WABIDA
Serving Washington, Idaho & Western Montana
About Us
Wendy Nelson
President
Wendy Nelson is a speech-language pathologist and the owner of Tiny Dog Dyslexia & Language Strategies in Lake Stevens. She previously taught English to speakers of other languages at colleges/universities in Washington, Oregon, Poland, and Turkey. She has been a member of the WABIDA board since 2019.
Alicia Roberts Frank
General Board Member
Alicia is a Regional Administrator for Special Programs/Dyslexia Specialist for ESD 113. In addition to serving as a WABIDA board member, she served on the boards of Decoding Dyslexia OR, ORCEC, ORBIDA and the WA and OR Dyslexia Advisory Committees. She holds an Ed.D in Learning and Instruction and is Slingerland trained. She taught first through 12th grades in public schools and a private elementary school for children with dyslexia. She taught pre-service teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels and now trains and coaches teachers, interventionists, and administrators. She has presented nationally and internationally on dyslexia and structured literacy instruction.
Samantha Bomont
General Board Member
As a speech-language pathologist and learning disabilities specialist, Samantha has centered her career on the integration of language and literacy. Samantha is the founder of and a clinician at The Learning Doctor, a specialized speech-language pathology clinic in Seattle, Washington. She obtained a Master's Degree in Speech, Language, and Learning and a Bachelor's of Science in Communication Sciences & Disorders and Psychology from Northwestern University. Samantha is delighted to be a member of the WABIDA board and work alongside other passionate individuals to help spread knowledge about literacy to all.
Catey Roe
General Board Member
Catey is the immediate past president and has also served as both treasurer and vice president of WABIDA. She is the Director of Teaching and Learning at Westside School in West Seattle, which includes the learning support program. Catey spent the first ten years of her career teaching at schools for students with language-based learning differences, and is passionate about access to literacy for all.
Cindy Dupuy
General Board Member
Cindy Dupuy is a private practitioner, working in the Seattle area. Being both dyslexic and dysgraphic, Cindy brings real life experience to the diagnostic and intervention process. Cindy earned her Ph.D. in Learning Disabilities from Northwestern University, a Master’s degree in Secondary Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. She previously served on the Board of WABIDA for five years. In her private practice, she currently works with families and students to help them understand how their brains work, and how to take advantage of their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. She has been in private practice in the Seattle area since 2001.
Jessica Raney Mutale
General Board Member
Jessica is currently a high school special education teacher within Everett Public Schools. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a master's degree from Texas State University (2008) in Educational Leadership and a master's degree from Eastern Washington University (2023) in Special Education. Her professional experience includes more than 20 years as a teacher and administrator serving at-risk youth. She has been on the WABIDA board since January, 2023. Personally, Jessica is the parent of a child with dyslexia.
Sandy Cato
Treasurer
Sandy spends her work days teaching high school Language Arts in a Seattle area district. Frustrated by the lack of resources for her students struggling to read, she started seeking ways to better address the needs of struggling readers in her classes. Then her son’s personal struggles in the classroom led her to WABIDA. She holds a BA in English from Western Washington University (1996), an MA in English Literary Studies from Eastern Washington University (2001), and a Masters in Teaching from Seattle University (2001).
Deanna Younger
General Board Member
Deanna is a 25-year veteran special education teacher, having worked in Alaska and Seattle area public middle and high schools. Currently, she is a behavior support specialist in the Kent School District. Deanna holds a B.A. in History & Political Science, magna cum laude, from Vanguard University and a M.A. in ELL and Leadership from Heritage University. Deanna’s active involvement in her local union, WEA and NEA brings a deep context to WABIDA about the lived experience of public school educators and systems in our state.
Sonja Bradford
General Board Member
Sonja is a certified speech-language pathologist in the Seattle area. As a co-owner of a private practice in Mercer Island, WA, specializing in speech, language, and structured literacy instruction, assessment, remediation, and consultative services for K-12 students. Her interest in dyslexia, reading, and structured literacy began shortly after her first job working in public schools. She found that fixing lisps from a portable Winnebago could not sufficiently help struggling learners match speech sounds to print. This realization began a journey toward structured literacy expertise, Director of Speech & Language Services for a K-8 independent school serving students with dyslexia, and to the WABIDA board.