Dr. Blanche Podhajski, President and Founder
Dr. Blanche Podhajski founded the Stern Center for Language and Learning in 1983 with a clear mission: she envisioned a literacy center that combined direct services for individuals, training for educators, and research on learning differences. Thanks to her vision, the Stern Center has become a respected literacy resource for our region and for the nation.
She has over thirty years experience working with individuals with learning differences. She teaches and consults with educators throughout the country and is a frequent presenter at regional and national conferences.
Dr, Podhajski also serves as a resource to numerous professional and parent organizations. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Dr. Podhajski received her doctoral degree in communication disorders, specializing in learning disabilities, from Northwestern University and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in speech pathology from the American Speech and Hearing Association.
Her publications include a chapter on adult literacy titled "Professional Development in Learning Disabilities for Adult Literacy Providers", published in S. Vogel and S. Reder's Bridging the Gap: Learning Disabilities, Adult Education and Literacy (1998, Brookes Publishing Company, Inc.). She is the coauthor of "What Preservice and Inservice Teachers Believe and Know About Early Reading Instruction" published in the Annals of Dyslexia and "Sounds Abound, Teaching Phonological Awareness in the Classroom" (1998, LingiSystems). Learn more about Stern Center publications.