Akilah R. Heggs, PhD, CCC-A

Vice President for Planning

Akilah Heggs, PhD, CCC-A, is a licensed audiologist with more than 20 years of experience providing diagnostic and rehabilitation services for infants and young children with hearing loss. She obtained a PhD in public health from Georgia State University, a master’s degree in audiology from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.

She has worked across service delivery settings—including her role as the Director of Programs and Clinical Services at the University of West Georgia and the state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Coordinator for the state of Georgia. At Georgia State University, Dr. Heggs developed an Audiology Assistant Certificate Program and served as the Coordinator for the Pediatric Audiology program and supports interprofessional training of graduate students in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program at Georgia State University. She has also worked for federal and state public health programs including her role as the Part C Early Intervention Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Health, where she provided oversight, guidance, and input into the planning, development, and implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C policies and regulations statewide.

Dr. Heggs has served in various leadership roles at the state and national level in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). Most notably, she is a past president of the Georgia Speech Language Hearing Association (2013–2014) and Strategic Planning Chair (2015), former member of the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (2010–2013), and an alumnus of the ASHA Leadership Development Program (2014). In addition, Dr. Heggs maintains a strong commitment to mentoring the next generation of professionals in CSD and has volunteered as an ASHA Student to Empowered Professional (S.T.E.P.) Mentor.