2011 SLP Professional Summit Speaker Biographies

Shelly Chabon, PhD, CCC-SLP

Shelly Chabon, PhD, CCC-SLP is a professor in and chair of the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department at Portland State University. She specializes in ethics education and multicultural/bilingual issues in communication disorders. Her research has most recently focused on speech and language disabilities in diverse populations, and she continues to write on topics related to ethical and evidence-based practice as well as to develop training programs and opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse speech-language pathologists.

Dr. Chabon has written a number of articles and chapters. She has coauthored four books and a language intervention program for preschoolers, and has made numerous presentations on issues related to clinical practice, ethics, language disorders, and multicultural education. She most recently coauthored Ethics Education and coedited and coauthored the Instructor's Manual and Test Bank to Accompany Human Communication Disorders: An Introduction (8th ed.) and The Communication Disorders Casebook: Learning by Example.

Dr. Chabon is an ASHA Fellow and has been a member of the ASHA Council For Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, the Coordinating Committee for Standards and Ethics, the Communication Sciences & Disorders Clinical Trials Research Group (CSDRG) Public Schools Group, and the ASHA Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), as well as a member and chair of the ASHA Board of Ethics. She has received several honors for her leadership and service, including a Certificate of Recognition from ASHA for Special Contributions in Higher Education, an Apple Award for appreciation to an outstanding teacher, and the Dorothy Dreyer Award for volunteerism.

Dr. Chabon earned a BA degree from Brooklyn College, a master's in speech-language pathology from Penn State University, a master's in audiology from Towson State University, and a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. She also participated in postdoctoral work in ethnographic methods of communication while at Howard University.

Tommie L. Robinson, Jr., PhD, CCC-SLP

Tommie L. Robinson, Jr., PhD, CCC-SLP is director of the Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language Disorders in the Children's Hearing and Speech Center at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and is an associate professor of pediatrics at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He specializes in communication disorders in children, with a specific focus on children who stutter. Dr. Robinson's research and writings have focused on normal fluency behaviors in children and adults, as well as service delivery to children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Dr. Robinson holds adjunct professorships with Howard University, the University of the District of Columbia, and Longwood University, and has presented widely at the local, regional, and national levels. Dr. Robinson teaches courses in stuttering and diagnostics.

Dr. Robinson has served on various ASHA boards and committees. He has served as ASHA vice president for quality of service in speech-language-pathology (2005–2007) and on the Board of Ethics, Council on Professional Standards, and Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Committee on Nominations and Elections, Honors Committee, and Clinical Certification Board. He was selected co-chair for the Program Committee of the 2002 ASHA Convention held in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also an ASHA legislative councilor representing the District of Columbia in 1994–2004. In 1998, Dr. Robinson was elected a Fellow of ASHA, one of its highest honors. Dr. Robinson was the 2003 chair of the ASHA Honors Committee.

He served on the board of directors of the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH) and served as the co-chair of the Program Committee for their 1999 and 2000 conventions. Dr. Robinson also served as secretary of the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders and has been a board-recognized fluency specialist since 2000.

Dr. Robinson received his AA degree from Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi, BA and MS degrees from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, and his PhD degree from Howard University.

Barbara J. Ehren, EdD, CCC-SLP

Barbara J. Ehren, EdD, CCC-SLP is a Professor at the University of Central Florida and Director of a doctoral program which focuses on language and literacy for struggling learners. Prior to this position she was a research scientist with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning (KUCRL) where her emphasis was on strategic reading for adolescents, collaboration among professionals in schools, and school-wide literacy initiatives in secondary schools, including Response to Intervention (RTI). Her experience includes many years in public schools as a speech-language pathologist, teacher and district administrator. She serves on many committees and editorial boards, including the Advisory Board of the RTI Action Network and the International Reading Association Commission on RTI. She is also the chair of the ASHA Working Group on the Roles of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools. She has a special interest in assisting school systems to build capacity at the school level for more effective literacy programs for diverse learners. A recurrent theme of her work is shared responsibility for literacy acquisition. She is a frequent consultant to states, school districts and professional associations on literacy related issues.

Monica Marruffo, MEd

Monica Marruffo, MEd earned her master's degree in Education in Instruction and Curriculum design from the University of Phoenix. Her focus in graduate school was on structuring a program to ensure greatest carryover for students with communication disorders. Monica earned her bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology from the University of North Texas. She is bilingual (Spanish/English) and has worked with monolingual and bilingual students with communication disorders. She began working as a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant with Irving Independent School District in 2004. Monica has worked in the home health setting as well.

Judy Rudebusch, EdD, CCC-SLP

Judy Rudebusch, EdD, CCC-SLP is the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services & Federal Programs in Irving Independent School District has 30 years of experience in public education as a speech-language pathologist, autism assessment specialist, program specialist, special education director, and state and federal programs director. She is on the ASHA Division 16 Steering Committee and served on the School Finance Committee. She participates in national and state initiatives to improve services in schools and is a frequent presenter at workshops and conferences on issues related to special education, response to intervention, systems change utilizing a workload approach, literacy, and school-based speech-language services.

Catherine Bacon, MA, CCC-SLP

Catherine Bacon, MA, CCC-SLP is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at Arizona State University. She coordinates ASU's master's degree program in speech/language pathology for professionals working or interested in working in the public schools. She also helped developed the SLPA certificate program at ASU which provides courses and clinical training so that undergraduate students in speech and hearing sciences can apply for their Speech Language Pathology Assistant license upon graduation. Cathy has been fortunate to provide clinical supervision to SLP students interested in working with children with communication disorders for over 15 years.

Nancy Kuhles, MS, CCC-SLP

Nancy Kuhles, MS, CCC-SLP is a retired speech pathologist with 28 years of experience in public education in the Washoe County School District Reno Nevada. She is a graduate of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association's (ASHA) 2007 Leadership Development Program (LDP) and served on the School Finance Committee for ASHA (2006-2009). She is the State Education Advocacy Leader (SEAL) for the Nevada Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NSHA) and co-chairs the NSHA Coalition that addresses Nevada's personnel shortages in special education and related services.

Perry Flynn, MEd, CCC-SLP

Perry Flynn, MEd, CCC-SLP is the Consultant to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He is an Operation Smile volunteer and the Director of the Equestrian Sport Development Team for Special Olympics North Carolina. He has been a member of several ASHA committees and co-authored many ASHA publications.

Vicki McCready, MA, CCC-SLP

Vicki McCready, MA, CCC-SLP is the Director of the Speech and Hearing Center at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and an ASHA Fellow. She has over 30 years of experience as a clinical supervisor and has published and presented extensively in the areas of supervision and clinical education. She is the co-editor of The SLP Assistant Supervisor's Companion (2002) and author of a chapter in the book titled "Supervision: More than the Tip of the Iceberg." In addition, she served on the ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on SLP Assistants that recommended associate membership.

Diane Poage, MS, CCC-A, CCC-SLP

Diane Poage, MS, CCC-A, CCC-SLP serves as the Director of Related Services Programs for the Anchorage School District (1998-present) and is the administrator for the Alaska State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The ASD employs more than 300 related services personnel, including approximately 70 speech pathologists and 3 audiologists. In her current position, Diane oversees all related service programs, continuing education development and personnel including program assistants. Diane has been active with the Alaska Speech-Language Hearing Association, state licensing and regulation issues and district program development.

Laura Young-Campbell, MS, CCC-SLP

Laura Young-Campbell, MS, CCC-SLP is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language, Hearing Association. She is currently Associate Coordinator for ASHA's Special Interest Group 16 on School-Based Issues and a member of the Committee on Honors. Ms Young-Campbell is a former member of ASHA's SLP Advisory Council, Legislative Council, and was Alaska's State Educational Advocacy Liaison for 6 years. She is a former president of both the Alaska (AkSHA) and Mat-Su Speech and Hearing Associations and holds various leadership positions at the local and state levels of the National Education Association. In addition to her 27-year career as a public school speech-language pathologist, Ms Young-Campbell is an adjunct instructor/ clinical supervisor for the University of Alaska/ECU affiliated graduate program and is a member of the Mat-Su Borough FASD Diagnostic Team.

Julie Noel, MS, CCC-SLP

Julie Noel, MS, CCC-SLP is an ASHA-certified, Texas-licensed speech-language pathologist in private practice in Dallas, Texas, and specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and academic support for children and adolescents with speech-language disorders, learning differences, developmental disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. Julie currently serves as the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Vice President for Speech-Language Pathology Practice. She also served as a three-term member of the ASHA Legislative Council and as TSHA Vice President for Public Information Marketing from 1995-1997.

Tom Hallahan, ScD, CCC-A

Tom Hallahan, ScD, CCC-A, for the past fifteen years has been employed as a professor at Salem State University, teaching courses in communication sciences & disorders, inclusive education, education policy, and social justice. Dr. Hallahan has served as President of both the Massachusetts Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA) and the Council of State Association Presidents (CSAP). He has served on numerous committees and councils for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), including the Legislative Council, Political Action Committee and Multicultural Issues Board. Presently, he serves on the ASHA Board of Directors as the Vice-President for Government Relations and Public Policy.