Presenters at Working Together in Schools: Whole Child, Whole Team

Meagan E. Avitable, MEdL, is the CEO and owner of Time to Talk IEPs, an educational consulting firm. Over the past 12 years, she was an educator in the St. John’s County School District and Duval County School District. She is passionate about helping students with disabilities achieve success and advocates for families with students in special education programs throughout the country.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Andrea Bertone, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the field of education, specifically within the Wisconsin Public School system. For the majority of her career, Andrea dedicated 18 years to a large, urban school district, where she served in various crucial roles, including speech-language pathologist, diagnostician, and program support teacher. In 2018, Andrea's expertise and commitment to education expanded as she took on a statewide role as an education consultant, providing invaluable support to speech-language pathology initiatives at the state level. Her contributions during this time played a vital role in enhancing the quality of speech-language pathology services across the state. For the past 2 years, Andrea has embraced the challenges and rewards of a leadership position in a small rural district, serving as the Director of Special Education. In this role, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a profound commitment to ensuring the highest standards of special education services for students in the district. With a wealth of experience spanning diverse educational settings, Andrea continues to be a dedicated advocate for quality education and inclusive practices, leaving a lasting impact on the students and professionals she collaborates with.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Employed by Marshall Public Schools

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Kristina Blaiser, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Idaho State University, where she directs the Helping Adults Talk to Children (HATCH) lab. Kristina's research focuses on improving outcomes of young children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing through supporting the families and providers. Kristina is the Coordinator for ASHA's SIG 9 (Pediatric Hearing and Hearing Disorders).

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Recipient of Office of Special Education Program awards, HRSA awards, and awards from the Oberkotter Foundation, which have funded aspects of the data in this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• ASHA SIG 9 (Pediatric Hearing and Hearing Disorders) Coordinator 

Jaime Branaman, MA, CCC-SLP (She/they) is a senior speech pathologist for Ally Behavior Centers, an early intervention center in the DC metro region with a focus in applied behavior analysis for autistic learners age 18 months through 6 years. In addition to early intervention, Jaime has worked in several nonpublic special education programs with learners age 5 through 21. Throughout their 7-year career, Jaime has had the privilege of collaborating with a variety of members of IEP and care teams, including behavior analysts, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, parents, educational lawyers/advocates, and more. These experiences have fostered a passion for educating and facilitating conversations that help break down barriers with other providers whose scopes of practice are perceived as encroaching on those of SLPs.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Employed by Ally Behavior Centers
• ASHA member

Kameron C. Carden, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVEd. (she/her/hers) is an associate research professional in the Department of Psychology at The University of Alabama. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Samford University in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Carden has over 15 years of experience working with children who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH) and their families. As a practitioner, she taught in oral preschool programs, served children and their families through early intervention, and provided outreach services to students and their teachers in public school settings throughout the state of Alabama. She is a board member of the Division for Communication, Language, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DCD) for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and she also serves on Alabama’s Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) as a parent of a child who is D/HH. Her research interests include early language development and ecologically valid language assessment practices for preschoolers who are D/HH using listening and spoken language.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Angela Ciccia, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Communication Sciences Program at Case Western Reserve University. Her research focuses on exploring the barriers to pediatric rehabilitation for children–especially high-risk, low-income groups–with a special focus on pediatric TBI.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Case Western Reserve University

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Elizabeth M. Delsandro, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a certified speech-language pathologist and clinical associate professor of speech-language pathology. Her work is focused on providing clinical education in the areas of language development, social-communication, functional communication, augmentative and alternative communication, emotional regulation, and parent coaching for treatment of young children, school-age children, and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She has held positions in two University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Waisman Center. As a practicing speech-language pathologist, autism consultant, and assistive technology trainer in the public schools, she collaborated with and trained parents and other caregivers, educators, paraprofessionals, therapists, other service providers, and administrators on evidence-based practices for promoting development in children with autism spectrum disorder. As a clinical educator of speech-language pathology in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa, she designed and led innovative summer programming to provide language enrichment and social-communication opportunities for elementary school-age children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their peers. Additionally, she designed and facilitated a 2-week international outreach project in Beijing, China, for 4 consecutive years, with concentration on collaborating with partnering agencies to integrate evidence-based practices for promoting communication development in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Liz is committed to high-quality parent/caregiver coaching, evidence-based intervention for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities, and training of future professionals in the field of speech-language pathology through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Employed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Karen L. Dudek-Brannan, EdD, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is the founder and owner/operator of Dr. Karen, LLC, a company focused on empowering therapists and educators to design interventions that support language, literacy, and executive functioning. She has a doctorate in special education and Director of Special Education and Assistive Technology credentials from Illinois State University, as well as a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in speech-language pathology. She spent 14 years in the school systems and has held various roles in leadership and higher education, teaching and mentoring clinicians and educators. She is the host of the De Facto Leaders podcast, where she shares evidence-based practices, her own experience, and guest expert interviews on topics related to education and health care reform.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Owner/operator of Dr. Karen, LLC

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Kimberly A. Farinella, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a speech-language pathology evaluator and SLPA supervisor for Dynamic Interventions of Northern Arizona. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Arizona and her postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Speech Pathology in the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Farinella’s research interests include treatment efficacy for childhood apraxia of speech, interprofessional practice, and the systematic study of the principles of motor learning.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

James Feeney, PhD, CCC-SLP, has presented extensively at national, regional, state, and international conferences on such topics as traumatic brain injury (TBI), augmentative/alternative communication (AAC), adults with developmental disabilities, literacy-learning in children, and clinical supervision in speech-language pathology. Dr. Feeney has over 30 years of clinical experience and has consulted to several schools and educational centers in New York and Massachusetts. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Bridgewater State University.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Melissa J. Feller, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a PhD candidate at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and a Senior Learning Designer for Zaner-Bloser, Inc. She is a speech-language pathologist/literacy specialist with extensive clinical experience in the area of language-based learning disabilities. She has worked in public school, private interdisciplinary practice, higher education, and educational technology settings. Melissa spent a number of years helping parents navigate the IEP process for children with reading and writing difficulties. She is passionate about improving outcomes for children with dyslexia and developmental learning disorder. To this end, she has become particularly interested in the timely and accurate identification of language-based learning disabilities in children. Melissa’s research interests include reading/spelling relationships, reading disabilities in multilingual populations, and systems-level translation of evidence-based literacy assessment practices in school settings. She's also a mom of 3 young children.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• PhD candidate under mentorship of Dr. Tiffany Hogan at the MGH Institute of Health Professions

Marianne E. Gellert-Jones, MA, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist at The HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She been working in pediatrics for over 30 years, focusing on providing speech-language, AAC, and feeding/dysphagia services within the pediatric population. She has presented at numerous conferences and workshops in the areas of feeding, speech/language/AAC, and respiration for interprofessional colleagues and families of children with complex medical needs. Ms. Gellert-Jones previously held appointments as a speech-language pathologist at Thomas Jefferson University Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital and as a dysphagia specialist at the Children’s Seashore House Pediatric Center for Dysphagia and Feeding Management. She completed her training in pediatric neuro-developmental treatment. She is a member of ASHA and a Fellow in the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Full-time employee of HHMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• ASHA member
• Affiliate of ASHA SIGs 12 & 13

John J. Heilmann, PhD, CCC-SLP (he/him/his) is a professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research has two lines: (1) research and development of assessment tools, including language sample analysis, and (2) implementation research to promote speech-language pathologists' use of best practices. This research is completed in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and districts throughout the state.

Financial Disclosures:

• Employed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Information in this presentation was developed, in part, through a grant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, funded by the U.S. Department of Education

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Christy Hiergeist, MS, CCC-SLP, CED, LSLS Cert. AVT (she/her/hers) is the Supervisor of Hearing, Language and Vision Programs at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit (DCIU), located outside of Philadelphia. Ms. Hiergeist has spent her entire career working in the field of education in the public school systems in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. Ms. Hiergeist earned her bachelor’s degree in the field of deaf education and her master’s degree in speech-language pathology. She earned a postgraduate certificate as a supervisor of special education. As a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing, she has taught students from birth-high school graduation, working with the youngest of learners and their families up through students as they enter college. Ms. Hiergeist was certified as a LSLS Auditory Verbal Therapist in 2008 and has mentored many other professionals as they seek out certification. As the current supervisor of the DCIU Hearing and Language program, she oversees 10 classrooms for students with hearing and language needs as well as almost 300 students who receive services on an itinerant basis. Ms. Hiergeist was recently named to the advisory board of Educational Resources for Children with Hearing Loss (ERCHL), which reports to the Bureau of Special Education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She has spoken nationally about topics related to educating students with hearing loss.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from DCIU

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Member of ERCHL

Rachel Wright Karem, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is a clinical assistant professor at Indiana University and a certified bilingual English-Spanish-speaking speech-language pathologist. Rachel obtained her clinical competency in services for multilingual learners from the Indiana University Speech Therapy Education, Practicum, and Services (STEPS) program. Rachel obtained her PhD in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Cincinnati. Her research and areas of clinical expertise include multilingual language development, comprehensive assessment practices, and culturally sustaining classroom practices.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Full-time employee at Indiana University

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Virginia Keil, MS (she/her/hers) is a special education teacher at Grant High School in Portland, Oregon. She presently co-teaches with Greta West, MS, CCC-SLP, to serve neurodivergent students in grades 9-12. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in special education. Virginia has taught at all levels K-12, providing special education services in her 9 years of teaching experience. Virginia co-presented at the ASHA Convention in 2023 on supporting the success of autistic students through a neurodiversity-affirming co-teaching model. In her free time she enjoys hiking and skiing.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Portland Public Schools

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Leslie E. Kokotek, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) recently completed her PhD in the Pediatric Language, Literacy and Speech Outcomes Lab at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. Her research interests and clinical focus include better understanding and improving speech-language outcomes for underserved populations, with an emphasis on culturally responsive practices.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Employee at the University of Cincinnati with salary support through a grant from NIDCD
• Previous recipient of NIH Diversity Supplement grant award

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Lesley Maxwell, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is Associate Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. She is a specialist in pediatric speech-language pathology and clinical education, with expertise in coaching, leadership development, school-age language learning disabilities, and language and literacy instruction in regular education classrooms. Ms. Maxwell is a school leadership coach and professional development provider at the state and national levels in the areas of language and literacy as well as communication disorders in children.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Faculty member at the MGH Institute of Health Professions
• Employed as a school coach for the HILL for Literacy on a contract basis working on a Massachusetts state funded literacy grant

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Kristin McKeown, MEd, ATP (she/her/hers) is the Director of Assistive Technology and IT at HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Philadelphia. Kristin is a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and Pennsylvania-certified special education teacher. Kristin’s work in assistive technology has spanned 30 years and has reached individuals with disabilities in all stages of life. She has utilized her assistive technology knowledge as an Assistive Technology Consultant, AAC vendor, and classroom teacher of students with multiple disabilities and complex communication needs. She has most recently taken on the role of Director of Assistive Technology/IT at HMS School. Kristin has presented at statewide and national conferences, including PATTAN, Closing the Gap, Council for Exceptional Children, and Helix. She has published articles in Exceptional Parent and Closing the Gap.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Full-time employee of HHMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Deborah Schwind, DHSc, OTR/L, BCP, SCSS, FAOTA (she/her/hers) is a Board- Certified Pediatric occupational therapist who is currently working for Loudoun County Public Schools, where she serves children from preschool through middle school. She has also supported high school students and a Project SEARCH program in the past. Her dissertation research was a program evaluation on a school-based Community Based Instruction (CBI) program that develops transition skills early. She has published articles, co-authored book chapters, been featured on several podcasts, and done presentations nationally on a variety of topics including transition, UDL, adapting the art curriculum, and functional life skills. She taught at Tidewater Community College, where she served as the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program and taught the pediatrics courses. In addition, she worked at Northern Virginia Community College in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program and taught the assistive technology course. She has also worked in pediatric home health, pediatric rehab, acute care, early intervention, and outpatient setting. She serves on the Transition committee for the American Occupational Therapy Association and serves on the Advisory Board for the Occupational Therapy Department at Old Dominion University. She was awarded the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Innovator Award in 2021 and was honored with the Roster of Fellows in 2023 from the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Andrew Shanock, PhD,  is a professor of school psychology Dr. Shanock specializes in cognitive and academic assessment. He has served as president of the Trainers of School Psychologists (TSP), NY Association of School Psychologists (NYASP), and the Trainers of School Psychologists: New York (TSPNY). Dr. Shanock has been a featured speaker at the national and state level for a variety of educational professionals, including speech-language pathologists, teachers, school psychologists, and administrators. He consults with school districts around the country to promote issues such as collaborative assessment, MTSS/RtI, the Science of Reading, and instructional support team-building. Dr. Shanock’s presentations are informative, entertaining, and interactive. As a wannabe SLP, Shanock is honored to be part of this ASHA experience.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Eleni X. Steadman, MS (she/her/hers) is a speech-language pathologist and literacy specialist who is a Literacy Consultant with HILL for Literacy. She started her career in 2000 when she began working in the public school system, servicing students K-5 with a wide range of oral and written language differences. She joined a team of reading experts in the summer of 2002 and 2003 to deliver training under the Reading First Grant in the state of Massachusetts. She became a member of the staff at HILL for Literacy in 2005 to further her involvement in delivering professional learning for classroom teachers, reading specialists and interventionists. Throughout her time with HILL for Literacy, Eleni has been trained in Fundations, Project Read, LIPS, Enhanced Core Reading Instruction, and LETRS, and has served as a DIBELS Mentor. She is particularly interested in creating tiered systems of support so that all professionals in a school system work to together to provide the best, most aligned instruction to all students. Eleni enjoys coaching in foundational skills instruction and is always amazed at how much she learns from the students with whom she works. Eleni is excited to embark in her 24th year in the field and to present with a former professor at the Institute of Health Professions.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

McKinzee Steve, MA, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is employed by the Austin Independent School District as a certified speech-language pathologist and augmentative and alternative communication specialist. She also works part-time as a clinical educator for the University of St. Augustine. Her experience includes school-based, university-based, and home health speech-language pathology for children with speech and language disorders. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with her MA in communication sciences and disorders. Her professional interests include accessibility, inclusion, AAC, literacy, bi/multilingualism, and collaborative models of service delivery.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from the Austin Independent School District

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Erin Stehle Wallace, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor at Longwood University in Communication Sciences and Disorders. In 2020, she received her doctoral degree in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Before completing her doctorate, Erin worked as a speech-language pathologist in a variety of settings, including public and private elementary and high schools, private clinics, an audiology clinic, school for autistic children, and home-based therapy. Currently, Erin teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels and provides supervision in Longwood's on-campus speech and language clinic. Erin primarily teachers childhood language development and disorders, research methods, childhood language and literacy lab, phonetics, and speech disorders. Erin’s research interests included the association between language and behavior, children and youth with language delay and challenging behavior, the use of behavior-supportive strategies, language-supportive strategies and their association with child language outcomes, and collaboration among speech-language pathologists and educators.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Employee at Longwood University

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Greta P. West, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) works part-time co-teaching high schoolers at a public school and part-time in private practice (www.ndhumanalliance.com) supporting neurodivergent people across the life span in Portland, Oregon. An AuDHDer herself, she is passionate about learning from neurodivergent people and supporting therapists in developing and implementing neurodiversity-affirming practices. She holds a BA in theatre from NYU, and an MS in speech-language pathology from Portland State University. Her sources of joy include reading and learning about neurodiversity, paleo-anthropology, ancient history, reading, and her kids.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salary from Portland Public Schools 
• Owner of, and salary from, NDHumanAlliance

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Is AuDHD
• Has autistic and ADHD friends, colleagues, and family members

Alyssa Wojtyna, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is the Project Manager/Statewide Coordinator for the Wisconsin Collective for Comprehensive Assessment (WisCCA) grant for speech-language pathologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her clinical and research focuses include speech-language pathology assessment and intervention practices for students with communication needs in addition to inclusive services within the school settings.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Employed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Information in this presentation was developed, in part, through a grant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, funded by the U.S. Department of Education

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

Sarah Young Hong, MA, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) is the undergraduate and graduate program director for the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders and an Associate Clinical Professor at Northeastern University. She oversees the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology program, combined undergraduate bachelor’s degrees, undergraduate minors, the PlusOne BS/MS program, and the Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology programs. In addition to teaching, her current clinical interests include literacy, accent modification, and early intervention.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Salaried employee at Northeastern University

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• None

"I was most impressed by the speakers and their depth of knowledge and experience. This was an impressive and memorable learning experience."