Meet the Shelby Literacy Staff

  Pam has been associated with Shelby Literacy since 2014 when she began volunteering as an adult literacy tutor.  In 2016, she began working with adults with reading disabilities and those working on earning their high school diploma in the HiSET program.  As a former elementary school teacher and dyslexia interventionist, she has over 35 years of experience understanding the dynamics of literacy learning for both adults and children. Pam is also a longtime board member of the TN Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and current Vice President.  When she is not promoting community literacy, you can find her working in her hydroponic garden, watching hockey, or enjoying listening to albums on her record payer! 

   Dr. Matthew Panozzo is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the University of Memphis and a middle school teacher at heart. His passion and focus as an educator is to empower students of all ages. He inspires them to not be limited by labels but to continuously acquire new skills, meet new people, and explore new worlds–both ours and fictional ones.  

Throughout his career, he has focused on the words of S. I. Hayakawa, who poetically describes the impact of reading and writing by saying, “To be able to read and write is to learn to profit by and take part in the greatest human achievements…the pooling of our experiences in great cooperative stores of knowledge, available to all.” He is excited about working with Shelby Literacy Center to highlight the resources in our community, providing students of all ages and backgrounds with the tools they need to be successful.

Kelly keeps the organization running smoothly in all matters of student scheduling, office management, and program coordination. 

She served as a volunteer tutor for our organization before applying for a part-time position at the office in 2022. 

Kelly has over 15 years of administrative experience and strong marketing and client service skills. 

Her expertise, personal dedication, and skills are unparalleled - we simply could not run this organization efficiently without her!

She has been a long-time volunteer at the Collierville Animal Shelter and lives in Town with her husband and two boys. Her hobbies include fitness, drawing, painting, reading, and family activities. 

We are so blessed to have her with us!

As Shelby Literacy Center’s Communications Manager, Dana is responsible for the donor database and helps with all marketing and fundraising needs. Dana’s MBA with a concentration in marketing makes her an excellent professional addition to our team! Additionally, her heart for service is evident through her longtime volunteer work with St. George’s Collierville Parents Association as fine arts chair and art chair. 

Dana spent much of her childhood living abroad in Spain, making her exceptionally familiar with the Spanish language. Today, she regularly interacts with Spanish speaking students to help make their transition easier. 

Dana has two sons and a daughter. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling and pilates. 

Si necesita un hablante de español, llame al 854-0288 y Dana le devolverá la llamada!.

Hi! I’m Piia, and I’ve been teaching languages for almost 20 years now. I was born in Finland and have lived in several countries before settling in the U.S. ten years ago with my husband and son. I teach French at the high school level and ESL in elementary school. In addition to my regular classes, I teach an online ESL class an in-person ESL class at Shelby Literacy Center. I love working with students of all ages, and sharing my passion for languages is one of the greatest joys of my life!

 After retiring from a teaching career, I began volunteering at the literacy center 17 years ago. From the beginning I’ve throughly enjoyed working with international students as they have worked so hard to learn English. I now have friends from  four continents. 

 I have been involved with the Shelby Literacy Center for nine years as a volunteer, teacher, and ESL Coordinator. Teaching ESL is my second career; my first was working in international advertising in Chicago and Mexico City. Switching over to working with immigrants was an easy fit since I had studied and worked in several foreign countries myself. My three children were born in Mexico and Spanish is the second language for my family. This year is my 20th year teaching ESL and I still love it! The students are so inspiring and helping them learn the English language and American History is a true privilege. 

   Hello, Hola, and Vanakkam! My name is Swetha, and I am a second-generation Tamil Indian American who is passionate about cross-cultural communication and community engagement. I hold a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Spanish and a master’s degree in management. I enjoy traveling and have studied abroad in Spain, Australia, and Singapore. I am on the journey of building a social impact-focused career supporting nonprofits and building bridges between community members from all backgrounds. I am very excited about connecting with and empowering our local immigrant community in the Mid-South through teaching ESL and assisting with nonprofit outreach and development at the Shelby Literacy Center!

Selena Silvestro contributes to the success of local small business clients as a sales and marketing professional. She's passionate about giving back to the community through her volunteer work with the SLC, VFW Post 5066 Auxiliary, Little Helpers of Memphis Area, and other local outreach programs. 

Selena manages the Volunteer Collierville group and Collierville Tennessee Moms groups on Facebook - she's always "in the know" about local events and happenings. 

Solving problems, getting people across the finish line successfully, and connecting people and resources are her natural superpowers! 

She loves taking family vacations with her husband and boys (and an avid Disney fanatic!) Her favorite pastime is curling up with a good book and snuggling with her two rescue dogs! 

 Kaitlin is an another first-time board member. Born and raised in the Memphis area, Kaitlin attended the University of Memphis and is now a works as an HR professional for Tootsie Roll Industries. 

Kaitlin is passionate about our mission of adult literacy and ESL. From her own experience living abroad, Kaitlin understands firsthand how transformative learning the local language can be in improving someone’s life. 

In her free time, Kaitlin enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets—including her cats and backyard chickens. 

 Chris Baumgardner was born in Knoxville, moved to Memphis in 2005 and has lived in Collierville for 10 years. He works for Pinnacle Financial Partners as a Wealth Client Service Advisor. Chris has been married for 15 years to his beautiful wife Jill Baumgardner and has two girls, Ada and Kaylor. He is a member of St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Collierville. Chris loves spending time at the pool with his family, playing golf, being a dance dad and cheering on his Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Tigers and Tennessee Vols. ! 

 Samuel McKay is a first-time board member and we are thrilled to have him on our Executive Board! Samuel works as an attorney in Memphis. He is the son of a public school teacher and has always been an outspoken advocate for education and literacy. 

His favorite activities when not working on a case or for the SLC are walking his rescue dogs, Dug and Beebee, or cheering on his favorite teams - the Grizzlies, Redbirds, and Ole Miss Rebel!

Ed Larkin was born and raised in Memphis (Christian Brothers High class of 1976 and 1980 graduate of SMU) and has worked in Commercial Estate since 1982. In 1993 Ed joined Memphis Commercial & Industrial (MC&I) as Director of the Industrial Division. He became a Partner in 2019 and now serves as President. Ed has been married to Jean Larkin for 36 years and has two daughters Ivy & Ella. We appreciate Ed's leadership on our board!  

Teresa Johnson serves as the President of our local VFW Post 5066 Auxiliary in Collierville, TN. She is also a member of the Junior Auxiliary of Collierville. 

Teresa joined our advisory board in 2023 to help with community outreach and fundraising events. 

 Leticia was born in Northern Mexico, moved to Memphis in 2000 and has lived in the Memphis area for 24 years. 

She worked as a Bilingual Mentor for Shelby County Schools, assisting and providing language instruction to students who are not native English speakers. Leticia currently works as a Bilingual Admin Assistant for an immigration Law firm. 

She enjoys reading, traveling, community involvement, Ballroom/Latin music dancing, and spending quality time with family and friends in her leisure time. 

  Dr. Taylor Manning is an emergency room veterinarian at the Animal Emergency Center, where he provides skilled, compassionate care during some of the most critical moments in a pet’s life. With a steady hand and a heart for both animals and their families, Taylor thrives in high-pressure situations, guiding pets toward recovery while supporting the people who love them. 

Outside the ER, Taylor brings his creativity and strategic thinking to his role as Marketing Director at Playhouse on the Square. From crafting community-driven campaigns to championing the magic of live theatre, he combines his love for storytelling with a passion for building connections. 

Whether in the exam room or behind the scenes, Taylor is driven by the same purpose: to make a meaningful difference through care, creativity, and connection.

 Cassie Jones is a first-time board member.  She recently became a Memphian and is eager to contribute to the community.  The importance of education was instilled in her at an early age by grandparents who were educators.  It is her goal to ensure that everyone has access to a quality education that will lead them to opportunities for success in their futures.  Cassie loves to travel and enjoys running and hiking in her spare time.  .

 Since 2006, Patricia has been a long-time volunteer tutor and board member (and served as past board chair). As an advisory board member, she brings a wealth of leadership and experience to our community outreach. Patricia, along with her husband and son, moved to Collierville in 1977. She taught English at Collierville High School for over 25 years before retiring in 2011. Patricia volunteers with both the Shelby Literacy Center and Project Outreach. She enjoys reading, traveling, golfing, and gardening!

 Celita Brown is a native Memphian and attended The LeMoyne Owen College to receive her B.S in Early Childhood Education and The University of Memphis for post-grad studies. She obtained an M.S in Curriculum and Instructional Leadership and Coaching w/ emphasis on Pre-K-12 Literacy. Currently she is a fellow in New Leaders: National Aspiring Principal Fellowship and plans to continue her studies at Bank Street College of Education during her process with New Leaders. Celita currently teaches at Cornerstone Prep-Denver as the Reading Enrichment Teacher. In this role, her duty is to increase the love of reading for the entire school. This is done through various enrichment projects, reading incentive programs, and more! She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. During her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, binge-watching TV shows, and spending time with her family and friends.  

 Thomas Lannan is a Recruiting Director/Broker in the Memphis market with Ashford Advisors - previously, an Advertising Executive of over 40 years (winning one of three national Clio Awards)! Tom brings extensive board experience to our team, having served as Past President of the American Marketing Association (with a focus on Economic Empowerment), and Past Board Member of the following organizations - Junior Achievement, Sales & Marketing Executives, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and a volunteer with SCORE mentors. He is a member of the Collierville Rotary Club, Germantown Chamber, and Collierville Chamber. He and his wife Katherine have two wonderful grown children, Patrick and Lauren. 

We appreciate the many volunteers, mentors, and board members who devote their time, fundraising support, and talents to this mission! Are you interested in joining our board or advisory board? We'd love to have your support! Please email Pam DeMato at Director@ShelbyLiteracy.com.