Administration
Pamela Holland
Chair, Department of Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-2985
E-mail: holland@marshall.edu
Pamela Holland, MA-CCC-SLP/BCS-S, is an Associate Professor, Chair and Graduate Program Director for the Department of Communication Disorders at Marshall University. She is board certified in swallowing and swallowing disorders and teaches the graduate course in Early Childhood Language Disorders and Pediatric Dysphagia. She founded the MU Interdisciplinary Feeding and Swallowing Clinic in 2013 and specializes in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. In addition to supervising graduate students in the Feeding and Swallowing Clinic she is a part of a multi-agency coalition called Healthy Connections and works with multiple professions to assist in the community’s opioid epidemic and improve outcomes for children diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome. She has been a leader in the development and growth of the University’s Interprofessional Education Initiative. She is one of the faculty advisors for the Interprofessional Health Student Organization, (IPHSO). Professor Holland has presented at WV Speech Language Hearing Association, ASHA and CAPCSD, and KSHA, CNYSHA. She owns a private practice, Family First Feeding, LLC and provides family centered services for the West Virginia Birth to Three program. In her free time, Professor Holland enjoys reading and spending time with her husband JT and her two children Dylan and Lauren.
Sarah Clemins
Director of Clinical Education, Department of Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3246
E-mail: nuckels@marshall.edu
Sarah Clemins M.S., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor and the current Director of Clinical Education in the Communication Disorders Department at Marshall University. Professor Clemins received her M.S. in Communication Disorders from Marshall in 2012, and prior to joining the department she worked as a speech language pathologist in skilled nursing and home health settings. In addition to organizing on and off campus clinical experiences at Marshall, she also teaches undergraduate classes and supervises students within the clinic. In 2018, she founded the Marshall University Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic and currently serves as the clinical coordinator and speech language pathologist. Her clinical interests include voice and swallowing with a special interest in vocal cord dysfunction. Professor Clemins is a board member of the West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association (WVSHA), board member for the Center for Wellness in the Arts, and previous receipt of the Picken’s Queen Teaching Award. She has presented her research at several regional and national academic conferences, and she is the recipient of a “SPEAK Out” grant from the Parkinson Voice project.
Shae M. Dean
SLPA Program Director, Department of Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3577
E-mail: powers4@marshall.edu
Shae Dean, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. She received her B.S. and M.A. in Communication Disorders from Marshall University, and joined the department of Communication Disorders in August 2015. Prior to that, she acquired 15 years of clinical experience in public schools, acute, skilled nursing, long term care, and home health settings. Professor Dean’s clinical focus includes preschool and school age population, in particular expressive and receptive language disorders and speech sound disorders. She supervises graduate clinicians in the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center. In addition, Professor Dean participates as a member of a multidisciplinary team housed in Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center that serves to evaluate children with suspected autism spectrum disorders. She also provides supervision at off campus practicum sites to include school-based services in Cabell County, WV. Professor Dean has lectured in several graduate and undergraduate education courses to provide insight to future educators regarding speech/language services in the public-school system, and on Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and implementation. She has represented the Marshall’s Communication Disorders department at the WV State Capital in Charleston for Marshall Day at the capital and collaborates with several non-profit organizations to provide free speech/language/hearing screenings at wellness events in the community. She is married and resides in Winfield, WV with her husband and two children, Kennedy and David.
Faculty
Ernay Adams
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3644
E-mail: ernay.adams@marshall.edu
Ernay Adams, M.S. CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. Professor Adams received her M.S. in Communication Disorders from Marshall University in 2011. Prior to returning to Marshall, she spent 7 years working with the adult and geriatric populations in skilled nursing and inpatient rehabilitation facilities. She has 10 years of experience working with graduate students and continues to provide clinical supervision and education to graduate students at the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center (MUSHC). Professor Adams’s primary clinical interests include acquired, neurological, and cognitive disorders and dysphagia. She is certified in FEES, Vital-Stim, and is a registered SPEAK OUT! provider. Professor Adams is the recipient of a grant from the Parkinson Voice Project and is the lead clinician for the SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Center of West Virginia, housed within MUSHC. She has presented at ASHA regarding incorporating FEES supervision into the clinical practicum. Professor Adams also serves as a board member for the West Virginia Speech-Language & Hearing Association and the Huntington Scottish Rite Foundation. In her spare time, she enjoys cheering on the Herd with her husband and two sons, exercising, and planning Disney vacations for families.
Jennifer Baker
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-2988
E-mail: jen.baker@marshall.edu
Jennifer Baker, M.A.,CCC-SLP, C-SLDS is an assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. She received her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Miami University in 2007 and has practiced as a pediatric speech-language pathologist in outpatient settings, preschool settings, and early intervention before joining the Communication Disorders Department at Marshall in 2010. Jen enjoys teaching undergraduate courses in speech and language development, diagnostic procedures, and therapeutics. She also provides clinical education for graduate students in the Marshall Speech and Hearing Center and serves as the chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee. Her clinical and research interests include child language and literacy, hearing loss, early intervention, and strategies for clinical education. In 2023, Jen became certified as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist. She is involved in projects aimed at supporting struggling readers and their families, and developing professional education related to the science of reading and dyslexia.
Bryn Brown
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-2601
E-mail: bryn.brown@marshall.edu
Bryn Brown, M.A., CCC/SLP, COM®, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist and clinical assistant professor in the department of Communication Disorders. She graduated from Marshall University in 2000 with a M.A. Degree in Communication Disorders and joined the faculty at the Speech and Hearing Center in 2019. She is the owner of Simply Feeding, LLC where she continues to provide services in early intervention via WV Birth to Three. She is proficient and highly trained with children who have difficulties/delays in feeding and swallowing, motor speech disorders, orofacial myofunctional deficits, as well as in the identification and pre/post treatment of tethered oral tissues. She is licensed by the WV Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, and certificate in orofacial myology through the International Association of Orofacial Myology. When not at work, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband Matt and grown children, Brayleigh and Brogan.
Jodi Cottrell
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3455
E-mail: cottrellj@marshall.edu
Jodi Cottrell, Au.D., CCC-A, LSLS Cert. AVEd, is an Assistant Professor and the program director of The Luke Lee Listening, Language and Learning Lab (The “L”) at Marshall University in the Department of Communication Disorders. She received her Master of Science degree in Audiology at West Virginia University and her Clinical Doctorate of Audiology through Salus University. In July of 2008, Dr. Cottrell became the program director and classroom teacher at The “L” where she provides auditory verbal education services to the students in the preschool program and in the parent infant program, as well as audiological services including hearing aid programming, cochlear implant mapping, and pediatric audiological evaluations through the Marshall Speech and Hearing Center. In 2014 Dr. Cottrell became the first certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist in West Virginia. She currently mentors future listening and spoken language specialists. Most recently, in 2020 she became an assistant professor in the Communication Disorders department teaching audiology and aural rehabilitation. Dr. Cottrell is currently the chair of the board of directors for the Center for Wellness in the Arts, NSSLHA faculty advisor, and the current President of West Virginia AG Bell. Prior to her position at Marshall she was the Director of Audiology at River Cities Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialists, PLLC for 8 years.
Loukia Dixon
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-2980
E-mail: dixon@marshall.edu
Loukia Zikkos Dixon, M.A., CCC-S, is an associate professor in the Marshall University Department of Communication Disorders. She joined the department in August of 2003 and has a diverse clinical background serving clients in evaluation and treatment and ranging in ages from infancy to geriatrics, in settings such as outpatient clinic, acute care/rehabilitation, long term care facilities, head start, elementary, middle, and high school, and home health. Teaching experiences include courses in phonetics and communication sciences, diagnostic procedures and phonological disorders. She also provides clinical education to graduate students in the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center, with clinical interests in diagnostic evaluations as well as speech sound disorders (articulation and phonological disorders and childhood apraxia of speech), velopharyngeal insufficiency, and dialectical differences. She is the faculty advisor for the Orthodox Christian Fellowship MU student organization and serves on several departmental and university committees, including the department’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee and the University Assessment Committee.
Jamie Maxwell
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3634
E-mail: maxwellja@marshall.edu
Jamie Maxwell, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. She received both her M.S. degree in Speech-Language Pathology and her Ph.D. in Applied Language and Speech Sciences at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Before joining the department, she worked as a clinician for several years, providing assessment and treatment services for children and their families in early intervention and private in-home and pediatric settings. At Marshall, Dr. Maxwell teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on the topics of counseling, language disorders, research in communication disorders, and stuttering, as well as providing clinical supervision to graduate clinicians. Her research interests include language and literacy, intervention for children exposed to substance use disorders, generative relational practices, learning theory, and qualitative research methodologies. Her academic work has been accepted at state, national, and international conferences (e.g., ASHA, LRA, ICPLA), and her research has been published in peer-reviewed venues such as the Journal of Communication Disorders and the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. She has contributed book chapters and several encyclopedia entries on the topics of literacy, learning, and autism spectrum disorder.
Additionally, she is part of the Healthy Connections Developmental Clinic, a multidisciplinary screening clinic developed to partner with families to improve outcomes for children with a history of opioid exposure. In her spare time, Dr. Maxwell enjoys reading, running, and chasing her three beautiful children around with her husband!
Erin Petty
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Disorders
E-mail: bass18@marshall.edu
Erin Petty, M.S.,CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor for the Department of Communication Disorders at Marshall University. Professor Petty received her M.S. in Communication Disorders at Marshall University in 2017. Prior to returning to Marshall, she worked as a speech-language pathologist in a variety of settings, with a special interest in home health and acute care settings. Her clinical interests include dysphagia, motor speech disorders, acquired neurocognitive disorders, and voice and resonance disorders. She has obtained additional training and certifications including Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), Ampcare NMES Dysphagia Protocol, SPEAK OUT! For Parkinson’s Disease, Lingraphica Technologies Certification for Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices, and Ark-J Jaw Rehabilitation for Trismus Intervention. At Marshall University, she is a clinical supervisor for graduate students and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. In her free time, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and spending time outside.
Kelly Rutherford
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-2982
E-mail: davis139@marshall.edu
Kelly Rutherford, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. She received her M.S. in Communication Disorders and her Ed.D. in Leadership Studies at Marshall University. Dr. Rutherford is licensed by the WV Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Dr. Rutherford teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in Anatomy and Physiology, Neurogenic Communication Disorders, Aphasia, Dysphagia, and Neurology. Specific areas of interest include patient and family-centered care, inclusivity, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She provides services in the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center serving as lead faculty for the center’s Aphasia Group, conducting and supervising evaluations, and providing and supervising treatment for individuals living with aphasia. Dr. Rutherford has presented her academic work at state and national conferences including Celebrating Connections Conference, WVSHA, KSHA, ASHA, and NSSA. She is also active in research and serves on many committees across the university. In her free time, Dr. Rutherford loves cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Mona Sanders
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-2984
Email: drake32@marshall.edu
Mona Sanders, M.S. CCC-SLP is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. Professor Sanders received her M.S. in Communication Disorders in 2013. She has practiced as a speech-language pathologist for 10 years, with a variety of experience in both pediatrics and adults within the outpatient, school, and skilled nursing setting. Professor Sanders’ clinical interests include special populations, childhood apraxia of speech, and childhood language disorders. She is a PROMPT level one trained therapist and has obtained certification from the Hanen Center for parent education with language delays. She is licensed by the WV Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Professor Sanders is a clinical supervisor for graduate students as well as teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, reading, and spending time with her twins and husband.
Haley Small
Communication Disorders
Phone: 740-441-7055
E-mail: haley.small@k12.wv.us
Haley Small, M.S.CCC-SLP is an adjunct clinical supervisor in the Communication Disorders Department at Marshall University. Haley’s impact extends beyond the university setting; her passion for helping individuals with communication difficulties is evident in her primary role as a school-based speech language pathologist with Cabell county schools where she serves as an off-campus supervisor for graduate clinicians completing their student teaching placements. Specializing in speech sound disorders and receptive and expressive language disorders, Haley brings a wealth of expertise to the Department of Communication Disorders. Haley obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Communication Disorders from Marshall University and holds the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP), in addition to holding a license from the WV and OH Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Haley is dedicated to shaping the next generation of speech-language pathologists in her role as an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor at Marshall University. Known for her warm and collaborative approach, Haley is committed to creating an environment where students can flourish in their clinical experiences.
Kelly Young
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3641
E-mail: kelly.young@marshall.edu
Kelly Young, M.A., CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Marshall University Department of Communication Disorders. Professor Young received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degrees in the field of Communication Disorders from Marshall University and she is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Leadership Studies at Marshall University. She is licensed by the WV Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and maintains her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Her over 20 years of experience includes working in a clinical outpatient setting and public school system. She has extensive experience diagnosing and treating developmental speech and language disorders and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams. Young is a LAMP (Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning) Certified Professional, who specializes in providing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies to support children with developmental language disorders. She currently provides both undergraduate and graduate-level classroom instruction, as well as on and off-campus supervision to graduate clinicians. When not working, Professor Young enjoys spending time with her family and being involved in her church community.
Adjunct Faculty
Lisa Fry
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-3640
E-mail: thomasl@marshall.edu
Lisa Fry, Ph.D. is an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication Disorders. Dr. Fry received her master’s degree in Communication Disorders at Marshall in 1992 and her doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Kentucky in 2008. Her doctoral work focused on the study of the voice and its disorders. Her research has focused on laryngeal muscle biology, vocal aging, and the effects of various voice therapies on voice production. The results of her work have been published in several peer-reviewed journals in the field and presented at national and international venues for voice specialists. In 2009, she co-authored the text Voice Therapy: Clinical Case Studies, 3rd ed. with her doctoral mentor, Joseph Stemple.Dr. Fry taught full-time at Marshall from 2002 to 2010, teaching courses in Voice and Research Design and facilitating a weekly forum for undergraduate and graduate student researchers. Since leaving full-time teaching in 2010, Dr. Fry has continued to assist graduate and undergraduate researchers by serving on thesis committees and by assisting students in research design, analysis, and presentation. Dr. Fry continues to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in her areas of interest as needed by the Department.
Nikki Dudley
Communication Disorders
Phone: 304-696-
E-mail: fraley@marshall.edu
Nikki Dudley, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS, is an adjunct clinical supervisor in the Communication Disorders Department at Marshall University. Nikki received her M.S. in Communication Disorders from Marshall in 2011, and prior to joining the department she worked as a speech- language pathologist in traumatic brain injury community reentry programs, skilled nursing, and public school settings in WV, KY, NC, and SC. Currently, she supervises graduate clinicians on-campus and off-site in treating cognitive communication and social language deficits. She leads several pragmatic groups for children and young adults at the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center and believes group therapy offers an important peer support system for some of the challenges faced by those on the Autism spectrum. Nikki became a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) in May 2023. She has also written articles for the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s Perspectives titled, “Community of Research Practice: A Model for Student Research” and the ASHA Leader called, “Got (Treatment) Game?” In her spare time, Nikki plays board games with her son and husband, helps run a newsletter for survivors of brain injury, and loves going to the movie theater.
Staff
Heather Murray
Communication Disorders
Phone: (304) 696-3641
E-mail: spencer69@marshall.edu
Heather Spencer serves as an administrative associate within the Department of Communication Disorders, as well as clinical office manager of the Marshall Speech and Hearing Center. Heather is responsible for supervising graduate assistants working in the office, managing daily operations of the clinic along with billing and finances. She is available to communicate with patients and families regarding billing inquiries as well as scheduling appointments and evaluations.