Meet Reading Horizons Executive Team
Reading Horizons is full of passionate people that are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of struggling readers and assisting educators in their efforts.
Tyson J. Smith
Company President and CEO
President of Reading Horizons, Tyson has guided the Kaysville-based company into becoming a national and international education publishing enterprise. Since its inception over 33 years ago, Reading Horizons has had a firm focus on its goal to publish and market industry-leading education products, centered on the Reading Horizons reading strategies. Tyson received his Undergraduate Degree in Business Management from the University of Utah and his MBA from Brigham Young University. He first joined Reading Horizons in 1998 as Executive Vice President with an emphasis in Marketing and Sales. He assumed the role as President of Reading Horizons in October 2001 and since that time has overseen steady sales growth and a myriad of improvements to the Reading Horizons line of products. Tyson has worked with thousands of educators across the world to help make dramatic improvements in literacy rates for their students. He has also presented at education and technology conventions throughout North America and internationally.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
“My motives for working here are entirely selfish. I love the feeling that I get when I talk to a teacher who says, 'I can’t believe I didn’t know this; I’m so excited to put it to use!' I enjoy hearing about students who have a new-found love of literature and whose grades have gone from C’s and D’s to A’s and B’s. I love the feeling I get working here with committed individuals who make me want to stretch myself to meet their standard. I love coming to work and feeling like we are doing something great and that we’re doing it the right way. So as you can see, it’s all about me. (Wow! That even rhymes.)”
Alisha Thomas
General Manager
Alisha is the General Manager and Administrative Assistant to the President at Reading Horizons. Alisha received her Bachelor's Degree from Weber State University and a Masters Degree from Walla Walla College in Spokane, Washington. She has developed a diverse set of skills and institutional knowledge as she has served in various departments throughout the company over the past 11 years. Alisha sets the tone for the staff by exhibiting a strong work ethic and seasoned organizational skills, both of which serve her well in her role as General Manager at Reading Horizons. Her exceptional leadership has improved effectiveness in office procedures and in warehouse production. Alisha enjoys her alone time, reading her favorite books, watching Dr. Who, hiking in southern Utah, and spending time with family.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
“I am making a difference in the lives of those we serve. I have personally seen the difference it makes in the life of a child who has always had problems reading, so I know what we do works. I also love talking with people about what we do because I see that they recognize the method and products as being unique and that the systematic instruction works with beginning and struggling readers. I also love working with the people here. They help me want to become a better person.”
Joe Billman
Software Development Director
Joe Billman has been involved in software development for over ten years. The majority of this time has been spent developing educational software. He has a BIS degree from Weber State University where he studied Computer Science. Joe loves working with really talented developers to create high quality products. He currently directs the team of software engineers here at Reading Horizons.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
"I love software development and am very passionate about it. Working for Reading Horizons not only allows me to develop software, it also allows me to make a difference in people's lives. Knowing that, gives my job and ultimately my life more purpose."
Stacy Hurst
Curriculum Director
Stacy Hurst has degrees in Sociology and Elementary Education and Reading, and she has Advanced Reading and ESL Endorsements. During her twenty years as an educator, she has been a first grade teacher, ELL teacher, literacy coach, and reading specialist. Her extensive experience also includes coordinating interventions for struggling readers, implementing blended learning, and training thousands of teachers on effective literacy instruction. Stacy is the Curriculum Director at Reading Horizons and is the co-author of Reading Horizons Discovery®.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
"The reason that I love working for Reading Horizons can be summed up in as few as four little words that each have big meaning: purpose, passion, potential, and people. I love that our purpose is to make a difference in the lives of people who are learning to read. The passion that we have towards this purpose is evident in every corner of the company. I get most excited about the fact that we can increase the potential of many people. We can increase the potential of teachers by providing them with knowledge and quality materials to enhance their teaching; of beginning readers who are put on a heightened trajectory when they receive quality instruction in the nascent stages of learning to read; and of struggling readers who are infused with a renewed hope for life because they are able to read better than they ever have. Finally, I love the people at Reading Horizons. It has been said that we only hire nice people, and I believe it! It is energizing to work with capable, dedicated, and talented people who have such vision for making a difference in the world."
Jonathan W. Diaz
Web Development Manager
Jonathan Diaz is the Web Development Manager at Reading Horizons. He graduated from high-school early with honors and entered the workforce at 17. One of his first jobs was at an engineering firm sketching piping schematics for a local utility provider. He was also asked to consider what improvements could be made to their website. This was where he gained most of his initial training and passion for web development. Throughout his years in college, he continued to develop and deliver websites for small businesses. Jon brings a wealth of web development experience to his role at Reading Horizons with a solid foundation in mainstream web technologies and practices, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, asp.net, SQL, Photoshop, SEO, analytics, social media, and much more. He considers it a great honor to serve on the web team and feels that it has deepened his knowledge and experience.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
"I'm passionate about working for Reading Horizons because I'm doing what I love—web design—while changing peoples’ lives. Not everyone is as blessed as I've been to love what you do for a living while having such a tremendous impact on people. I get to use my skill set to empower educators to reach their students who struggle with reading, giving them a chance at a better future. I use my talents to reach adults who haven't been able to find jobs because they can't read and fill out an application. This is why I'm so passionate about working for Reading Horizons."
Sarah McMullin
Marketing Manager
Sarah McMullin came to Reading Horizons by way of Texas where she lived for nearly a decade. She studied law at the University of Houston Law Center to complement her degree in Business Management. During undergrad, she worked her way through school as a search engine marketing specialist with an emphasis in Google AdWords and SEO. In law school she spent summers interning, including a period with the Department of Homeland Security Houston office. Most recently Sarah was managing the marketing efforts of a health information technology firm, so the switch represents a significant market change. At Reading Horizons she manages the marketing team, overseeing strategic efforts and content generation.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
"The ability to work in an industry that reaches so far with products that do so much good for the world is an amazing opportunity. I'm grateful I can say that "what I do" is helping the world learn to read. That's a rare thing. I get to improve my skill set, learn a new industry, and work with people who feel like family. I can't help but feel lucky."
Ryan Burwell
Customer Success Manager
Ryan Burwell has been with Reading Horizons for over six years. He has been involved in the warehouse, technical support, development, sales, sales support and customer service in many different roles. He currently directs the customer success manager and implementation coach teams. He has his CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications, an Associate’s Degree in Business from Salt Lake Community College, and is currently working towards his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Systems at David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. In his free time, he enjoys watching baseball, watching and playing soccer, playing games and reading science fiction novels.
Why are you passionate about working for Reading Horizons?
"I have never worked anywhere else where I felt I had such purpose. I have grown to recognize the tremendous need to improve people’s ability to read which – in turn – improves their lives. I have gained so much respect for the amazing people that work in education to help deliver this result. I have a passion for excellent customer service. I want to know that I make a difference in someone’s day. I love talking to teachers and feeling like I am a part of something bigger than myself."
