Dr. Tammy Tillotson

My biggest catalyst for wanting to do anything in education actually connected back to my family. My youngest son was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in between kindergarten and first grade, and when we had him assessed, we weren't given a lot of hope that he would receive the kind of support or instruction that he would need at school. That became my catalyst for wanting to learn more about how kids learn to read, and that then led to me wanting to empower educators on being more effective in their instruction, and it just snowballed into this wonderful, incredible career that I have a hard time calling a job because I have too much fun doing it. My biggest value is providing that empowerment for others, whether that's empowering kids to feel like they have the confidence to become successful readers, or empowering educators to feel like they have the knowledge and the skill set to be more effective in their instruction. It really is that value of empowering others to understand their role in supporting education and supporting our future leaders.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to build a strong, dependable team you can truly rely on. Success is rarely achieved alone, and having the right people around you not only strengthens outcomes but also creates a foundation of trust, collaboration, and shared accountability. Investing in relationships, developing talent, and empowering others ultimately leads to more sustainable growth and better results over time.

My advice to young women entering this industry is to prioritize building a strong professional network and seek out mentors who can support both your career growth and personal development. Relationships matter as much as technical skills, and having trusted advisors can help you navigate challenges, recognize opportunities, and build confidence in your decisions. Don’t hesitate to connect with others, ask questions, and invest time in learning from those who have experience in the field you’ll grow faster and with greater direction when you’re supported by a strong community.

I would say that probably the biggest challenge is, like with any entrepreneurial business, it's how do you get the word out? How do you continue to bring in new clients and reach the audience that you are striving to empower and connect with? So, I think probably the biggest challenge is just getting the message out and engaging in those bigger conversations with broader audiences. On the opportunity side, we are so fortunate that individuals with dyslexia specifically have such strong skills and talents and gifts that others do not have, and when we can tap into those things and use those to their benefit as well as an employer's benefit, that's where the real opportunity lies. We need to have an employment field that understands how we can best utilize those skills and talents in the most advantageous ways.

My biggest value is providing that empowerment for others, whether that's empowering kids to feel like they have the confidence to become successful readers, or empowering educators to feel like they have the knowledge and the skill set to be more effective in their instruction. It really is that value of empowering others to understand their role in supporting education and supporting our future leaders, and just developing that personal growth. Outside of work, I am the mom of three incredible adult sons, and I have a wonderful husband of almost 34 years. We've been together almost 40 years now, and we love to go camping and boating and just being on the water, exploring, traveling, doing all the fun things that you get to do when your kids are adults. We are a very civic, service-minded family as a whole, with two of my sons in the military, one a police officer, and my husband a paramedic.