 2015 as a volunteer, assisting the Director of Special Projects in the Conference Department. In November of 2015, she was hired as the Conference & Meetings Coordinator, assisting the Conference and Publications departments, and performing some of the administrative tasks for the bi-annual Board and Executive meetings. In April of 2017, she transitioned into the Membership department as a Membership coordinator, handling data entry and processing memberships, providing assistance with membership questions from constituents, and assisting with administrative tasks pertaining to the Membership department.