About

About Us

We are happy to announce that we have received our
501c3 not-for profit status: Charities Bureau NYS

Meet Our Executive Committee

Helen Roussel

Executive Director

Helen is an accomplished social and environmental justice advocate. She has lobbied for dyslexia laws in Albany and Washington D.C. and instigated the legislation to define dyslexia within New York State Education Law #A07639A in 2017. Helen is passionate about advocating for students rights after experiencing profound difficulty getting an evaluation and science-based remediation for her child with dyslexia at a public school. Helen is a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Decoding Dyslexia New York, and the International Dyslexia Association. Helen has successfully advocated for twenty-three students, organized training for thirty-two teachers, and eighteen public school psychologists.
Helen holds a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Environmental Studies. She researched and worked with environmental leaders across New York to write and pass New York State's first wetlands climate adaption resolution in 2017. Similar to climate change science, the science of reading is unambiguous but has not been implemented where it would make a real difference.
Helen fully appreciates that it is through reading that students develop an independent social, cultural, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual awareness of themselves and the world around them. Literacy is an essential component in connecting knowledge and developing fully as a member of society. Therefore, children who do not learn to read and write to grade level are effectively disenfranchised.

Evelyn Whitebay

Executive Committee Chair

Evelyn Gross Whitebay is a public-school special education teacher who is a certified member of Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. Evelyn holds a Master of Education degree from Vanderbilt University and received the Ronald Yoshimoto Scholarship Award and Training in Advanced Orton-Gillingham. Evelyn is a National Learning Disabilities Association New York State Chapter Board Member and a member of the International Dyslexia Association. Evelyn has worked with Decoding Dyslexia New York and Teachers Dyslexia Coalition (nydtcoalition@gmail.com). She is involved directly with DyslexicDays FB Library Initiative, and supports the Parent Dyslexia Coalition (driveradyslexiaparentcoalition@gmail.com), NY Dyslexia Teachers Coalition (nydtcoalition@gmail.com), and the National Literacy Dyslexia Coalition at IdentifyingDyslexia.org. Evelyn serves as a powerful force to improve the lives of children with dyslexia by ensuring they learn how to read and are able to participate in their public-school education. Evelyn’s entire career is dedicated to advocating for and working with students who have Learning Disabilities and dyslexia.

Sarah McCandless Quinn

Treasurer

Sarah McCandless is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Suffolk Federal Credit Union and was previously Vice President and Controller for Bridgehampton National Bank. Recently honored as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business Sarah McCandless is recognized for her professional leadership and business acumen, mentoring and community involvement. Sarah is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)and New York State Society of CPA’s.
Sarah’s community leadership and service include; serving on the Board of Directors for the Girls Scouts of Suffolk County, treasurer for Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA, former volunteer of the Finance Committee at Most Holy Trinity Church, the Ernst & Young LLP Mentoring Program, the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge, the Association for Retarded Citizens and the Children's Museum of the East End.
Sarah resides in Sag Harbor with her two daughters.

Janine Mahoney

Secretary

Janine Mahoney is a mother, a teacher and an educational leader. She received a dual degree in Elementary and Special Education from Saint Joseph's College, and a Master's Degree and post graduate certificate in School District Administration from SUNY Stony Brook. She is certified in levels one and two in the Wilson Reading Program, a research based multisensory approach designed for students with Dyslexia. She has worked for Developmental Disabilities Institute with adults and children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and more recently in public education. She spent six years teaching special education in elementary school in Orient, New York, and the past sixteen years on Shelter Island in a k-12 building. She loves reading, traveling, and seeing that "light bulb" when students make connections.