Unique Students. Unique School.
Get to Know Us
Teachers and Board Members
Learn more about the people that make our community great.
Meet the Team
Our highly trained staff come from diverse teaching backgrounds and have unique interests.
Amy Thomas
Head of School
Amy has worked in education for 30 years in a variety of roles, starting her career teaching high school literacy to students with emotional disabilities. In addition to that role, she has worked as a learning specialist, classroom teacher, instructional coach, and most recently as a literacy consultant for the Colorado Department of Education. Amy is a national trainer for thinkSRSD, an evidence-based framework for literacy that is used at VSA. Additionally, she is a Certified CERI OG tutor, as well as a local LETRS trainer.
Learning about best practices and research within literacy and collaborating about it with fellow teachers, is one of Amy’s favorite things to do. She believes that every child can become a reader and writer when high quality teachers use evidenced-based instruction. Promoting this concept is her top priority. athomas@verticalskillsacademy.org
Michelle Gasser
Teacher, Academic Director
Michelle received her Doctorate of Pharmacy before transitioning to teaching in 2015. She became passionate about dyslexia because of the struggles her two dyslexic children have had to face. By watching her children grow with positive support and Orton-Gillingham instruction, she became inspired to help other children with dyslexia. Having taken multiple OG courses in the past 8 years, Michelle has a deep knowledge of Orton Gillingham practices. She integrates this knowledge into her English Language Arts classes, as well as when she coaches our other teachers and tutors. mgasser@verticalskillsacademy.org
Josie Osberg
Teacher, OG Tutor
Ms. Josie is in her 7th year of teaching. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to working at VSA, she worked in Early Childhood special education in Jefferson County public schools. As much as she loved teaching the youngest learners, she enjoys using her skills and focus on students with dyslexia. Her passion lies with teaching literacy to the youngest students at VSA. She works both as a English Language Arts teacher, as well as a tutor. She is very excited to continue working with VSA families and staff! josberg@verticalskillsacademy.org
Emily Kemp
Teacher, OG Tutor
Ms. Emily is a longtime member of the Evergreen mountain community. She is a native Coloradan and continues to enjoy living the mountain life. Emily graduated from Metro State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science & Elementary Education. Her passion for helping children succeed led her into the education field where she found her niche in literacy intervention. She strives to create a fun and exciting learning environment for her students so they can develop a lifelong love of learning. Emily serves as an OG tutor as well. ekemp@verticalskillsacademy.org
Garrett Grigsby
Teacher
Mr. Garrett is an experienced and dedicated educator known for his passion for teaching and fostering a positive learning environment. Garrett graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Post Baccalaureate in Elementary Education. With expertise in elementary and middle school mathematics, Garrett has inspired and motivated countless students on their educational journey. Garrett consistently demonstrates his commitment to academic excellence and student success through his dynamic teaching style, innovative approaches, and personalized instruction. Garrett effectively collaborates with students, parents, and colleagues to create a supportive learning community, emphasizing character development and instilling positive values in his students. ggrigsby@verticalskillsacademy.org
Aubrey Rule
OG Tutor
Ms. Aubrey is a longtime resident of Indian Hills and a lifetime resident of Colorado. She taught 3rd grade in Denver for 7 years before discovering Orton-Gillingham through Rocky Mountain Dyslexia Camp in 2016. Since then she has been taking every opportunity to further her education using this method, and has been exclusively tutoring using OG methods since 2020. Aubrey is a CERI Certified OG tutor and leads our tutors with her expertise in practice. She is a lifelong learner passionate about helping kids succeed! arule@verticalskillsacademy.org
Colleen Cox
OG Tutor
Ms. Colleen grew up in Michigan and earned a Bachelor’s degree in textiles with a minor in advertising from Central Michigan University. Having one son with ADHD and one son with Autism sparked her passion for working with children who learn differently. Through years of working with many special education interventionists, Colleen developed a love and respect for behavior therapy. In an effort to utilize her skills to help other children with Autism, she achieved her RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) certification and has had the opportunity to work with and learn from many great kids! Her thirst for knowledge, love for reading and helping children access reading, led her to pursue Orton Gillingham (OG). She has a deep knowledge of OG and is beginning her certification in Y-OG. clcox@verticalskillsacademy.org
Kim Smith
Teacher/OG Tutor
Ms. Kim is new to Vertical Skills Academy for 2025. She has a Master’s degree in Special Education and spent the last 13 years teaching students from kindergarten through seventh grade. Kim was trained in Yoshimoto Orton Gillingham in her first year of teaching and has been using Y-OG methods ever since. Seven years ago, Kim found Every Child Reading and has enjoyed working with students at summer camp. Reading is a favorite hobby and sharing the love of reading with students is a passion. When not reading or teaching, Kim enjoys time on the water with her paddle board or time on her road bike, cycling nearby paths. She shares her home with her 25 year old daughter and three (yikes!) cats.
Amy Dobronyi
OG Tutor
Ms. Amy, a Colorado native, has spent six years supporting students with reading difficulties. She is a certified Structured Literacy and Dyslexia Interventionist through CERI and holds a Master’s in Education in Reading Science and a Dyslexia Certificate from Mount St. Joseph University. Amy has completed a supervised practicum and is trained in Orton-Gillingham through both AOGPE and OGI, as well as in Take Flight, SRSD, Neuhaus Multisensory Grammar, and Speech-to-Print. She is currently completing her CALT certification and has also trained in special education advocacy through William & Mary Law School and Wrightslaw. Amy is passionate about helping students with dyslexia and other reading challenges build confidence and achieve success. She lives in Littleton with her husband, two college-aged kids, two dogs, and two cats. adobronyi@verticalskillsacademy.org
Vidya Markowitz
OG Tutor
Ms. Vidya is a part-time tutor for Vertical Skills Academy. As a parent of a child with ADHD and dyslexia, she understands the heartache of watching children struggle. In 2021, her son attended the Every Child Reading summer camp, which proved to be a true game changer for him. The impact of that five-week experience was invaluable. She quickly became involved with the program while also working as a special education paraprofessional in the Cherry Creek School District, where she was trained in and implemented the Orton-Gillingham approach in both classroom and small group settings. Over the past year, she has been working as a private Orton-Gillingham tutor, and she now looks forward to supporting and teaching children at VSA.
Meet our Board of Directors
Becky Kalahiki
Board President
Becky Kalahiki joined the Vertical Skills Academy (VSA) family from the Cayman Islands. As a proud mother of a dyslexic son and wife to a dyslexic husband, she and her family relocated to Evergreen, Colorado, drawn by VSA’s mission to empower students.
A Colorado native, Becky has lived and worked on all seven continents, volunteering globally to support others. She serves on the VSA Board, mentors female professionals in the Caribbean, and participates in the Gender Equality Cayman initiative. Currently, she works as a Senior Advisor in Growth Strategy & Transformation for a global company, bringing extensive experience from over 100 countries. bkalahiki@verticalskillsacademy.org
Marnie Steffe
Board Member at Large
Marnie joined Vertical Skills Academy as a former parent of a dyslexic student. Originally from New York, her family moved to Colorado to find the support their daughter needed, including VSA’s small school structure, 1:1 tutoring, and safe learning environment.
Marnie works as a Director of Market Research for a personal care company, helping teams understand consumer behavior and decisions. She brings her expertise in strategy, branding, and research to the VSA board, aiming to help the school connect with more families and support others in avoiding the challenges her family faced. msteffe@verticalskillsacademy.org
Dr. Brian Wolff
Board Member at Large
Dr. Brian Wolff is the founder and Director of Wolff Child Psychology, established in 2011 to provide families with evidence-based therapy and comprehensive evaluations of children’s neurodevelopmental functioning.
Since its inception, Dr. Wolff has supported VSA, consulting with its founders and valuing its mission to assist children with dyslexia through targeted intervention. He is committed to contributing to VSA’s growth and making a positive impact on students and their communities.
Dr. Wolff earned a B.A. from Yale University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver, along with post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Denver. bwolff@verticalskillsacademy.org
Remy Fromm
Board Member at Large
Remy Fromm joined the VSA board in spring of 2024. He, his wife, Bronwyn, and 5 kids have been a resident of Evergreen, CO for 5 years. Upon moving to Evergreen they realized their daughter struggled with dyslexia and Bronwyn came across VSA as a great solution. They currently have 3 children at VSA who are flourishing thanks to the great curriculum.
Remy has been employed by the Boston Beer Company for the past 18 years, currently serving as a Sr. Division Director. Remy holds an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and an MBA from Denver University. He is also involved in the Evergreen Cougar Football Booster Club. rfromm@verticalskillsacademy.org
Andrew Owen
Board Member at Large
Advisors
Kara Osberg
Founder and Advisor
Kara is the co-founder and advisor of Vertical Skills Academy. She is an entrepreneurial collaborative problem-solver with a passion for supporting others as they parent or educate the dyslexic children in their lives. As a highly trained Orton-Gillingham interventionist and seasoned advocate with nearly twenty years of personal and professional experience with students, families, and academic programs, Kara also provides mentorship, academic coaching, and tutoring.