Dr. Podhajski founded the Stern Center in 1983 with a clear vision to empower all learners to reach their potential. Her passion to achieve three key goals remains a driving force behind everything the Stern Center does: to provide direct instruction and evaluations of the highest quality for learners of all ages, to create professional […]
Professional Learning Team
Susan Zirpoli, M.A.
Susan Zirpoli is a Wilson Credentialed Trainer and Wilson Dyslexia Therapist. She has worked extensively in the field of education for over twenty-five years. Prior to working with Wilson Language Corp. as a Literacy Specialist, she was the Coordinator of Reading Interventions for Carroll County Public Schools in Westminster, Maryland. Under her leadership all three […]
Shirley Bate, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA
Shirley Bate, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA, is a Supervising Fellow with the Orton-Gillingham Institute at the Stern Center. She provides training at the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Classroom Educator, Associate, and Certified levels to provide in-depth mentorship to educators seeking OG certification. Shirley has been certified by the Orton-Gillingham Academy as an OG educator for twenty-five years and is […]
Kristy Wysong, M.S.Ed.
Kristy received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Auburn University in Elementary Education. She has been teaching for 33 years and taught grades 1–4, focusing the last 12 years on teaching reading to struggling students and students with dyslexia. She is an in-district and on-call trainer for the Wilson Language Training company. She has been trained in Orton-Gillingham from the Michigan Dyslexia Institute and the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education.
Janna Osman, M.Ed.
Janna Osman, M.Ed., Vice President for Advanced Learning, has served on the Stern Center Leadership Team for over 10 years. Previously, she was the Director of Professional Learning and the Cynthia K. Hoehl Institute for Excellence. She was the founder of the Orton Gillingham Institute and has been a presenter at the International Dyslexia Association […]
