President's Initiative 2025: Impact
What is Impact?
An initiative of 2025 ASHA Board President Bernadette Mayfield-Clarke, Impact is a campaign that celebrates and values the integral role members play in the communication sciences and disorders (CSD) professions. You are the transformative change agents who are making a significant impact in your community and profession.
Share Your Stories of Transformative Impact.
Be a part of this impactful campaign. Your story could inspire others and contribute to the innovative work that is currently being done in the CSD discipline.
Snappy Speech®
Mindy Hudon, MS, CCC-SLP & Rachelle Mauer, MS, CCC-SLP
School-based SLPs Mindy Hudon, MS, CCC-SLP, and Rachelle Mauer, MS, CCC-SLP, saw a common problem: Students with mild-to-moderate articulation needs were making slow progress and staying on caseloads year after year. Traditional 30-minute group sessions just weren’t providing enough targeted practice. Instead of accepting the status quo, they set out to find a smarter, more sustainable solution.
They created Snappy Speech®, a research-based articulation model that uses short, frequent sessions to boost student progress. By training and supervising Extenders to help deliver sessions under SLP guidance, Mindy and Rachelle created a scalable approach that improves outcomes, reduces burnout, and keeps services compliant.
Dysphagia Outreach Project
Hillary Cooper, MA, CCC-SLP
When Hillary Cooper, MS, CCC-SLP, saw her patients struggling to afford essential dysphagia supplies, she knew something had to change. What began as a few donated items quickly became the Dysphagia Outreach Project—a national nonprofit providing free access to thickeners, adaptive utensils, oral care products, and more. In 2024 alone, the project distributed $70,000 worth of supplies to over 400 families across the country.
But the impact goes far beyond products. The Dysphagia Outreach Project is restoring dignity, preventing hospitalizations, reducing caregiver stress, and helping people with swallowing disorders eat safely at home. By combining community outreach, health equity advocacy, and research, Hillary is creating lasting change in dysphagia care—one delivery, one conversation, and one family at a time.
FAST Fund
Danielle Osmelak, EdD, MS, CCC-SLP
Governors State University faculty member Danielle Osmelak, EdD, MS, CCC-SLP, is helping lead a growing effort to support student and community well-being through the Faculty And Students Together (FAST) Fund (@gsu.fastfunds). Thanks to faculty and student collaboration, the initiative is creating real solutions to challenges that many face outside the classroom. The FAST Fund helps in the community many ways: providing cash assistance for food, housing, and transportation; facilitating connections to resources; and donating materials to meet basic needs.
What sets this work apart is the shared leadership between faculty and students. Through advocacy and hands-on support, future professionals are learning how to meet community needs and address social determinants of health with compassion. All funds and resources are gathered through faculty donations and community support, including partnerships with organizations such as Believe in Students and UPI Local 4100.
Career Talks: Grow Your Own Audiologist or SLP
Lynne Stevens, MS, CCC-SLP
Lynne Stevens, MS, CCC-SLP, has launched a grassroots initiative educating high school students about careers in communication sciences and disorders (CSD).
The program is a collaboration between Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools, an SLP supervisor, school-based SLPs, college and career information coordinators, administrators, ASHA, and NSSLHA. Lynne is already more than halfway to her goal of presenting to all 27 high schools in the county. She is making an impact by informing and inspiring future CSD professionals with accurate career information.
Innovating Across Borders
Carol C. Dudding, PhD, CCC-SLP, F-ASHA
As an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, ASHA Board Member Carol C. Dudding, PhD, CCC-SLP, F-ASHA, collaborated with academic and clinical leaders in Aotearoa, New Zealand. During her visit, she shared insights on clinical education, research, and practice, while learning from international colleagues to explore new approaches that can benefit the global CSD community.
Her work focused on the future of learning, including the use of immersive technology like Apple Vision Pro to enhance clinical training and therapy. She also explored opportunities for expanding distance education to enhance access to high-quality speech-language pathology programs. This experience strengthened academic partnerships and emphasized the value of global collaboration to move the professions forward.
Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus
The Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus (API Caucus) is celebrating 40 years of advocacy, community, and progress in communication sciences and disorders! The caucus supports and amplifies Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voices in the communication sciences and disorders (CSD) field, providing a professional network for clinicians, students, researchers, and educators across the country. These members work to broaden inclusion, reduce systemic barriers, increase access to services, and address issues in education. In the last three years, the caucus has expanded its reach by awarding scholarships to nine undergraduate and graduate students in CSD programs.
From supporting students to advocating for greater inclusion, the API Caucus continues to make a lasting impact thanks to its more than 2,500 members. As it celebrates this 40-year milestone, the caucus is honoring its past while building toward a brighter future.
The Jewish Caucus
Michelle Posner, MS, CCC-SLP
What began as a conversation has grown into a thriving network! Michelle Posner, MS, CCC-SLP, founded The Jewish Caucus, ASHA’s newest Multicultural Constituency Group (MCCG). The caucus now connects nearly 400 Jewish audiologists and SLPs, offering mentorship, advocacy, and professional development opportunities. From social media to its first in-person event at ASHA’s 2024 Convention in Seattle, this group is quickly growing while fostering recognition and solidarity in the field.
Smiles for Speech
Sandy Dorsey, MA, CCC-SLP
Sandy Dorsey, MA, CCC-SLP, is making an Impact as founder of Smiles for Speech, Inc., a non-profit organization that since 2017 has offered therapeutic services, education, training, and parental resources collaborating with fellow inter-professional colleagues to expand access to care in Ghana and beyond. Project Ghana, a collaborative effort, launched in 2019, has offered support to the growth of the speech therapy profession across five regions in Ghana, with a concentration in Accra.
In July 2025, Smiles for Speech will open the doors to the Smiles for Speech Early Learning Center in Northern Ghana during their 5th mission trip to Ghana. This center will address the critical need for increased awareness of disabilities and therapeutic services in a region that currently has only one speech-language pathologist. Smiles for Speech is not only empowering children and families through its comprehensive services but is also nurturing the next generation of speech therapy professionals. By offering mentorship and workshops, the organization is fostering the growth of both U.S.-trained and international speech and occupational therapy students, ensuring a brighter future for speech therapy worldwide.
We're highlighting members—individuals and teams—who are pushing boundaries to make a lasting impact in communication sciences and disorders. Over the years, I've seen firsthand the incredible strides we've made—from breakthroughs in technology to innovative educational approaches that are changing lives. Whether you're a change agent pioneering new technologies like AI, advancing implementation science, or developing innovative curricula that reshape education, we want to hear your story.
