About Us

Meet Our Staff & Executive Board

Helen Roussel

Executive Director

Helen Roussel founded the Dyslexia Advocacy Action Group to support students with dyslexia and bring effective evidence-based literacy programs to public schools. She is one of the founding members of Decoding Dyslexia New York. In addition, Helen works to bring vital literacy laws to New York State and is a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and the New York Council of Nonprofits.

Helen's training includes; the Orton-Gillingham Approach and The Writing Revolution. Her advocacy training was with Wrights Law, as well as courses at the New York City Bar and Long Island University. She has has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies, is studying for a Masters in Social Work.

Helen resides with her husband and three children in New York.

Suzanne Schneider

Director of Public School Programs

Suzanne Schneider, M.S. Ed. is a Literacy Specialist, advocate, academic tutor, and literacy evaluator. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University in 1993 and a Master’s Degree from Hunter College in Special Education, with a concentration in learning disorders, in 1995. Suzanne started her career as a public school teacher first in NYC, then in Westchester County. During her 12+ years in public education, she served as a general education classroom teacher, special education integrated co-teacher, a reading specialist. and is a consultant at Southern Westchester BOCES.
Suzanne provides professional development training to teachers, administrators and parents in public schools. She trains teachers to incorporate multi-sensory techniques into all content areas, executive function training, dyslexia awareness, phonological awareness training, structured literacy approaches and the science behind teaching reading. Her training includes, but are not limited to, several Orton-Gillingham approaches, Lindamood-Bell, and The Writing Revolution. She has utilized these approaches to help students with learning disabilities and special needs for over 25 years.

Joanne Franco

Executive Chair

Joanne, a mother of two children with dyslexia, believes that all children deserve to achieve their educational goals within the public school system. Furthermore, she has lived through the pressure of trying to understand her child's needs while figuring out what to do and where to turn for help. Only to find out that there are limited resources and that education law is of no protection unless you can afford attorney fees. Her journey has motivated her to improve the system so that no child has to lose confidence and their education because districts do not understand the science of reading.

Joanne has a bachelor's degree from St. John's University in childhood education. She has committed her professional career to non-profit agencies. Joanne is bilingual and has advocated for the most vulnerable populations in our communities for over ten years. Joanne believes that proficient literacy is a fundamental human right and is the foundation for lifelong learning.

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.