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Elected to the Learning Ally National Board in June of 2018, Dr. Mary Beth O’Hagan is a licensed clinical psychologist who has a private practice in Denver. Her professional interest and investment in dyslexia has been fostered by the strong presence of reading disorders in her own family. She has been inspired by the resilience of her dyslexic father, children, nieces and nephews, and the hundreds of children she has had the privilege to see in her clinical work. Witnessing their persistence in the face of challenges and their positivity and success in academics, sports, theater, art, and relationships has been the most rewarding aspect of her work.

A native of Denver, Mary Beth earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa. She trained in New York City at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services and in Boston at the Harvard School of Public Health (under Dr. Felton Earls and the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods) and in the clinical practice of Dr. Daniel Kindlon. Over the course of the past 20 years, she has developed a thriving clinical practice in Denver where she offers comprehensive psycho- educational evaluation of students who are referred due to learning or attentional difficulties. She has expertise in the assessment of students with specific learning disorders in reading, writing, and math, as well as those with AD/HD and other developmental or mental health issues.

Mary Beth is a member of the International Dyslexia Association and currently sits on a Dyslexia Forum run through the Colorado Department of Education. Her investment in early identification and ongoing intervention and support is evident in her work in the academic community. She has developed a strong presence in Denver as an advocate for people with dyslexia and is sought as a consultant by parents, schools, and other clinicians. She has been instrumental in bringing systematic assessment of early literacy skills into several local schools to allow for the early identification of children at risk for dyslexia. In addition, she has provided training for parents and educators to strengthen their ability to identify, understand and support students with dyslexia and other learning disorders. Mary Beth has presented to local parochial and independent schools, high school leaders in the Central and Southern Province of the Jesuits, and teachers in the San Miguel/Nativity Network. She looks forward to continuing to advocate for and raise awareness of the strengths and needs of people with dyslexia through her involvement with Learning Ally.