Team
Meet our Team
We always joke that our ideal tutor is just a really smart clown. Our tutors speak "kid" fluently, know how to make the hard stuff fun, and are trained in research verified methods that work for students who have struggled in other settings.
Rehab Shahbal
Founder & CEO, DYStinct Learners
Rehab Shahbal leads DYStinct Learners as its Founder and CEO. A dedicated mother of three, including a child with dyslexia, Rehab is deeply committed to transforming the landscape of educational support. Her personal journey fuels her mission to ensure that specialized, research-driven services are readily accessible to students, parents, and educators dealing with dyslexia and other learning differences. With over 25 years of experience in senior executive roles, Rehab brings a wealth of knowledge and a strategic approach to her leadership. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, specializing in Strategic Management, from the University of Strathclyde.
Sherry Maher, MSc
Head of Learning
Sherry Maher, Head of Learning at DYStinct Learners, holds a Master’s in Psychology and is a certified Dyslexia Specialist and Positive Discipline Parent Educator. With over nine years of educational experience, she specializes in multi-sensory and holistic approaches to special education.
Lisa Murphy, M.S. Ed.
Education Specialist
Lisa Murphy has spent over half her life teaching reading, starting in Boston and later developing an RTI program in Hawaii, and leading the Intensive Reading Program at Maine's Aucocisco School. She holds an M.S. Ed. in Curriculum Design and a teaching certificate in Special Education.
Shameem Banu
Dyslexia Specialist, ADSHE, UK; Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist, USA; Associate Level-Orton Gillingham Practitioner, USA
Shameem Banu, with 14 years in higher education and a Master's in Rehabilitation Science, is a recognized SpLD Study Skills Specialist and Dyslexia Interventionist. She has extensively trained over 2000 professionals worldwide and authored six peer-reviewed research articles in the field of learning differences and structured literacy.
Laura Gowers
Dyslexia Assessor
Laura is a level 7 qualified dyslexia assessor and specialist teacher with 25 years of experience in the UK. She holds postgraduate qualifications in special education, psychometric testing, assessment and access arrangement, specializing in identifying the correct support for each learner.
Christine Glenn
Dyslexia Specialist
Christine Glenn, a certified Exam Access Arrangement Assessor, has over 15 years of experience supporting learners with additional needs. With advanced degrees in Education and Psychology, she specializes in study skills, exam preparation, and curriculum remediation for dyslexic students, consistently helping them exceed GCSE and A-Level expectations.
Nazli El Leithy
Learning Intervention Specialist
Nazli is our Learning Intervention Specialist supporting children aged 4-12 years with a range of developmental disabilities and learning difficulties. She holds a MA in Special & Inclusive Education from University College of London and is a Registered Test User in Educational Testing with the British Psychological Society.