Arizona Chapter
With our leadership and expert knowledge in written language, ALTA Arizona aims to lead our local community in dyslexia awareness and its greater impact on society through public outreach and education. We seek to guide educational communities with processes that will allow efficient identification and remediation of this underserved population. ALTA Arizona’s goal is to advocate for this population by providing education, support, and awareness to families affected by dyslexia. In order to meet these tasks we understand the importance of increasing community awareness of Academic Language Therapy by keeping membership strong within ALTA.
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 an Arizona 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
ALTA Arizona Chapter Roles and Responsibilities
The ALTA Arizona Chapter agrees to adhere to the national organization’s by-laws and ethics.
Members:
- All members in good standing with ALTA National who reside in the state of Arizona are automatically members of the ALTA Arizona Chapter.
ELECTION SCHEDULE AND TERM LIMITS:
- Elections will be held every year by September 15th
- Term limits shall not exceed 1 year for each office
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP:
President
- Convenes and Facilities Leadership Meetings and Chapter Meetings
- Creates agendas for Leadership Meetings and Chapter Meetings
- Monitors Chapter email account
- Participates in the Council of Presidents—ALTA National
- Facilitates communication between the National and Local Chapter
- Submits the Chapter Annual Report to the National ALTA Chapter’s Chair yearly
- Will provide publicity materials to ALTA National as requested
Vice President
- Provides ALTA-AZ membership updates at Leadership and Chapter Meetings
- Submits Chapter CE Events to National via the form on ALTAread.org
- Emails Chapter members to raise awareness of CE events
- Monitors Chapter Zoho Drive Membership Reports
- Reaches out to members who did not renew their membership to encourage renewal
- Sends emails to welcome new members to ALTA
Secretary
- Records minutes of Chapter Meetings
- Emails CEH Certificates to attendees within 10 days of the event
Treasurer
- Provides updates on the chapter finances and Leadership & Chapter Meetings
- Submits fees and expenses to National via the form on ALTAread.org
- Keeps track of membership Event Registration Fees
- Updates Google Drive with membership Event Registration Fee participants
COMMITTEES:
Leadership Team Meetings (Consists of Officers of the Chapter)
- Leadership Team meetings should be held at least two times per year. The Leadership Team should meet prior to each chapter meeting.
- Leadership Team meetings will include:
- Officer reports
- Planning of Chapter Events/Meetings
- Communication Updates
Legislative Committee or Chair
- The Legislative Committee will work in conjunction with the ALTA National Legislative
Committee - Will facilitate Dyslexia Simulations with Legislators, school districts, and the general public to
raise awareness of dyslexia and how ALTA members can help with the remediation of dyslexia - Reports to the Vice President
Program Committee or Chair
- Executes Chapter’s plan for hosting CE events or other chapter events
- Assists Leadership Team as needed for hosting events
- Reports to the Vice President
Social Media Committee or Chair
- Posts to various social media platforms of the chapter according to ALTA standards
- Monitors accounts for messages and response
- Reports to the Vice President
Chapter Website Chair
- Submits new information and updates to the website using the form at ALTAread.org
- Reports to the Vice President
Leadership
ALTA-AZ 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.
Brandy Kirven, CALP
President
Brandy is Texan born and bred. With Texas as one of the most progressive states when it comes to dyslexia identification and remediation, Brandy is determined to bring this mindset to her new and beloved state of Arizona. Brandy has been a member of ALTA since 2020. She earned her practitioner’s license in 2022 and is only a few clinical hours away from sitting for her therapy license. Brandy has been in education since 2008 and has been working with the dyslexic population exclusively since 2015. She has a great passion for this population as it is a personal endeavor for her. Dyslexia runs in her family and she has a heart for community outreach and spreading awareness of the difficulties faced by those with dyslexia. Brandy is passionate about early intervention as she’s been a witness to its life-changing impact on her clients and own family members.
Heather Mayhew, CALP
Vice President
Heather is a founding member of the Arizona ALTA chapter and is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner. She has worked in education for nearly two decades. Initially certified in Arizona, she taught early elementary education and became a special education teacher three years ago. Heather was a certified Spalding language arts instructor and Thinking Maps instructor. She is also dually certified in special education and general education in Texas and is a Licensed Dyslexia Practitioner in Texas. She enjoys teaching others to read thereby empowering them to become lifelong learners. Heather is a military veteran and lives with her family in Scottsdale.
Susan Mayes, CALP
Secretary
Susan is from Louisiana but has lived the last five years in Bisbee, AZ. She has been an educator since 1985, originally working as a high school biology teacher, but has been working exclusively with dyslexics and their families since 2003. She joined ALTA in 2012 and helped start the AZ chapter in 2022. Susan owns Mayes Literacy Therapy and uses teletherapy to work with families around the world. She is currently devoting more time to raising dyslexia awareness in Arizona through ALTA and her local community through the library and schools.
Michelle Shupe, CALP
Treasurer
Michelle is originally from Maine and now lives in Show Low, Arizona. She earned her practitioner’s license and has been a member of ALTA since 2010. For 15 years, she has worked as a special education teacher K-5. Currently, she is the dyslexia designee as well as a literacy intervention specialist in Show Low Unified School District. Michelle enjoys delivering early reading intervention and remediation to students K-2 and she also offers district-wide professional development. She is passionate about providing teachers with the guidelines and tools to implement effective, explicit instruction in reading to successfully meet the needs of all students.