Dr. Leo Orsino (Dr. O)
President

Dr. Leo Orsino was appointed by the school board to serve as President of The Bilgrav School on June 27, 2023. During his nearly four decades in education, he served as a teacher, professor, counselor, consultant, coach, mentor, administrator, Headmaster, Vice President and President.
Leo earned his Ph. D. in education, counseling, psychology and human resource management from The Ohio State University in 1984. He has taught courses in education, counseling, addiction, student behavior, human development, psychology, sociology, marriage and family, leadership and human resource management.
Leo and Cyndi have been married for 43 years and live in Deerfield Beach. They have three married children and four grandchildren. They enjoy spending time with their growing family, especially their four grandchildren.
As a parent, grandparent and leader, Leo is passionate about educating and equipping students to succeed in all areas of their learning. He looks forward to meeting you and your children at The Bilgrav School.
Administration, Staff & Faculty

Trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach by Orton Academy Fellows, Dawn Nieman and Susie van der Vorst and in Multi-Sensory Math by Marilyn Zecher, LaTonia is a dedicated, hard-working, and talented teacher. She has been in education for four years. Extensively trained to educate dyslexic minds, she aims to cultivate creativity and critical thinking skills in all students, irrespective of their abilities. LaTonia graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a degree in Organizational Leadership and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She recently earned her Master’s in the Science of Reading to advance her strategic skills further. LaTonia loves her job and enjoys teaching and interacting with the students. Her classroom embodies a structured environment where the students develop a growth mindset and discover their dyslexic superpower.

Alexis Boldin earned a B.S. in Science from Florida Gulf Coast University. Her passion for inspiring kids led her to enter the education field more than eight years ago. During those eight years in the classroom, she motivated young minds to achieve, honed her teaching skills, and discovered a love for teaching Math. Excited about the opportunity to do even more for her students, she joined the Bilgrav team two years ago. At The Bilgrav School, she received Orton-Gillingham training from Orton Academy Fellow, Susie Van der Vorst, as well as Multisensory Math training from Marilyn Zecher. She is in the process of becoming an Orton Academy certified tutor. She believes that all kids are capable of growing and thriving; therefore, she’s in the right place at the right time.

Katie was first trained in Orton-Gillingham by Orton Academy Fellow, Diana Hanbury King in 1997. She taught and tutored at one of the America’s first OG based schools for dyslexic students, The Kildonan School in New York. After two years there, she earned a Master's in Cognitive Science in Education from Columbia University-Teachers College. In 2007, she was founding faculty at Joyce Bilgrav’s third OG-based school, the Liberty School in Durango, CO, where she tutored and helped design the interdisciplinary curricular program for twice-exceptional students, the Film program, and the Outdoor Pursuits program. At Bilgrav, she tutors, teaches all subjects, oversees the OG tutoring, trains teachers, does Admissions, and strives to become an Orton Academy Fellow herself. Helping dyslexic children unlock their potential is a vocation for her, and she is grateful to have been able to help found another OG-based school for dyslexic students here in West Palm Beach.

Carla graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a B.S. in Psychology. She also has an Associate’s of Science in Medical Sonography, specializing in Echocardiography & General U/S from Cambridge Medical Institute & Technology located in Delray Beach, FL.
Carla is a dedicated professional who is available to help in all areas of The Bilgrav School. She oversees human resources, operations and serves as the scholarship coordinator. If you have any questions about the school, she will find the answer or direct you to the appropriate person.

Marcy Reed has a Master of Arts in English, and she is certified Dyslexia Practitioner 1 by the International Multisensory Structured Language Educator Council (IMSLEC).
Marcy trained in dyslexia interventions to give other children the same advantage her dyslexic son received when he was tutored. She arrived at The Bilgrav School from Chicago, where she taught students ages 4 to 22--both gifted and those with learning disabilities.
Prior to entering the education field, Marcy worked in publishing and public relations. In her free time, she enjoys listening to live music, discovering Florida and spending time with her three college-aged children.

Adam Ruggieri earned a B.S. in Education from UCF in 2015 and holds a professional education certificate in both Social Studies and Mathematics. He has taught previously at Inlet Grove Community High School and had for five years before joining the Bilgrav school this year. He has seven years of professional teaching and two years of professional teaching experience. He taught English as a second language to young students in Shanghai, China, in 2016-17. He loves seeing skills blossom in students. His ex-military career has lent him great skills in organization and his past teaching has exposed him to many types of students with various learning strengths. He hopes to use what he knows to help the students at Bilgrav achieve their full potential.

Kelly Timms was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Kelly studied Business Management and Human Resource Management at The Ohio State University.
Recently, Kelly has worked with the Palm Beach Community Schools, teaching a STEM program called “Mind Games.” She taught this program to elementary students.
Kelly currently has more than ten (10) years of experience in elementary education. She has a passion for educating and motivating students to learn, grow and push towards their potential. She is patient, kind, encouraging and inspirational in her approach to educating students in all subject areas. Kelly is excited to serve our dyslexic leaners as an assistant teacher at The Bilgrav School.

Julia graduated from The University of Florida with a Bachelor’s of Science in Advertising and a minor in Psychology in 2019; she hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in education in the near future. She also earned her Cambridge diploma, and was in the top 10% of her class. She has a large passion for educating, helping, and inspiring children. She started at The Bilgrav School assisting with recess, lunch, substituting, field trips, and more. Although she is a full-time first grade teacher now, she loved her experience at The Bilgrav School and wanted it to continue, so she assists with after-school programs and website management.
Bilgrav School Board Members

I am a physician with a son and daughter with dyslexia. My daughter Leah thrived at The Bilgrav School for three years and successfully graduated to attend 6th grade at Palm Beach Day Academy. Together with my husband Daniel Kapp, I have been a strong advocate for dyslexia education and successfully challenged the Palm Beach County School District in a due process hearing for our daughter Leah.


In the 1950's, Joyce enjoyed life as a mother and homemaker. However, three of her four children struggled to learn to read in school. Unwilling to accept that they were "slow," Joyce researched on her own (without the internet!) and discovered dyslexia. She became trained in the multi-sensory, phonics-based, explicit, diagnostic/prescriptive, individualized, cumulative approach to teaching reading called Orton-Gillingham, a program designed by Drs. Orton & Gillingham to teach a dyslexic child to read. She taught her children herself, and after years of study became a "Fellow" of the Orton Academy. In the early 1970's, she began starting Orton-Gillingham-based schools and summer camps that have allowed thousands of dyslexic learners to achieve their potential.
Joyce is also the Founder of these fine schools:
- Jemicy School & Camp Glencoe (Baltimore, MD)
- Rawson-Saunders School (Austin, TX)
- Liberty School & Durango Mountain Camp (Durango, CO)
- Rocky Mountain Camp (Evergreen, CO)
- Wolf Creek Camp (Fredericksburg, TX)
"I am privileged to have spent over ten years being mentored by Joyce. She is an inspirational teacher and a pioneer in the US in dyslexic education. We are honored to name the school after her."
~ Katie Cashette, Head of School