About Us
Whitney Johansson, Founder & Owner
Academic Support
Website: niwotlearningcollective.com
Phone: 720.254.5771 (call or text)
Email: whitney@niwotlearningcollective.com
Whitney has always found joy through working with children. Understanding, appreciating, and supporting how individuals learn is a lifelong passion for her. She has worked as an educator in the Boulder area for the past 15 years, including at the Sister Carmen Community Center, Cure Organic Farm, and The Growe Foundation. Whitney earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Western Washington University. She is a Clinical Herbalist and has a Master’s degree in Science focusing on Human Nutrition. Through teaching Nutrition to kids, Whitney knew that teaching was the path for her. From there she earned her Elementary Education Teacher’s License from CU and was recognized for being in the top of her class.
Whitney went on to study the Orton-Gillingham approach extensively, finding gems in the different approaches from different organizations, including Orton Gillingham Association and IMSE She is currently deep into the Take Flight program, and is working towards her CALP/CALT. Through this training, Whitney witnessed the remarkable impact that multi-sensory, direct, explicit instruction can have and how through this instruction, students’ brains can be activated in varying ways so that their learning and processing style is honored and attended to, whether the subject is literacy or math or beyond. As a Learning Specialist, she aims to connect with the whole person and hold them and their learning in the highest regard.
When she is not teaching, you will find her frolicking in her garden, playing the ukulele, sewing up a storm, reading about literacy, hugging her dogs and cats, smooching her kiddos, and dreaming of their next adventure.
Elizabeth Amabil
Academic Support & Founding Member
Website: niwotlearningcollective.com
Email: elizabeth@niwotlearningcollective.com
Elizabeth Amabile, MA has worked as an educator for the last eighteen years in public and private schools, as well as in private practice. Elizabeth is a licensed K-12 Special Education Generalist and has a Masters degree in education. She has had extensive training in effective, research based literacy and math interventions, with an emphasis on Structured Literacy (Orton-Gillingham approach, IMSE, Wilson reading systems) and multisensory math.
Elizabeth is also certified as a social-emotional learning facilitator and yoga instructor. Recognizing the vast need for mental health support and wellness programming for school-aged children, this became Elizabeth’s passion project. In order for children to learn and thrive academically, they must first feel safe, secure, and centered.
Elizabeth adopts a holistic approach to working with children. She helps students develop strategies to manage anxiety and stress, build self-confidence, and embrace a growth-mindset. She and her students explore how they learn best, and instruction is tailored according to each individual student’s learning style and needs. Elizabeth’s mission is to make every session she has with a student effective, meaningful, engaging, and fun!
Batya Greenwald
Parent and Life Coach
Website: batyagreenwaldcoaching.com
Email: batyakg@gmail.com
My coaching work emerged as I transitioned out of the classroom after 27 years in education. I found great value in being coached as I moved to my next chapter. Bringing together my years of experience empowering students and their parents, with the strength and insight I have gained by the many transitions in my life, I have found my calling.
Born and raised in South Africa, I spent my early 20s in Australia. Traveling the world, I met and later married a beautiful American and settled in Boulder, Colorado. I still live here, with my spouse, our dog and, occasionally, our two adult daughters. Transitions and building community are part of my life’s fabric. Clients can expect sessions with me to be filled with warmth, hope, and trust.
I am fascinated by the incredible potential within each human being. If you are ready to explore moving forward in your life, I would love to work with you.
Jessica Hasson
Literacy Support
Website: www.multisensetutoring.com
Email: hassonjessica@gmail.com
Jessica Hasson is a literacy interventionist with a passion for helping students become confident, capable readers and writers. She began her teaching career as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and spent time living and teaching in Spain, Thailand, and Indonesia. This early experience sparked her deep appreciation for language learning and individualized instruction.
Jessica has completed the associate-level training through the Orton-Gillingham Academy and uses this structured, multisensory approach to support students with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences. She specializes in foundational literacy, reading comprehension, spelling, and writing support for elementary and middle school students in 1:1 settings.
Jessica is known for her calm, compassionate presence and for creating sessions that are engaging, responsive, and tailored to each student’s needs. She believes that consistent, caring support helps children develop the tools and confidence they need to succeed.
When she’s not teaching, Jessica enjoys snowboarding and skiing in the winter, playing volleyball in the summer, hiking near her home in Boulder, and spending time with her husband and two cats.
Kelly Tchilian
Literacy Support
Email: kellyaaustin@gmail.com
Kelly began her career mentoring adolescents and young adults in the outdoors, before spending 15 years in the nonprofit sector, where she developed and led educational programs that focused on literacy development and fostering a love of reading. Eight years ago, she began her training in structured literacy and earned her Associate-level certificate through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham.
An avid reader and passionate advocate for literacy access, Kelly has worked with students with learning differences privately and as an interventionist in the public and private school setting. Forming relationships with her students and building their confidence and skills as readers is the most rewarding part of her work.
When not teaching, you may find Kelly riding her bike in the wild, knitting a sweater, or enthusiastically playing her ukulele despite her questionable skills. Along with her husband and two daughters, she's probably off chasing the next adventure on a trail near you.
Brooke Null
Executive Functioning Support
Website: https://lisashanken.com/executive-functioning-coaching/
Email: brookelnull@gmail.com
Brooke Null is a NASM Certified Wellness Coach and Executive Functioning Skills Coach with over five years of experience supporting individuals in the neurodiversity community. Brooke takes a holistic and strengths-based approach, helping clients build sustainable habits, improve organization, manage stress, and enhance daily functioning. Her work is rooted in empathy, evidence-based practices, and a deep respect for the unique ways neurodivergent minds thrive. Through personalized coaching, Brooke empowers her clients to achieve their goals and build systems that support long-term success.
Amy Scheff
Math Support
Email: amy.scheff@colorado.edu
Amy Scheff is an educator and national teacher trainer with 29 years of experience. Her passion is ensuring every child believes in themselves as a mathemetician and builds enduring understandings to guide them. In addition to being a classroom teacher and teacher trainer, she has spent over 20 years focusing on cutting-edge math education research and, in particular, how children build number sense and develop enduring computational understanding. She is dedicated to getting the best research into practice to positively influence student learning and to build enduring understandings to last their lifetime. She also endeavors to get the latest research into the hands of educators and parents in order to positively impact the math understanding of children and increase the chances that all children learn to LOVE math. Besides tutoring, Amy has travelled the state and country working with experienced and novice educators to enhance professional practice.
Christopher McWilliams
Math Support
Email: camcwilliams421@gmail.com
Hi, I’m Chris McWilliams. I’ve been working in special education for 17 years, and this will be my 10th year teaching in the Boulder Valley School District. I’m licensed to support learners from kindergarten through age 21, and I’ve got a Master’s in Special Education, but more importantly, I really enjoy helping students feel more confident and capable in school.
I focus a lot on math and executive functioning — things like staying organized, managing time, and building routines that actually stick. I meet students where they’re at, break things down in a way that makes sense, and always keep it clear, consistent, and practical.
Outside of teaching, I coach year-round. That carries over into how I work with students: goal-driven, encouraging, and always in their corner. I know school and life can feel like a lot, and I enjoy helping students find ways to make it all feel more manageable.