Biography

Educator & SLP with the goal of disrupting CSD education in service of our current & future learners, our field, & the folks we serve.

What follows is a brief outline of my education & employment. For details, please see my full CV.

Looking for the more personal side of me? Please click here.

I began my career as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) following completion of my BS (1992) and MS (1994) at the University of Arizona. After working in acute care hospital settings, I returned to school to study swallow and respiratory physiology, subsequently earning my PhD (2007) from Northwestern University (NU) under the mentorship of Dr. Jeri Logemann.

Though deeply passionate about clinical work and my early research, the pull of learning science was one I could not resist. I transitioned to full-time academia when I accepted the director position of an SLP-Assistant program in 2000. Working in a community college setting provided unparalleled exposure to colleagues who were thinking deeply about student learning and development. In 2013, I returned to NU as the faculty director of the MS program in SLP and subsequently developed NU’s clinical doctorate in SLP in 2016. I now have the good fortune to spend most of my days doing things I love: mentoring and teaching students, developing curricula, and investigating how we develop exemplary clinicians.

I am keenly aware of the many areas of challenge within my field. There are multiple ways to approach these challenges - for me, this is through the education and development of future professionals.

Brief Bio

PhD - Northwestern University, 2007

BS & MS - University of Arizona, 1992 & 1994

Education

Academic Positions

I have been working full-time in academia since 2000, with a focus on the science and practice of teaching & learning and program design & development.

Northwestern University, 2013-present

  • Program Director, MS SLL & SLP Programs

  • Associate Clinical Professor

College of DuPage, 2000-2012

  • Program Director

  • Professor

Prior to transitioning to doctoral work & academia, I worked as clinician, primarily serving acute care population at Methodist Hospital in Gary, IN and Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago.

While in academia, I spent several years working part time as a clinician and supervisor in Northwestern’s clinic (now the Northwestern University Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, & Learning).

Clinical Positions