Our Team

Elissa Aten is Co-Founder and Executive Director of PC READS. She is also a Certified Dyslexia Advocate and assists families with developing action plans to ensure that their children receive the support and resources necessary to succeed in school. She and her husband have lived in Park City for 10 years and have two children, one of whom is dyslexic. Elissa is a strong proponent of public education and previously served as a Park City Education Foundation (PCEF) Board Member. Her involvement with PCEF included volunteering as Fundraising Chair for Running with Ed, a 38-mile annual relay race held in Park City. Originally from upstate New York, Elissa graduated from Dartmouth College and then spent two years teaching middle school math in Baltimore, MD with Teach for America. After teaching, she received her J.D. from Boston College Law School, practiced law in Boston and later worked as an Associate Director of Career Services at Boston College Law School. Elissa enjoys being an active Dartmouth alumna and is currently serving on her Class Executive Committee. Elissa and Elliott spend most of the winter weekends on the ski slopes, either watching their children ski race or looking for hidden powder stashes.

A native of Alberta, Canada Stacey move to Utah in 1991 to work as a pediatric nurse at Primary Children’s Hospital and enjoy the Utah powder. Stacey has been a nurse at PCH since 1991 and currently works as a clinical education instructor.  She also is a substitute nurse in the Park City school district Stacey lives with her husband and 12-year-old daughter who was identified as dyslexic in second grade. Stacey has been involved with PC READS since 2014 as and is excited to help families navigate the system as a certified dyslexia advocate.

I have been lucky to call Park City my home, since 2004. I am originally from the San Diego area, but like many…came to Park City for spring break in 2004, & realized that this is where we wanted to be, so after being a Californian all of my life, we made the move here that summer. My husband and I both work at Parley’s Park Elementary. I have spent 12 years helping struggling readers to be more successful…first at Jeremy Ranch Elementary, & just this year, making the move to Parley’s. It was a former Reading Specialist who inspired me to learn more about dyslexia, & to go on to get my Wilson Reading Certification from the University of Utah Reading Clinic. I tutor privately after school hours, & just recently earned my Dyslexia Advocate Certificate, thanks to a grant from PC Reads. I have also been trained in the Barton Reading program. My passion is helping families through the maze that is often associated with dyslexia, & in turn, to make sure that their children receive the proper instruction & accommodations that will make them more confident, & more successful. I am proud to have this opportunity to advocate through PC Reads.

Bari Nan has lived in Park City since 2001, when she and her husband, Jeffrey traded NYC subway rides for chairlift rides. Their two sons, one of whom has dyslexia, were born in Utah, and attend PCSD schools.

She received her B.A. in English Literature from Brandeis University, and has worked as a writer and editor for national magazines, interviewing celebrities and covering entertainment, health and fitness, beauty, and food, at Glamour, Self, YM, and Good Housekeeping. Bari Nan’s work has appeared in dozens of print and online outlets, including Woman’s Day, More, Babble, Plenty, Prevention, Coastal Living and Parenting.

 Her professional life expanded to include a boutique marketing agency, ProForma Peak, which she owns with her husband. Most weekdays, you can find her working on PR and Marketing for the Park City Institute.

It could be argued that her concurrent—and equally fulfilling—career is volunteering. In addition to time spent in her children’s classrooms, and at their extra-curricular activities, Bari Nan has held positions on the boards of Temple Har Shalom, Park City Cooperative Preschool, Jeremy Ranch PTO, Ecker Hill PTO, Treasure Mountain PTO, PCSD District PTO, and School Community Councils at Jeremy Ranch Elementary School, and Ecker Hill Middle School. She also volunteers as a teacher at the Temple Har Shalom Religious School, teaching Hebrew and Judaic Studies to 4th and 5th grade students.

Becoming a Certified Dyslexia Advocate was not a role she anticipated, but she instantly recognized it as a natural fit with her experience as a parent of a dyslexic student, and with her wider-ranging commitment to children and education, diversity and inclusion. She is grateful for the opportunity to extend the support her family has received from PC Reads, to other families.

Christine Tiranno is a Certified Dyslexia Advocate assisting families with developing action plans to ensure their children receive the support and resources necessary to succeed in school. Christine, her husband and two children, one of whom is dyslexic moved to Park City in 2014. Originally from a suburb of New York City, Christine graduated from Lehigh University with a BA in Economics and International Relations. A Madison Avenue veteran, she spent nearly 20 years as a national television buyer working with numerous Fortune 500 companies including AT&T, Dell, 3M and MetLife at WPP’s GroupM. Christine enjoys working with children and has taught alpine skiing to kids for close to ten years, both in Vermont and most recently at Park City. Her passion for kids and sport is evident as she also sits on the board for the Park City Youth Lacrosse organization serving as their fundraising chair.

Originally from the Chicago area, Hillary moved to Park City with her family in 2010 by way of Vail and Tahoe. She graduated from Wittenberg University with a B.A. in English and minors in secondary education and global studies. Over the years, she has worked with children and teens teaching high school English for Eagle County School District in Vail, substitute teaching, tutoring both writing and ESL, and coaching soccer extensively. Currently, you can find her at Educational Advantage where she gets to spend her days with her favorite population—teenagers. Hillary is also a Certified Dyslexia Advocate assisting families to develop action plans in order to ensure that their children receive the support and resources needed to succeed in school. Hillary has experience sitting on both sides of IEP and 504 meetings as a teacher as well as a parent. She is the mother of two boys, one of which has dyslexia and the super powers that come with it.

Elissa Aten is Co-Founder and Executive Director of PC READS. She is also a Certified Dyslexia Advocate and assists families with developing action plans to ensure that their children receive the support and resources necessary to succeed in school. She and her husband have lived in Park City for 10 years and have two children, one of whom is dyslexic. Elissa is a strong proponent of public education and previously served as a Park City Education Foundation (PCEF) Board Member. Her involvement with PCEF included volunteering as Fundraising Chair for Running with Ed, a 38-mile annual relay race held in Park City. Originally from upstate New York, Elissa graduated from Dartmouth College and then spent two years teaching middle school math in Baltimore, MD with Teach for America. After teaching, she received her J.D. from Boston College Law School, practiced law in Boston and later worked as an Associate Director of Career Services at Boston College Law School. Elissa enjoys being an active Dartmouth alumna and is currently serving on her Class Executive Committee. Elissa and Elliott spend most of the winter weekends on the ski slopes, either watching their children ski race or looking for hidden powder stashes.

A native of Hanover, New Hampshire, Emily Fisher moved to Park City in 1998 and planned to stay through the 2002 Olympics.  18 years later Emily is still living in and loving Park City.  A graduate of Middlebury College, Emily majored in Environmental Studies.  Emily was also a four year member and captain of the Nordic ski team.  After college Emily worked for US Ski Team from 1998-2007.  Throughout her professional career Emily has worked for non-profit sport organizations.  Currently she is the Public Operations Senior Manager at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center.  In addition to her professional career Emily coaches soccer, skiing and volunteers in the community.  Emily has two children at Parley’s Park Elementary in Park City, one of whom is dyslexic and has an IEP.  Witnessing her dyslexic daughters struggle to find the right path led Emily to PC READS.  Helping other families and students with dyslexia excel is a mission dear to Emily’s heart.

Erin Grady is a 35 year resident of Park City and a mother of two who are currently enrolled at Parley’s Park Elementary.  Both Erin and her daughter have been diagnosed with dyslexia.  Erin attended the University of Utah and graduated in 1999 with a BS in Communications and minor in Business Management.  After graduating Erin went on to work for Deer Valley Resort and managed their Public Relations department for 13 years.  She made a conscious decision to step down from Deer Valley in 2011 to become a full time mom.  Erin has worked closely with the Park City Chamber by coordinating their National TV coverage for the past few years.  She also consults for Graff Public Relations and has an ongoing relationship with local, Salt Lake broadcast and print media.  Erin is truly dedicated to all things kids and currently sits on the board for the Figure Skating Club of Park City serving as their fundraising chair, has an active role on the Parley’s Park Elementary PTA and spends countless hours volunteering in the classroom.

Ann Futch, excitedly joined our Board in 2017, assuming the role of Treasurer.  Ann began her career in investment banking working on both the east and west coasts.   After the arrival of her first child, Ann started her own recruiting firm, focused on the financial services industry.  As her children’s need for attention grew, she turned her professional attention to serving on the Boards of non-profits.  As the Vice President and Treasurer for Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Ann helped to run a capital campaign and building expansion project.  Education is a strong passion for Ann, thus she has worked with the PCSD on two significant projects, one involving raising funds for the hiring of additional staff to serve the needs of high achieving students in the elementary schools.  More recently, Ann served as the co-chair for the Strategy Committee, a sub-committee of the Park City School Board.  Other local organizations that Ann has been fortunate to serve as a Board Member include Utah State Odyssey of the Mind and the Figure Skating Club of Park City.  When Ann isn’t in a meeting or driving her daughters to the ice rink, she can be found running on the beautiful trails of Park City or singing her heart out anywhere people are willing to listen.  Ann graduated from The Johns Hopkins University and Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.  She and her husband, Curt, have two daughters aged 13 and 10.  Having witnessed the importance of early intervention first hand, she is excited to be a part of an organization that helps other students realize the benefit of it as well.  She looks forward to the day when all educators can help to move dyslexia from being viewed as a learning disability to being thought of as a critical thinking ability.

Leah McCabe grew up in northern New Hampshire and Vermont. She moved to Park City 4 years ago and has 2 young boys who have been diagnosed with Dyslexia. Leah received her Clinical MSW from the University of New Hampshire in 2002. She has worked in group homes, special education classrooms, nursing homes, hospitals, out patient therapy centers and in patient psychiatric facilities. She was also on a task force for elder abuse. In the 10 years before moving to Park City, Leah lived in Wisconsin where she worked with Hmong immigrant families and for the Chippewa Valley Literacy Volunteers as a tutor. In Park City, Leah has been very involved in her son’s education and IEP process.

Jackie Blake lived in Park City for 10 years, where she raised her daughter, Jordan. Jordan has recently graduated from Park City High School, where she was on the Debate team for four years. During her senior year, her team earned a first place at States and as a sophomore, Jordan claimed an individual 3rd place at States. Benefiting from a 504 Plan specific to her dyslexia, Jordan has and continues to reach her goals.

Barbara is a Park City resident and mother to children in the school district who have dyslexia. She is keenly aware of the struggles that can arise from failing to diagnose and intervene in early childhood. She maintains an academic research and clinical practice with the University of Utah, SLC, UT, as a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor in Ophthalmology at the Moran Center and through an Adjunct appointment in the Department of Bioengineering. She is an entrepreneur and has received grant funding for her SLC based company, Jade Therapeutics, a biotech company specializing in alternative treatments for ophthalmic diseases. She has served and been recognized for her executive level leadership roles both in small biotech and in large Pharma and sits on ophthalmology journal editorial boards, board of directors, scientific advisory boards, grant review committees and is a member of the Glaucoma Research Foundation Science Committee. She completed her glaucoma fellowship at Cornell University, NY and received her Ophthalmology training as well as her MD at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in NY. Her BA with distinction was from Cornell University. She is an active member of the Park City community.

Maria McNulty is a long time resident of Park City and mother to two children with dyslexia.  A dyslexic herself, she understands first hand the struggles and challenges that school can present when dyslexia is not identified and addressed early.  Maria is also the Chief Operating Officer of Snowsports Industries America,  the winter industry trade association representing suppliers,  retailers, and resorts.  Prior to SIA, Maria was the president of M3 Events and Entertainment, a global consulting firm that specialized in youth marketing, partnership marketing, content generation and rights management, and event production.  Maria graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a BA in Asian History and a JD from the University of Utah College of Law.

I have lived in Park City for the last thirteen years and have two wonderful children who have successfully travelled through the Park City School District. My experience with PCSD and specifically Parley’s Park Elementary School began with three years as a first grade teacher, then five years as a Dual Immersion Third Grade teacher and two more as a general classroom Third Grade Teacher. Currently, I am in the Interventionist role at Parley’s Park.

I have a BA in Sociology from St. Michael’s College, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Psychology from University of Vermont and an MA and MEd in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University. As part of my training within the Park City School District, I have certificates in Early and Next Steps and Wilson I and Wilson Advanced from University of Utah Reading Clinic. I have completed all site-based Wilson Fundations trainings and taught the program for the last three years. Additionally, I am Orton Gillingham trained and have completed Multisensory Math training from the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center.

Born and raised in Texas, Alisa, her husband Jay and two sons, moved to Park City, Utah in 2014. Alisa holds a Master’s Degree in English as a Second Language and is blessed to have been a teacher for the past 15 years. She has been a Reading Interventionist at Parley’s Park Elementary for the past 3 years. Before this, Alisa was a General Education and Special Education teacher. All of Alisa’s teaching experience and extensive literacy training has afforded her the knowledge to identify the needs of students with learning differences and provide them with targeted reading instruction. She believes her role as an Interventionist is crucial because instructing students with reading differences, early on, can change the course of their lives!

Andrew Nichols is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist in Utah and New York. He started his private practice in Park City during the fall of 2014. Since going into private practice Andrew has worked with a large number of local families whose children are experiencing learning difficulties, including a wide range of dyslexia cases, and he is an enthusiastic advocate for all children with learning differences. He has been involved with children and teenagers, in a variety of academic settings, for over 20 years. Andrew completed his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Louisville where he emphasized forensic, ADHD, Learning Disability, and personality assessments. After finishing his doctoral work, Andrew migrated to New York City where he completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Neuropsychology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Excluding time spent completing doctoral work and specialized training in Louisville and New York City, Andrew has resided in the Park City area since 1992. He remains an active rock-climber, ultra-runner, and backcountry skier when not enjoying time with his wife and three children.

Lindsay Cunningham was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona.  She lived there until she graduated from the University of Arizona with an elementary education degree.  Lindsay taught first and third grade for 7 years after college until having her son.  Lindsay and her husband Chris moved with their two children, Ethan and Bryn, to Park City in 2013. Lindsay is the Cofounder of the Beau Collective, a fitness social club, here in Park City.   Her children attend Parley’s Park Elementary school.  Although they have loved their teachers and Parley’s Park, school has been a struggle for both her children.  Ethan and Bryn were both been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD when they were in second grade.

Lindsay discovered PC READS while looking for ways to help her children succeed and reach their full potential.  The organization was so impactful for her family, she now feels passionate about helping other families and dyslexic students.