Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan, Ph.D., is a Senior Advisor for ELLAS Consulting. She is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and a certified academic language therapist and an international expert on the language and literacy needs of English Learners. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Texas. She is the President of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas. Her research interests include the development of early reading assessments for Spanish-speaking students and the development of reading interventions for bilingual students. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan currently serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the International Dyslexia Association and Chairperson of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities. She authored of Literacy Foundations for English Learners.