Dr. Colleen Tano, assistant professor of Literacy Education in the School of Education, was recently elected to the position of President-Elect of the Organization of Teacher Educators in Reading (OTER), which is a special interest group of the International Reading Association. The association is an acclaimed leader in promoting literacy not only in the United States but throughout the world. OTER has been an active and influential special interest group of the International Reading Association since the early 1970s. One of the largest special interest groups in the association, OTER publishes an international refereed journal, Journal of Reading Education, and the membership contributes widely to literacy education, nationally and beyond. Dr. Tano served as Secretary of OTER during 2011-2012 and will succeed to the position of President at the next annual meeting, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, in April 2013.
At the recent annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Tano made two presentations, one of which was the result of collaboration with Dr. Eula Monroe, professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Teacher Education on the BYU Provo campus. Dr. Monroe says of the collaboration: “Although I have studied the use of twin texts in integrating mathematics and literacy for some time, Dr. Tano’s literacy perspective added a dimension of creativity in developing integrated tasks to this presentation that had not been present in my previous work.”
Dr. Tano resides in Kaneohe. She and her husband Darrel have three sons, one daughter and five grandsons. Dr. Tano came to the School of Education at BYU–Hawaii in the Fall of 2005. Prior to BYU–Hawaii, she taught grades three through five for seven years at the Kamehameha Elementary School. She also taught with the Windward District of the Hawaii Department of Education. She is an active member of the church, serving in many callings at the ward and stake level, and is an accomplished pianist and organist. She has also been an active community leader, serving as President of Parent Teacher Associations at Heeia Elementary School and King Intermediate School; coach of a youth soccer organization; and American liaison for an American/Japanese Youth Exchange in Tokyo for Special Olympics. She is also listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers.