Meet Our Event Speakers
Meghan Thompson
Meghan Thompson is a Speech-Language Pathologist. Her love of language and literacy urged her to become a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and her desire to work with other professionals to advance the science of reading led her to become a Qualified Instructor (QI). She works in private practice at Encouraging Words, a collaborative therapy center as well as local schools.
Meghan enjoys spending time with her family, husband Tyler, children Stella (13), and Brooks (10). Together they enjoy traveling, movies, board games, hiking, and visiting National Parks and baseball stadiums. She loves to go on walks, do yoga, have conversations with friends, and listen to audiobooks.
Laura Gautreaux
Laura’s journey in literacy and dyslexia began with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, an additional certification in early childhood, and a master's degree in reading. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) serving kids through a local school and the collaborative therapy center she founded, Encouraging Words. As a Qualified Instructor (QI), she educates teachers in the science of reading through a specialized therapy-level curriculum. Beyond her work in the classroom, she serves as a founding board member for the local chapter of The Reading League, working to advance literacy at a community level. Additionally, she is working on her doctorate in education with a concentration on the science of reading through Mount Saint Joseph University.
Outside work, she enjoys spending time with her family and the inspiration for her dyslexia passion: her husband, Nic, and children, Hadley (11) and Jack (9). Together, they love camping and traveling, especially to National Parks. She enjoys walking, yoga with friends, reading almost anything, and bingeing on Netflix in her rare but cherished free time.
Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson is the Executive Director of Payne Education Center. Payne is a non-profit whose mission is to train teachers in the science of reading thus preventing reading difficulties in children and remediate reading disabilities and dyslexia, while serving as a resource and referral center. Heather is a 24-year education veteran, who holds teacher certifications in Pre-K through high school and Special Education. She has a Master of Education in Early Childhood, specializing in brain development and trauma and is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, CALT serving all of Oklahoma’s children.