Lee Burklund, MHS, CCC-SLP
Lee Burklund, MHS, CCC-SLP, is Principal of ECHO FOCUS Programs and frequent adjunct faculty for Governors State University since 1986, teaching on AAC, behavior, neurogenics and adult and child language. Lee authored the TBI educational/therapy guidelines for the Illinois State Board of Education. Lee has presented varied topics regionally.
Bethany L. Diener, MS, CCC-SLP
Bethany developed a passion for augmentative communication while earning her Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Purdue University. For over 20 years, she has provided AAC services as a Speech-Language Pathologist for individuals ranging in age from 15 months to those in their 90's in a variety of clinical settings – rehabilitation hospital, school districts, developmental centers, group homes, nursing homes and home health. Bethany has a special interest in empowering other SLPs to understand and help AAC users. She has presented regarding AAC in national, state and local conferences and has co-authored several articles. Bethany is a Clinical Applications Manager with DynaVox Mayer-Johnson.
Maureen Donnelly
Maureen Donnelly is a former teacher who has worked as an independent consultant for the past decade creating content, curriculum, and literacy learning materials for students with disabilities. Presently, she is a content and curriculum developer for Dynavox Mayer-Johnson.
Lori Geist, MS, CCC-SLP
Lori Geist, MS, CCC-SLP, Manager of Educational Content and Symbols. Lori has worked as a direct service provider in school and hospital settings and as a regional augmentative communication consultant. She is currently managing educational content and symbol development for DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, while finishing a Ph.D. in computing technology in education.
Marleah Herman-Umpleby, MS, CCC-SLP
Marleah has worked in early intervention and in several school programs for students with autism and with multiple severe disabilities. Her education at Penn State included a graduate traineeship with in augmentative and alternative communication. She went on to complete the autism certificate program at Penn State and the Communication Disorders Program in Severe Disabilities at Western Carolina University. She is currently working as a clinical content developer for DynaVox Mayer-Johnson
Enid Hurtado, CBA
Enid received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with specializations in Special Education and Science and she received her teaching credential in Special Education: Moderate to Severe from San Diego State University. She worked as a Special Education Teacher for 6 years in California and Colorado with children of varying disabilities, Pre-12. In addition to serving as a special educator, she also served as Inclusion Facilitator and Coordinator of Autism programs for grades K-1 and 9-12. After leaving the public school system, she worked as a behavior specialist for an Early Intervention Program where she worked in the home with children with special needs and their caregivers. She currently is an Implementation Specialist for DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, where she educates and trains parents and professionals on the use of Mayer-Johnson products for communication and instruction.
Cheryl Jurkacek, MHS, CCC-SLP
Cheryl is a Speech Language Pathologist, child language and AAC specialist, working with students who use AAC. Cheryl has presented at state, regional and local conferences on innovative group focused treatment including AAC groups.
Lisa Kehoe, MS
Lisa received a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins University in Special Education. She was a Special Educator for four years and an Instructional Assistant for three years in Maryland. As a special educator she taught children with moderate to severe disabilities. Currently, Lisa is a manager in the Education Development and Implementation Training department at DynaVox Mayer-Johnson. In this role, Lisa educates and trains professionals and parents and has given many presentations at national and international conferences.
Sharon Maack-Connolly, MA, ATP
Sharon Maack-Connolly, a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Practitioner since May 1997, has worked in the area of Assistive Technology for the past 23 years. Sharon received her Masters of Arts in Teaching and Leaning (K-12 Technology Integration) from Nova Southeastern University and her Bachelor of Arts in Special Education from Southern Illinois University. Prior to entering the field of Assistive Technology, Sharon taught students with special needs in a self-contained classroom. She has also worked as an Inclusion Facilitator and AT consultant for many school districts and private individuals in the Chicago area. She has presented at local, national, and international conferences. Sharon is presently the Assistive Technology Coordinator at Elim Christian School in Palos Heights, a private school for children with disabilities, ages 3-21. She started the Assistive Technology Department at Elim 14 years ago. In addition, Sharon has taught Graduate Level courses for Northern Illinois University and Undergraduate courses for Trinity Christian College.
Yuichi Tamano, M.S.
Yuichi Tamano is an assistive technology specialist with 15 years experience in the field. For many years he provided consulting services to families and schools in the New York City and Long Island areas, with a focus on computer-supported instruction for children with learning and developmental disabilities. He is currently a Senior Content Developer at DynaVox Mayer-Johnson.
Kristin J. Whitfield, MA, CCC-SLP
Kristin Whitfield is a speech-language pathologist specializing in the use of augmentative and alternative communication with both adults and children. In addition to her clinical practice, she has presented on the topic of AAC at local and national conferences and has had several articles appear in AAC publications. Currently, she is manager of the Education Development and Implementation Training department at DynaVox Mayer-Johnson. Previously, Kristin has worked in outpatient clinic, school, rehabilitation hospital, and home-based settings in Maine, Illinois, South Dakota, and Michigan.