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Newsmaker: Denise Morelli | TribLIVE.com
Allegheny

Newsmaker: Denise Morelli

Tory N. Parrish
ptrpnews032516
Denise Morelli, director of the Non-Public Schools Program at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, will be honored with The Christopher Gardner Award for Excellence in the Field of Dyslexia in recognition of her work in expanding awareness of dyslexia in the Pittsburgh region.

Noteworthy: Morelli will be honored with The Christopher Gardner Award for Excellence in the Field of Dyslexia for her work in expanding awareness of dyslexia in the Pittsburgh region. Morelli will receive the award April 9 at a conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.

Age: 59

Family: spouse, Peter, and children, Michal, Marissa and Callie

Residence: Cecil

Occupation: director of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Non-Public Schools program, in which she oversees 50 professionals, including speech therapists and reading specialists

Education: bachelor's degree in special education/elementary education, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; master's degree in administration principal K-12, master's degree in education reading specialist and doctorate in education, all from Duquesne University.

Background: Raised in Greensburg, Morelli joined the AIU as a special education teacher in 1980. She was promoted to her current position in 2011. Morelli has hosted dyslexia simulations to educate teachers and parents about dyslexia, a learning disability that affects literacy skills and arranged training in multisensory reading techniques.

Quote: “When I started teaching, I always told my students God gave us all different gifts and we were going to work through their gifts to help them be successful.”