Our Tutors
Karen Bozik
Karen Bozik comes to us from Fairview Elementary where she has worked for two years as a kindergarten assistant, one-on-one support aide to students with learning disabilities, and a substitute. In years prior, she worked as as an educational assistant in the Denver public schools and an afterschool art project coordinator. Her degree is in fine arts from Metropolitan State University of Denver. As an EVTA tutor, Karen has completed Wilson Language System training.
Marta Chilton
Afterschool Tutor
Marta Chilton is a lifelong educator who operated the YES (Your Educational School) Private School in Canoncito for many years and set up her own schools in refugee camps before that. She has volunteered and worked for Embudo Valley Tutoring Association for at least a decade, is a former board member, and continuously provides advice and educational insight to the director and fellow tutors alike.
Billie bolton
Billie Bolton holds a B.A. in Spanish and French with a teaching certificate from Texas State University. She received her certificate in 1976. She also holds a master's degree in international business, which she received in 1981. Billie was a language arts/math tutor at Dixon Elementary in 2001. She received her math training from children's math expert Robert Templeton. She also had support from teachers at Dixon Elementary. In addition, Billie had training from the Wilson Reading Program in 2005 and two years of training in Sounds In Syllables at the Multi-Sensory Language Training Institute of New Mexico in 2012. Billie is a founding member of EVTA, which began in 2004. She was the director of EVTA from 2004-2016 and now serves on the board as president. In 2009 she focused the organization on training tutors to support students with learning disabilities and continues to provide language therapy for students using the Sounds in Syllables program.
Janet LaFaille
Zoom Tutor
Janet LaFaille retired after 20 years of teaching in Taos at Enos Garcia Elementary School and in Hayward, California. We are so fortunate to have her join the Embudo Valley Tutoring Association team. Janet works with students in reading, writing, and math on Zoom once, twice, and/or three times a week for 45 minutes. In this way, she tutors students from three different area schools. She earned her B.A. and teaching credential from California State University East Bay and her master's degree in elementary education from Eastern University of New Mexico, with a level III NM teaching license with TESOL and library media endorsements. As an EVTA academic tutor, Janet has completed Wilson Language System training, Math Circles training, and in-organization tutor workshops.
Anne-Marie Emanuelli
Mentor-Tutor-Tech Support
Anne-Marie Emanuelli was born in New Mexico and grew up in the Taos area. With husband Bruce Gomez and daughter Marielle, Anne-Marie lives in Arroyo Hondo. She joined the team of EVTA tutors after retiring from full-time classroom teaching in July 2020 with over 25 years of teaching experience. Her credentials include a level III NM teaching license and six endorsements, including English language arts and social studies. She is also certified to teach mindful meditation and has created Mindful Frontiers, an education-based meditation center. Anne-Marie holds a master's degree from New York's Pratt Institute and a BFA from the University of Denver. Her education certificate is from Santa Fe Community College.
LISA LOUGHRAN
Having mastered a master’s in elementary education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz., Lisa Loughran proceeded to amass 33 years of educational experience. These years saw her teaching on the Navajo and Hopi reservations, as well as in New Mexico’s Taos municipal school district, with students ranging from pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade. As an EVTA tutor at Enos Garcia Elementary School in Taos, New Mexico, this recipient of a Native American Grant School Association Educator of the Year award brings a proven ability to improve student literacy and math skills. Lisa’s accreditation includes elementary education certification with an early childhood endorsement, elementary K-8 certification, and level III elementary K-8 certification with a reading endorsement.
Leigh Saunders
Leigh Saunders is a career scientist and a longtime resident of Dixon, New Mexico. During a 15-year absence, she lived in Australia to provide environmental consulting to industrial firms. We are so lucky to have her back, as she provides excellent guidance to our higher level math students: i.e., middle, high school, and college age. She has participated in several Math Circles workshops during her time at EVTA.
Board of Directors
In Loving Memory of Laverne Median
Laverne Medina, former EVTA board member, passed away unexpectedly this spring. She was a much loved staff member at the Dixon Elementary School for many years a caring advocate of children, and a welcoming presence to all who walked in the doors of the school. Laverne, we will miss you forever.
Billie Bolton
Billie Bolton holds a B.A. in Spanish and French with a teaching certificate from Texas State University. She received her certificate in 1976. She also holds a master's degree in international business, which she received in 1981. Billie was a language arts/math tutor at Dixon Elementary School in 2001. She received her math training from children's math expert Robert Templeton. She also had support from teachers at Dixon Elementary. In addition, Billie had training from the Wilson Reading Program in 2005 and two years of training in Sounds In Syllables at the Multi-Sensory Language Training Institute of New Mexico in 2012. Billie is a founding member of EVTA, which began in 2004. She was the director of EVTA from 2004-2016 and now serves on the board as president. In 2009 she focused the organization on training tutors to support students with learning disabilities.
Eva Behrens
Eva Behrens is the EVTA director and teaches at Anansi Charter School in Taos, New Mexico. She holds a master's in education from Western New Mexico University and a post-master's educational leadership certificate from Grand Canyon University of Phoenix, Arizona.
Cindy Campbell
Cindy Campbell is EVTA's board secretary. She holds a B.S. in elementary education and a M.S. in speech therapy. She is a retired educator and current educational assistant at Taos's Anansi Charter School.
Alva Morrison
Alva Morrison works as a home energy auditor for ICF, an international consulting firm subcontracted to PNM and New Mexico Gas to focus on energy efficiency programs. He spent 2020 in India but remained active on the board through Zoom. Alva is connected to EVTA through his longtime association with the Dixon community.
Alexis Laube-Manigault
Alexis Laube-Manigault holds a master's in educational leadership from the University of New Mexico where she also completed her B.A. in American studies. She works at UNM-Taos in the TRiO Student Support Services. Before becoming an EVTA board member, Alexis was involved with the afterschool program and helped the organization maintain its website.
Staff
Thea Spaeth
Thea Spaeth is our fearless bookkeeper from Ojo Sarco, New Mexico.
Collaborators
Michele Hunt - Director, Anansi Charter School, Taos
The EVTA tutors have been an incredible source of support to both students and teachers as we have transitioned to on-campus learning. Students have had to miss school intermittently due to quarantine requirements and the tutors have been able to step in to maintain the bridge from school to home, so that students are able to keep up with their assignments, receive instructional support, and continue to receive assistance as they work toward re-integrating with their class after missing multiple days of school. In addition, this tutorial support has relieved the stress for parents who are juggling work, illness, quarantines, caring for their families, and supporting their kids with their school work. We plan to continue to maintain this important relationship and service for our school community. We love the consistent and effective support that EVTA provides.
Paula Oxoby-Hayett - Community School Coordinator, Enos Garcia Elementary School, Taos
As a community school, Enos Garcia strives to engage families in a comprehensive and meaningful annual needs assessment process. In August 2021 we conducted a survey which had an 86% response rate. The top four support services that parents identified as a need were:
Help for parents to help their child with homework 49%
Afterschool programs 45%
High quality out-of-school time 40%
Tutoring 38%
Our partnership with EVTA allows us to respond to our families' and students' needs. EVTA has been an exemplary partner, showing flexibility to accommodate students face-to-face and online, providing great tutors and always willing to support our school community. We know our parents and students love the services they receive, which results in improvements in the way they engage with their learning.
Chris Baca - Afterschool Program Coordinator
My name is Christopher Baca, and I am the new afterschool program coordinator at the Embudo Valley Library in Dixon, New Mexico. I have a passion for public outreach and bicycle awareness. I have helped organize several educational programs for youth in my community. These programs emphasized brain injury awareness and the importance of wearing a helmet while cycling, as well as basic bicycle safety and maintenance. For three years I managed Rocky Mountain Youth Corps work groups. As teams worked together to complete projects in the mountains, I managed groups, determined tasks that needed to be completed each day, and made sure they had the supplies and tools needed to complete these tasks.
Alexa Jaramillo - Afterschool Program Assistant
My name is Alexa Rose Gutierrez Jaramillo. I am 26 years old and mother to Eli, who is six years old. I was born and raised in New Mexico. I started out on my journey towards community support five years ago. I was volunteering in community spaces and attending protests around environmental and humanitarian issues. Then I began an internship with Moving Arts Española helping assist in nonprofit administrative tasks. After my internship I worked for True Kids 1 as media outreach coordinator as a bridge of communication and resources between the nonprofit and Espanola school systems. Then I worked for Penasco Theatre Collective as an assistant teacher for acrobatics and tumbling until COVID hit our community and we could no longer work within the schools. Two years ago I began working with The Northern Youth Project as the garden coordinator, teaching teens hands-on sustainable agriculture. Now I am excited to bring my background in art, agriculture, and mental health to Dixon, NM's Embudo Valley Library. I see my work being centered around community, youth, land and water as a lifelong personal mission of mine.
