Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council Candidate Member Statements
Kentucky
Lyn R. Tindall, PhD, CCC-SLP
I became an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist in 1987. Thus, embarking on a career that has been challenging, exciting, rewarding, and ever growing and changing to meet the needs of individuals with communication disorders. As a speech-language pathologist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lexington, KY, my area of expertise has been in the assessment and treatment of adult communication disorders. More recently, my interest has been in using telepractice to provide speech pathology services to veterans. In 2007, I was awarded a doctorate in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Kentucky. My dissertation was a comparison of a telepractice application to in-person outcomes of voice therapy.
I have served on several boards and organizations in different capacities. I have been the secretary-treasurer of the Association of VA Speech-Language Pathologists for the past three years. I was a founding member and current board member of SIG #18, Telepractice, and serve as the editor for Perspectives on Telepractice. I have been a member of the University of Kentucky and VA Institutional Review Board (IRB) and currently serve as vice-chair of the VA IRB. In addition to the IRB, I am a member of the VA Research and Development Committee and secretary-treasurer of the non-profit Lexington Biomedical Research Institute.
Telepractice is a growing field and impacts all areas of speech-language pathology. As a member of the advisory board, I believe I will bring experience in telepractice, as well as committee experience to guide ASHA’s future.
Louisiana
Kerrilyn R. Phillips, SLP.D, CCC-SLP
As Louisiana’s Advisory Council member, I have had the unique opportunity to work with the “think tank” of the Association by identifying, discussing, and ranking issues of concern expressed by the members of the profession. Continued service on the Advisory Council would allow me to make contributions to the critical issues/concerns facing the professions; maintain an inclusive understanding/working relationship with professionals; and advocate for the professionals and consumers of the Association.
As a SLP in Louisiana for the past 28 years, I have worked in a variety of settings including public schools, hospital/rehab, private practice, and higher education. My leadership positions in ASHA, LSHA, and LBESPA have allowed me to consider multiple viewpoints, work with a variety of individuals, and communicate ideas across a broad spectrum. My service to ASHA includes SIG 11 Editor for Perspectives in Administration and Supervision, as a Reviewer/Judging Panel member for the Minority Student Leadership Program, Healthcare Leadership Program, ASHA Leader Outstanding Contribution Award, the Division 13 Advocacy Committee, and as a member of the 2007 Leadership Development Program. I am a past president of LSHA and currently serve as the Secretary-Treasurer for the state licensure board as well as being a past Chair. My involvement at the state and national level includes participation in the legislative process, development of by-law changes, and the revision of rules and regulations for professional practice. These prior services make me a good candidate to continue to serve a second term as a member of the Advisory Council.
Maryland
Patricia L. Laibstain, MS, CCC-SLP
It is my honor to ask for your support as I run for Maryland’s SLP Advisory Council. I am excited about the possibility of representing our state at the national level for the 2014-2016 term.
From 2009-2010, I first served as Maryland’s representative on the SLP Advisory Council. I believe that my experience at that time would enable me to represent the state of Maryland even more fully. If chosen to serve again in this capacity, I would be charged with identifying and discussing issues of concern to ASHA members. I believe that my 15+ years of hands-on experience as a clinician and my years of administrative experience make me an excellent candidate for this role. Clinically, I have worked with a diversity of students including, but not limited to, students with autism, traumatic brain injuries, emotional and behavioral disorders, language learning disabilities, and multiple disabilities. In terms of administrative experience, I serve as Associate Director of Speech-Language Services at Kennedy Krieger School Programs. In this capacity, I oversee a team of 29 clinicians and am responsible for oversight of 6 campuses. The position requires me to strategize, work collaboratively with people individually and in groups, and to think and work in a creative and organized manner. If appointed, I will bring these skills to our national organization.
I am open to input and suggestions and promise to bring a strong and informed voice to our organization. I hope you will consider me for this important role.
Gloria Jeanne Petit-Clair, ME, CCC-SLP
I am deeply appreciative of the nomination to represent Maryland as a member of the SLP Advisory Council.
I have been a continuously employed SLP 45 years, both health care and education settings. I am now in “reHIREment”, by assuming positions at Loyola University and in AACPS.
In the past 12 years, I have been involved in MSHA’s public policy endeavors. MSHA successfully organized efforts that led to “gains” for SLPs and our consumers. Following the passage of a law requiring comprehensive licensure, I successfully mobilized related service providers to defeat a proposed regulatory change by the MSDE that would have impacted the contractural status of related service providers. I served as MSHA President 2010-2012, MD SEAL for 2 years, and I will begin my service as the MD STAR in 2013.
I recognize the challenges of being a member of the SLP Advisory Council. I feel that my professional growth and experiences in the last 12 years has led to this nomination. I am committed to the growth of the profession, to the support of SLPs in their work and learning environments and to providing consumer access to our services.
Massachusetts
Sharon A. Parisi, MA, CCC-SLP
I have been practicing as a speech-language pathologist for over 30 years. My specialty is preschool literacy. I have been in the same district for 20 years and feel that I have a great deal of knowledge and skill to offer ASHA, especially as a school-based speech-language pathologist.
I served on the executive committee for Massachusetts Speech and Hearing Association for 12 years, starting as school affairs chair and moving up to president. I was the MSHA representative on a committee with the Board of Licensure and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create regulations for speech-language pathology assistants. We also worked to ensure that all slp’s practicing in the state of Massachusetts were aware of the licensure requirements for our state.
I served as mentor and supervisor for various CFY’s as well as student interns. I am a graduate of the leadership training program of 2008.
I have been a board member of the Braintree Education Association as well as a board member and President of my synagogue. I currently am the production manager for my local community theater.
In 2004 I returned to school and earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Literacy. I am an active learner and recently earned my 7th ACE. Since I am a school-based speech-language pathologist, I feel that I can be a voice for those working in the schools
Mississippi
Rachel K. Powell, PhD, CCC-SLP
I am seeking to represent the state of Mississippi in the position of ASHA Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council (SLPAC). It is my goal for the issues and concerns of Mississippi speech-language pathologists to be represented at the national level, and to be active in advocating for our profession in our state and nationally. I am a speech-language pathologist in a school setting, and I have been a member of the Mississippi Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) Executive Board as the Vice President: School Issues since 2010. I have been elected President-Elect of MSHA, and will serve as President in 2014. My roles in MSHA led me to be selected and participate in the ASHA Leadership Development Program for SLPs in Schools, and this training has proven beneficial in developing my leadership skills. If elected to the position of SLPAC, I will serve as a voice and advocate for the speech-language pathologists in our state. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in schools, as well as the changing healthcare landscape, speech-language pathologists will face many obstacles and challenges in the provision of effective services for our students and clients. It will be our responsibility to be pro-active leaders for our profession in the promotion of the quality of services we provide. If elected, I will advocate for the rights of every student and client who needs speech-language pathology services, and for the quality of services we provide as professionals in communication disorders.
Missouri
Carlotta Kimble, PhD, CCC-SLP
Service. Continued service to the professions is the reason I am seeking appointment to this council. I have been active in service to our profession at a state and national level. I have been active in the Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) for many years, as a volunteer and as an Executive Board member. I served three years as the chair and coordinator for the MSHA Minority Student Leadership Program. Additionally, I served as the Vice President for Clinical Services, President Elect, President, and Past President for our state organization. Currently, I am a nominee for the State Interagency Coordinating Council, a gubernatorial appointed position. This council makes policy for early intervention and preschool services. I have actively participated in this council the past year and a half in preparation for the appointment to the council. At the national level, I served as chair of the Council of State Association Presidents (CSAP) Time and Place Committee and served on the CSAP Brochure Committee. Because of my experience in MSHA, I am familiar with policy-making, advocacy, budgets, and strategic planning issues. My experience at the state level has allowed me opportunity to know the needs and concerns of our membership and the clients we serve. I desire to represent the State of Missouri on the Advisory Council, to serve our speech-language pathologists, and to contribute to the professions through service to our national organization.
Richard A. McGuire, PhD, CCC-SLP
Since becoming a member of ASHA, I have actively sought leadership opportunities within my profession. I have served on a host of state and national committees and am interesting in continuing this commitment to my profession by seeking an appointment to the Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council. I am a “graduate” of ASHA’s Leadership Development Program (LPD) and have served as a multiple terms as a university department chair. I was the Executive Secretary of the American Association of Phonetic Sciences, have chaired the State of Missouri Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Advisory Commission and have been a site-visitor for the Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA). Based on these as well as other volunteer experiences in my past, I feel I am a strong candidate for appointment to the Advisory Council.
I have worked with and represented individuals and institutions across the State of Missouri in the context of recent Rules and Statute changes. I believe these activities have strengthened my understanding of the legislative process and have given me experience in representing the diverse interests of SLP professionals in the State of Missouri and beyond. In these activities and my other professional service, I have come to understand the importance of listening to multiple viewpoints prior the participating in creative problem solving within the context of seeking group consensus and advancing initiatives. I am hopeful that I will be given the opportunity to serve ASHA and the State of Missouri Speech-Language Pathology community through membership on the Advisory Council.
Montana
Jenny Lee Nitz, ME, CCC-SLP
I have a great deal of volunteer experience through my work with the Junior League of Billings and through my local church. I am interested in bringing the therapists’ thoughts and ideas of what is important to our profession to the attention/awareness of the national organization. The state of Montana is unique in that our population is so much smaller than other states and fairly rural, so that it is very important for legislatures’ to know and understand the unusual working conditions and needs of our clients and the therapists. I like meeting and talking with all kinds of people and telling others of my job and why I love what I do.
Nebraska
Mitzi J. Ritzman, PhD, CCC-SLP
I am honored to be nominated to serve on the ASHA Advisory Council. Advocacy is at the core of my professional identity and is woven throughout my daily work, whether that is working with undergraduate and graduate students, providing support to those with communication disorders or collaborating with community partners. It is critical for each of us to embrace our how this may fit into what we do each day; ASHA’s Advisory Council provides leadership in understanding how to do this. The primary role of the Council is to discuss and share information related to topics that are relevant to ASHA members. I also believe it is important to share this information with those who may not currently be ASHA members, through state associations, as membership ‘value’ is often a topic of discussion among practicing professionals. I have served as a member of the Nebraska State Speech Language Hearing Association (NSLHA) Board of Directors since 2006, as the advisor for the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. In addition, I have served as a member of the NSLHA Continuing Education Committee since 2003. Overall, as we think about the future of the professions, I believe it is critical to be forward thinking in our process. We must continue to develop leadership skills among our professionals while also discovering new clinical practices. As a part of our growth, we are challenged to embrace new ideas, collaborate with an ever-growing number of colleagues, and communicate our roles as a profession with our stakeholders. This is an exciting time to be a speech-language pathologist!
New Jersey
Kathleen H. Palatucci, MA, CCC-SLP
Now is the time for engaged leadership. We face critical issues which impact our profession, whether we provide services in schools or healthcare, or prepare future clinicians and researchers. Among other duties, the Advisory Council engages in advocacy efforts and provides an important link between ASHA Members and the Board. As a member of the ASHA Advisory Council the past two years I have had the rare opportunity to participate with extraordinary leaders in our profession. If elected to represent NJ during these challenging times, I pledge to continue to serve to the best of my ability.
Kristin N. Patterson-Maas, MS, CCC-SLP
I am seeking this appointment because I have a passion for improving speech-language therapy for both clinicians and students. I have many strengths that qualify me to be a member of the Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council. My professional qualifications include:
- Pride in the quality of my work, and a willingness to personally perform any task required to remove project obstacles in order to complete the assigned task.
- Exceptional writing skills with meticulous attention to details such as correct spelling, grammar, and expression.
- Ability to envision how specific systems and procedures should look and flow, and to communicate those ideas to others positive results.
- Ability to understand and adhere to state mandated regulations, and to identify and rectify oversights that would unnecessarily consume time and money.
- Ability to utilize creative and innovative strategies to maximize the positive impact of problem-solving strategies.
- Excellent skills in guiding, motivating, training and mentoring other professionals.
New York
Leslie C. Grubler, MA, CCC-SLP
Of all the roles that Speech-Language Pathologists assume in fulfillment of their scope of practice, there is no role today that is more important than that of advocate – not only as it applies in our work on behalf of each of our patients but for its applications in the maintenance of our profession during periods of financial crises and resulting governmental-imposed reforms.
I am proud to have represented professionals statewide in Albany providing testimony to the NYS Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Health, to the NYC Council on Health and Mental Hygiene in the area of Early Intervention, and to the State Early Intervention Coordinating Council. I am proud to have coordinated numerous Press Conferences on the steps of City Hall and in the Empire Plaza to speak out against fraud, am proud to have met with numerous state and local legislators to educate them on Autism initiatives and our role as speech-language pathologists, and am proud to have initiated the first annual Lighting of the Unisphere for Autism Awareness for our children and adults with autism.
As a candidate for the Speech-Language Advisory Board in NYS as part of ASHA, and as an administrator, supervisor, hands-on clinician, private-practitioner, and academician it is my hope to continue this necessary work in advocacy to bring the challenges and concerns of speech-language pathologists across the state to our national organization in the hopes that the outcomes of issues that arise and are resolved in NYS can benefit all Speech-Language Pathologists nationwide particularly during these periods of fiscal uncertainty.