SLP Education Summit Speaker Bios

John Bernthal, PhD

John Bernthal is Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He holds an MA from the University of Kansas and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has served as a member and chair of the ASHA Standards Council, served as ASHA VP for Quality Services in Speech-Language, ASHA President and President of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Dr. Paula S. Currie

Dr. Paula S. Currie is the Department Head of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Southeastern Louisiana University. She has more than 25 years of experience in the field of speech-language pathology and has worked in a variety of settings. She serves as a site visitor for the Council of Academic Programs and as member of the Demographics and Salary Survey Committee for the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences & Disorders.

Lee Ann C. Golper, PhD

Lee Ann C. Golper is an associate professor in Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences (DHSS), Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine, and the Administrative Director of SLP Clinical Programs at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center. She received her academic training from Indiana University (BA, 1971), Portland State University (MS, 1976), and University of Oregon (PhD, 1982). She has worked for over 25 years in medical center settings and has published and presented extensively in the areas of neurologic communication disorders, medical speech-language pathology, evidence-based practices, and health services delivery. Her publications include textbooks on professional issues in audiology and speech-language pathology, business practices, and medical speech-language pathology. Dr. Golper is Board Certified by the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences; she is an ASHA Fellow and a scientific fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and the American Heart Association-American Stroke Association

Emily M. Homer, MA, CCC-SLP

Emily M. Homer, MA, CCC-SLP is Assistant Coordinator of the Speech/Language/Hearing Therapy Program in St. Tammany Parish Schools in Louisiana. She is the 1999 recipient of the Louis M. DiCarlo Award for the establishment of an interdisciplinary dysphagia team in her school district. The majority of her 29 years in the field of speech-language pathology have been in the public school setting. Ms. Homer is currently serving as the Chairmen of ASHA's working committee on dysphagia in the schools. She has presented nationally, ASHA Conventions and teleconferences on dysphagia in the schools. She contributed to the Language, Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools, January 2000 dysphagia forum, the Survival Guide for School-Based Speech/Language Pathologists, several Division 13 and 16 newsletters and has been featured in The ASHA Leader and Advance magazine.

Gloria Dodwell Kellum, PhD

Dr. Kellum is the Vice Chancellor of University Relations and Professor of Communicative Disorders at The University of Mississippi. In her administrative role, she coordinated the Commitment to Excellence Campaign from 1997-2001, raising donations for Ole Miss. She has taught in speech-language pathology at Ole Miss for more than 30 years. In 1975, she won the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award at the University. In 2004, she was inducted into LSU's Alumni Hall of Distinction. She is married to Jerry Kellum, and they have two daughters, Kate and Kelly.

Dr. Kellum received her doctorate degree in speech-language pathology from Louisiana State University. She was Vice President for Academic Affairs of ASHA from 1993-1994 and served on the ASHA Legislative Council for 16 years. She has recently served on the ASHA Board of Ethics. She is an ASHA Fellow and received the Honors of Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She has conducted research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her areas of interest are craniofacial anomalies, diagnostic processes, and pediatric neurogenic disorders.

Joe A. Melcher, PhD

Joe A. Melcher has been the Program Director at Xavier University in New Orleans for over 35 years. He has served as President of LSHA, NAPP, and Co-Chair of L'GASP. He served on ASHA's Legislative Council, Council on Professional Standards and Multicultural Issues Board. He attended the International Conference on Diversity in Beijing in 2005, and served as Chair for that conference at Xavier in 2006. In addition to continuing membership in above named organizations, he is also a member of AAA, NBASLH, CAPCSD, and is an ASHA Fellow.

Danielle N. Ripich, PhD

Danielle N. Ripich, PhD, assumed the University of New England presidency July 1, 2006. Prior to coming to UNE, she was the dean of the College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where she was also a professor in the University's College of Medicine, Department of Neurology. She is internationally known for her child language research. Dr. Ripich is UNE's fifth president.

President Ripich is widely known for her work in child language, with an emphasis on the hearing impaired, and with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. She has written extensively in her field, including several book chapters and manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, and has served as an editorial consultant to several medical journals.

Before becoming dean at MUSC, President Ripich was chair of the Department of Communication Sciences (1985-1994) and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University (1994-1999). President Ripich earned a PhD in speech pathology from Kent State University. She also received bachelor's and master's degrees in speech pathology from Cleveland State University.

She has been the recipient of many honors and fellowships. In 1996 she was awarded a Congressional Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Judy Rudebusch, EdD, CCC-SLP

Judy Rudebusch, EdD, CCC-SLP, serves as the division director for special services in the Irving Independent School District, located in north Texas. In this role, she oversees program development, coordination, and management for special programs including Title I and other NCLB programs; special education; bilingual, ESL, and migrant education; gifted and talented services; services for at-risk students; and adult ESL training.

Judy currently teaches the Public School Methods for graduate students at the Callier Center-University of Texas at Dallas. She was a member of the ASHA ad hoc committee that established the workload approach to caseload, has served on the Legislative Council and on the Clinical Specialty Board, and is currently on the School Finance Committee. She is a frequent presenter and has a keen interest in and commitment to improving public education using a systems approach to continuous improvement.