About the Presenters

Kari Kurto is the National Science of Reading Project Director at The Reading League. She supports work related to the upcoming TRL Compass as well as work supporting English learners and emergent bilinguals; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB); and the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines; and runs communities of practice for state education agencies and faculty from educator preparation programs seeking to implement evidence-aligned practices. Kari is a member of The Path Forward advisory group and has presented for professional organizations and several state departments of education. She formerly worked as a Literacy Specialist at the Rhode Island Department of Education where she led statewide efforts to implement the Rhode Island Right to Read Act, legislation that requires teacher training in the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy. Kari is an Orton-Gillingham practitioner who worked at Middlebridge School in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and Rawson Saunders School in Austin, Texas. Before her career in education, Kari worked as a casting director in Los Angeles. She lives with her family in southern Rhode Island.

Jessica Farmer is the force behind Farmer Loves Phonics, a literacy advocate in the world of education on social media. With a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University, Jessica holds a reading endorsement in the state of Florida. Her journey into the Science of Reading began in 2020, spurred by the onset of the pandemic. In response, she took to TikTok to create informative content, aimed at assisting parents in supporting their children’s learning at home. Since then, Jessica has maintained a consistent presence on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook offering valuable resources and insights for both parents and educators.

Dedicated to advancing the field of reading instruction, Jessica has expanded her knowledge through specialized training. In 2021 and 2022, she successfully completed LETRS for Early Childhood and Comprehensive IMSE Orton-Gillingham. Her unwavering passion lies in making reading instruction accessible and effective for every learner. With a commitment to reaching and empowering all readers, Jessica continues to be a trusted source of guidance and support in the Science of Reading community.

Julie Russ Harris serves as Director of Curriculum at Lexia Learning, providing educational direction and leadership for the development of literacy and language programs. Since beginning her career as a teacher, Julie has been driven to advance equity and expand learning opportunities by empowering educators with actionable research, curricula, and professional learning. Before joining Lexia, her work in the Language Diversity and Literacy Development Research Group at Harvard focused on strengthening the link between research and practice; the application of this work is featured in policy briefs, scholarly articles, and practice guides including the book, Cultivating Knowledge, Building Language: Literacy Instruction for English Learners in Elementary School. Julie earned her B.A. from Tufts University and her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

About the Moderator

Cassandra Wheeler is a proud “Poet” of the 1990 graduating class at Sidney Lanier High School of Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) in Alabama. In 1994, following undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education, Cassandra returned home to MPS and began her career as an educator at Morningview Elementary School. After earning her master’s degree and administrative certification, Cassandra joined the Alabama Reading Initiative, where she authored Alabama’s Reading First Initiative grant and managed Alabama’s statewide DIBELS pilot. In 2004, after serving the children of Alabama for ten years, Cassandra expanded her outreach to impact the life trajectories of students everywhere by joining the (then) Voyager Expanded Learning organization. Now, at Lexia, Cassandra serves the organization as Director of LETRS State Success.