Amanda Pericles, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/ella) is a bilingual speech language pathologist licensed and located in Charlotte, NC. She is an early career professional working in a private practice where a large majority of her caseload is Black or Non Black Hispanic. Amanda is a Black Dominican-American daughter of immigrant parents and a simultaneous Spanish-English language learner.

Amanda is an alumna of Boston University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in 2014. She also earned a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Northeastern University in Spring of 2020. Her clinical interests include dysphagia across the lifespan, adult voice disorders, and traumatic brain injury. Amanda currently serves as a Co-Administrator for SLPs of Color, a non-profit organization dedicated to the recruitment, support, and promotion of speech-language pathologists of color. Amanda is passionate about the topics of Black Latinidad and combating antiblackness within the Latin American community and beyond.

Financial Disclosures: Amanda is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course.

Non-Financial Disclosures: Amanda is a Black Latina and may have a personal relationship to people referenced in the presentation. She also runs the Instagram page @afrolatinas_ dedicated to this topic and the celebration of Black women of Latin American descent

Ianessa Humbert (she/her), Ph.D. is an accomplished scientist, professor, and highly sought-after speaker with expertise in swallowing and swallowing disorders. With over 100 speaking invitations around the world, the most common feedback from attendees continues to be “This is the first time a course has really forced me to think about what I’m doing”. Dr. Humbert’s teaching philosophy requires attendees to question everything they think they know before learning can begin.

Dr. Humbert’s innovative training style has been funded by ASHFoundation and extends to non-traditional learning formats. She is the co-creator of the popular Down the Hatch podcast and has co-founded online learning tools including STEP (Swallowing Training and Education Portal), lovingly known as Swallowing Netflix, and has developed high-quality, no-cost learning tools available on her YouTube Channel. Dr. Humbert has demonstrated her gift for creating images that depict the dynamism of swallowing via her Swallowing Pocket Guide and Swallowing Neuro Anatomy and Physiology Shorts or SNAPS (on STEP).

Dr. Humbert has been on faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Florida, and the University of Iowa. The content from Dr. Humbert’s courses are supported by scientific evidence from her laboratory, from the larger body of research literature, and of course, common sense!

Financial Disclosures: Ianessa Humbert is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course.

Non-Financial Disclosures: Ianessa Humbert has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Jackie is a speech-language pathologist from Augusta, Georgia. She received her Master of Science in Communication Sciences & Disorders from Georgia State University. She is an L1 English/L2 Spanish Bilingual SLP. She began her career working as a pediatric speech language pathologist, where she served English language learners as a bilingual diagnostician in a large public school system and in private practice. Jackie then transitioned to medical speech pathology. She currently works as a travel SLP in California. She has gained experience working in a variety of settings including skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, and adult day centers. Across settings, Jackie has had extensive experience working with families from culturally and linguistically diverse people across the lifespan. Jackie’s passion for working with these populations is influenced by her own cultural background. She is African American and Afro Puerto Rican. In her spare time, she enjoys learning about Black history across the African diaspora. Jackie has incorporated her own ethnic/racial experiences as well as acquired knowledge about the intersections of race, ethnicity, and language learning into her practice as an SLP. She is passionate about improving health literacy, advocating for underrepresented populations, and educating others about speech-language pathology.

Financial Disclosures: Jackie is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course.

Non-Financial Disclosures: Jackie has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

Jeannette Roberes (she/her) is an author that has worked as a speech pathologist, software engineer and educator. She has spoken in over 40 countries and has earned recognition in The Washington Post and US News & World Reports among other international media nods. Jeannette’s commitment to life-long learning is noted through her LETRS® Early Childhood facilitator certification and PROJECT READ® Curriculum certification. Her debut book Technical Difficulties: Why Dyslexic Narratives Matter In Tech has received starred reviews across Goodreads and Amazon. Jeannette is the Chief Academic Officer of Bearly Articulating.

Financial Disclosures: Jeannette Roberes is the founder of Bearly Articulating. She is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course

Non-Financial Disclosures: Jeannette Roberes is the volunteer Digital Technology Chair of Smiles for Speech.

Joanne Cazeau (she/her) is the owner of Koze Speech Therapy. She is a multilingual, New Jersey licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist and early interventionist who specializes in identifying and therapeutically supporting young children with speech-language disorders. Joanne is passionate about empowering families, especially those from the diaspora, to support their children in achieving their full communicative potential through education, training, and counseling.

Joanne holds her certificate of clinical competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in addition to being certified by the New Jersey Department of Education as a speech-language specialist. Joanne graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences with distinction. She completed her Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a concentration in medical speech-language pathology at Howard University. In her earliest days as an undergraduate student, Joanne knew that her life’s work was to help children and their families improve their communication skills.

Over the years, she has honed her skills to meet the unique needs of every child she treats. She has extensive experience working as an integral part of various multidisciplinary teams, which is vital for successfully treating children with complex communication needs. Joanne takes a holistic approach to assessing and treating children with complex communication needs by considering their learning styles, diagnostic complexity, cultural diversity, sensory needs, medical history, and family and client goals.

Joanne believes in making speech therapy fun and functional. She knows that optimal learning occurs during positive experiences and that rapport is a critical component of a successful therapeutic relationship. Joanne sees all children as having strengths to build on to improve their weaknesses and to help them achieve their speech and language goals.

Financial Disclosures: Joanne Cazeau is an affiliate of Learn with Less. She is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course.

Non-Financial Disclosures: Joanne Cazeau is the owner and practice director of Koze Speech Therapy.

Melanie Y. Evans (she/her), M.S., CCC-SLP is an ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologist licensed to practice in Texas. She is also the CEO of Melanie Y. Evans - SLP LLC (DBA Pediatric Speech Sister), whose mission is to assist other speech-language pathologists on their journey toward cultural competency. Melanie dedicates her career to closing the academic achievement gap through culturally responsive speech-language and educational interventions.

Financial Disclosures: Melanie Evans is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course.

Non-Financial Disclosures: In her presentation, Melanie Evans references articles published in the ASHA Leader co-authored by herself and Valencia Perry, PhD, CCC-SLP. She also references an article co-authored by AC Goldberg, PhD, CCC-SLP, the founder of the CREDITs Institute, and V Tisi, MA, CCC-SLP, a previous CREDIT contributor.

R. Danielle Scott (she/her), Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University Mankato in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, leading the efforts in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She teaches courses such as Culturally Responsive Practices, DEI Seminar, DEI in Education Settings, and Cultural Humility. Dani also teaches Introduction to Communication Disorders at a local women’s prison through the MSU Scholars Serving Time Program. Dani graduated from the illustrious Spelman College with her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Comparative Women's Studies, Indiana University Bloomington with her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology, and Grand Canyon University with her Ph.D. in psychology with an emphasis in cognition and instruction. Her research pertains to school-based speech-language pathologists’ therapeutic relationships with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Dani has 6 years of experience as an educational SLP in Atlanta, GA and Houston, TX. Her areas of interest include Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, Cultural Humility, Social Justice, Therapeutic Relationships, and Counseling.

Financial Disclosures: R. Danielle Scott is an employee of Minnesota State University Mankato. She is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course

Non-Financial Disclosures: R. Danielle Scott is a member of ASHA and ASHA SIG 14. She is a member of and serves on the Cultural Humility Committee of NBLASH.

Zavier Lord Williams M.S. CCC-SLP (he/him/his) is Trans identified, pediatric speech-language pathologist, currently working full-time at a public school in West Covina, CA. Mr. Williams also is the founder of Empire Educational Consultants, a successful private practice and consultation firm. He worked in special education preschools in New York City for 15 years, working with children from birth to five with a variety of communication delays and disorders. Mr. Williams moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and has expanded his skills to the school-age population. Mr. Williams specializes in pediatric feeding, family-centered therapy, social skills groups as well as classroom-based language lessons. He also incorporates his passion for film and video in his therapy sessions. Outside of his professional endeavors, Mr. Williams has dedicated himself to the TGNC community, organizing events for Trans Day of Remembrance and Visibility. A native of the Bronx, NY he has an M.S. in speech-language pathology and audiology, from Florida State University. Currently, he is working on his M.S./PASC in Educational Leadership at California State University, Fullerton. Mr. Williams became a single father in 2018, to his amazing son Robert. He enjoys anything Star Wars related, photography, 80s music, and road-tripping.

Financial Disclosures: Mr. Williams is receiving a percentage of the revenue from the CREDITs Institute for contributing to this course.

Non-Financial Disclosures: Mr. Williams has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.