Maryland Chapter
The mission of the ALTA Maryland Chapter is to connect academic therapists within the state, equip members with resources and opportunities to grow professionally, as well as provide research-based academic therapy instruction for students in the state of Maryland.
Chapter Events
We are dedicated to providing continuing education opportunities that promote the professional growth of our members. Events are worth continuing education hours (CE) to use towards ALTA membership requirements.
Find a Maryland Professional
Our members are made up of individuals with the CALP, CALT, ICALP, or CALT-QI distinction. Find an ALTA-certified professional in your area that represents the highest quality services to those individuals with dyslexia.
Chapter Resources
Leadership
ALTA-MD is made up of therapists and practitioners dedicated to providing rigorous evidence-based multisensory structured language education (MSLE) therapy to individuals with dyslexia. Meet the leadership team.
Mandy Bolgiano, MS, CALT
President
Initially trained in the sciences, Mandy was attracted to the science of reading and was delighted to find ASDEC and their exceptional level of training. She has been providing one-on-one instruction in structured literacy for the last eight years, in-person as well as virtually. Coming on the heels of two decades of serving the homeschool community by providing innovative educational opportunities to groups of children while homeschooling her three children, she found academic language therapy a natural extension of her commitment to education.
Deborah Chambers, Ph.D., CALT
Vice President
Deborah is a cognitive psychologist turned academic language therapist. She trained in the Sounds-In-Syllables program by Sandra Dillon at the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Center and has been in private practice as an academic language therapist for over six years. Deborah has assisted dyslexic students from kindergarten to college age in their journey to become independent readers.
Heather O’Connor, M.Ed., CALT
Treasurer
Heather has an undergraduate degree in Natural Science and a Master’s Degree in Education. Over her teaching career, she has taught kindergarten through ninth grade, with the majority of her professional experiences teaching English at the middle school level. She is certified by the State of Maryland to teach elementary and middle school, Secondary English, and Special Education. She obtained training through the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center in Maryland and her Academic Language Therapy certification through the Academic Language Therapy Association. Currently, she provides one-on-one literacy instruction to students in her private practice.