2008 Continuing Education Board

Front row, left to right: Jeanne Juenger, Ellen Fagan
(ex-officio), Patti Solomon-Rice (chair), Dennis Burrow
(monitoring vice president), Judith Wingate,
Jo Ann Janhunen (ASHA CE staff).
Second row, left to right: Anthony Caruso,
Renee Levinson (ASHA CE staff),
Sheryl Amaral, Fran Grady, Mary Purdy,
Donna Spillman-Kennedy.

Chair: Patti Solomon-Rice, MA, MBA, CCC-SLP

Patti holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in speech-language pathology as well as a master's degree in business administration and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree. During her 26-year career, Patti has worked in a variety of settings including university training programs, private practice, and acute rehabilitation. In addition to maintaining a small private practice, she is currently the Social Security Administration's speech and language expert for Region IX. Patti has experience as a CE Administrator and was a member of the Continuing Education Board from 2002 to 2004. She also serves on the executive board of the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is a volunteer subject matter expert and expert witness for the California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Board.

Sheryl C. Amaral, MS, MBA, CCC-SLP

Sheryl is a speech-language pathologist for the Cumberland School Department in Rhode Island and for the Futures HealthCore at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts. She also serves on the ASHA Professional Performance Review Process Committee and on the Dysphagia in Schools Committee. Sheryl is an active ASHA Foundation volunteer and donor, and she has served as president of the Rhode Island Speech-Language-Hearing Association and as an advocate for the professions on the local and national levels.

Anthony J. Caruso, PhD, CCC-SLP

Anthony is a professor emeritus in the School of Speech Pathology & Audiology at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. His clinical and research interests are in the areas of fluency and fluency disorders and speech motor control. Anthony has published several articles and served as an editorial consultant for various journals, including the Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research and the Journal of Fluency Disorders. He also is a strong student advocate and served nine years as a member of the Executive Council of NSSLHA. Anthony received the NSSLHA Honors of the Association and he is an ASHA Fellow.

Fran Grady, MS, CCC-SLP

Fran holds a master's degree in speech-language pathology and a Certificate of Advanced Study in educational administration. She recently retired as program coordinator for speech-language/audiology services at Monroe #1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in the Rochester, New York region. Fran has been involved with services in the schools for more than 30 years. She has led presentations on Medicaid reimbursement in the schools at the state and local levels. She has been instrumental in developing the Professional Development Series for Speech-Language Pathologists with Monroe #1 BOCES to support continuing education opportunities for ASHA certification maintenance and New York state license renewal. Fran has been active with New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association and received the Distinguished Service Award from the state association in 2005. She received the Certificate of Merit from the Genesee Valley Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2004.

Jeanne Juenger, MS, CCC-SLP

Jeanne is a speech-language pathologist and telepractice coordinator for a small, rural educational cooperative that launched the first speech-language pathology telepractice in Minnesota. A multiple Award for Continuing Education (ACE) recipient, she is an avid proponent of using available technologies to optimize service delivery to underserved/unserved areas, as well as to create dynamic learning communities with colleagues in remote locations. Jeanne, who recently celebrated 30 years of service in the profession, serves as both the 2007 president of the Minnesota Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the chair of the Wisconsin Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Telepractice Committee.

Mary Purdy, PhD, CC-SLP, BC-ANCDS

Mary began her career as a speech-language pathologist at a rehabilitation hospital where she worked with stroke and head-injury patients. After 4 years, she returned to school for her Ph.D. During her doctoral education, Mary worked at a large city hospital, and continued at the hospital for another six years after receiving her degree. She joined the faculty at Southern Connecticut State University in 1998, where she teaches courses in adult neurogenic communication disorders and supervises in the stroke clinic.

Mary served as the CE Administrator for the Connecticut Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is currently chair of the Certification Board for the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS).

Donna Spillman-Kennedy, MS, CCC-SLP

Donna has a master's degree in speech-language pathology and has spent 20 years working as a speech-language pathologist with children who are developmentally disabled with severe multiple impairments and medical fragility. Since 1989 she has maintained a small private practice providing home-based assessment and treatment services to clients and their families, including AAC consultations and evaluation services. Donna also works part-time within a self-contained public school classroom, and serves as a consultant for a private practice devoted to working with individuals with selective mutism. She has been an adjunct instructor at three universities in New Jersey, writing courses, supervising undergraduate clinics, and teaching courses via traditional classroom instruction as well as distance learning. Donna is a strong advocate of continuing education and believes it is at the core of our professions. She has been a CE Administrator for both the New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NJSHA) and the Selective Mutism Anxiety Research and Treatment (SMART) Center. Honored for her many years of service, Donna received the NJSHA Volunteer of the Year Award in 1999 and the NJSHA Honors of the Association in 2006. She is currently a member of the NJSHA Board of Directors.

Anne Marie Tharpe, PhD, CCC-A

Anne Marie is a professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences and is the associate director of education for the National Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences in Nashville, Tennessee. Her clinical and research interests are in the area of pediatric audiology. She teaches graduate level speech-language pathology, audiology, and deaf education students. Anne Marie is serving her second term on the Continuing Education Board and serves on numerous other ASHA committees, including the Committee on Infant Hearing, the Knowledge and Skills for Auditory Assessment in Children Working Group, and the Knowledge and Skills for Counseling Families With Children With Hearing Loss Working Group.

Judith M. Wingate, PhD, CCC-SLP

Judy holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's in speech pathology. After working clinically for 20 years in a variety of settings, she returned to school and completed her PhD in speech pathology in 2004. She is currently a clinical assistant professor and director of clinical education at the University of Florida, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She serves as CE administrator for the department.

Judy specializes in voice and voice disorders and is a member of the voice care team at the University of Florida's ENT clinic. She recently authored a book entitled, Healthy Singing, a vocal book for singers. Judy has multiple awards for continuing education (ACE) and has been an active member of ASHA and the Florida Speech-Language and Hearing Association for over 25 years.