Faculty & Staff
In the UW Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology, you’ll study with distinguished faculty who have a rich blend of expertise and experience and are passionate about teaching and mentoring. Our instructors are experts in a range of disciplines and will provide you with a deep and diverse perspective of the field of speech and hearing sciences that will help you advance in your career.
Faculty
Program Leadership
Sara Kover
Program Director
Sara Kover is an associate professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She co-directs the Connections through Holistic Academic Relationships for Mentoring (CHARM) Program, which is a mentorship network designed for incoming master’s students who self-identify with marginalized backgrounds.
Her academic expertise focuses on language development in neurodevelopmental disorders, fragile X syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. Kover’s research centers on vocabulary acquisition and spoken language in children and adolescents with a variety of developmental pathways, as well as the experiences of professionals who serve children of diverse backgrounds. She earned a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Amy Rodda
Program Director, Clinical Education
Amy Rodda is the director of clinical education and an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She specializes in play-based therapy, social communication, and enhancing the functional communication skills of children with a broad range of communication strengths and challenges. Her research interests include understanding and supporting peer relationships and friendships of children with autism spectrum disorders. Rodda earned a doctorate in speech-language pathology at the UW.
Kristie Spencer
Associate Chair and Graduate Program Coordinator
Kristie Spencer is a professor and associate chair of the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on cognitive-communication disorders and motor speech disorders in adults. Spencer earned a doctorate in speech pathology from the UW.
Tenure, Tenure-Track and Research Professors
Tanya Eadie
Tanya Eadie is a professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Washington. She is a past associate editor and editor for Perspectives on Voice and Voice Disorders (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], Special Interest Group 3) and has served on several ad hoc committees related to clinical assessment in voice disorders for ASHA. She also is a past editor (speech section) for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research and continues to serve as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals in speech-language pathology and otolaryngology. She earned her doctorate in rehabilitation sciences at the University of Western Ontario.
Annette Estes
Annette Estes is a research professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences and an adjunct research professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. She holds the Susan & Richard Fade Endowed Chair and directs the UW Autism Center. She is also a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington. Over the last decade, Estes has served as principal investigator on a series of clinical trials to determine the best ways to support young autistic children. She is especially interested in the role of the family in supporting positive outcomes for children with disabilities and improving the lives of autistic people. Estes earned a doctorate in psychology from the UW.
Patricia Kuhl
Patricia Kuhl is a professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington and holds the Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair for Early Childhood Learning. She is co-director of the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences and the director of the National Science Foundation–funded Science of Learning Center. Kuhl is internationally recognized for her research on early language and brain development, and studies that show how young children learn. Her work has played a major role in demonstrating how early exposure to language alters the brain. She has discussed her research findings on early learning and the brain with The Today Show, Good Morning America and The New York Times, among others. Kuhl earned a doctorate in speech science and psychology at the University of Minnesota.
Ludo Max
Ludo Max is a professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Ludo’s academic expertise focuses on speech motor control, sensorimotor integration, fluency disorders and stuttering. He earned a doctorate in speech pathology from Kent State University.
Amy Pace
Amy Pace is an associate professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She is the director of the Child Language Research Lab at the UW. Her research focuses on language acquisition, assessment and intervention from birth to five, with an emphasis on promoting healthy language development and learning outcomes. Pace earned a doctorate in language and communication disorders from San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego.
Shannon Sheppard
Shannon Sheppard is an assistant professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on cognitive-communication disorders and cognitive neuroimaging. Sheppard earned a doctorate in language and communication disorders from the University of California, San Diego.
Teaching Professors and Lecturers
Michael Burns
Michael Burns is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. His research focuses on augmentative and alternative communication, cognitive-communication disorders and motor speech disorders in adults. He earned a doctorate in rehabilitation science at the UW.
Julie Dalessio
Julie Dalessio is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington and a certified speech-language pathologist. She is a certified speech-language pathologist and her clinical interests include neurogenic speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders, as well as interventions for patients with head and neck cancer. Dalessio earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the UW.
Jacqueline Daniels
Jacqueline Daniels is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She teaches didactic courses, in medical speech-language pathology and traumatic brain injury, and facilitates clinical education for students completing adult neurological evaluation and treatment practicums. Her areas of professional interest include medically complex patients with dysphagia and cognitive-communication deficits, specifically traumatic brain injury. She has experience completing modified barium swallow studies (MBS), fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), and evaluation/management of tracheosotomy and ventilator dependent patients including speaking valve placement. Daniels earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Kansas.
Julie Dunlap
Julie Dunlap is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Her areas of interest include pediatric feeding and swallowing, pediatric traumatic brain injury, craniofacial/cleft palate, speech sound disorders and how to promote inclusion of children with disabilities. Dunlap earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the UW.
Lisa Illich
Lisa Illich is a lecturer in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research focus is adult aural rehabilitation. Illich is a certified speech-language pathologist and a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Academy of Audiology and the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology. She is also the clinical director for Special Olympics Washington. Illich earned a master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Montana.
Melissa Kokaly
Melissa Kokaly is a lecturer in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She specializes in stuttering and fluency disorders, and she is currently responsible for the teaching and direct supervision of graduate students providing diagnostic and treatment services in the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic. Kokaly also co-founded and coordinates an annual summer camp for teens who stutter, a collaborative effort between the UW and Seattle Children's Hospital. She has guest lectured about stuttering and related topics within the department and in the Seattle community, and supports the regional stuttering community through education, advocacy and social activities. Kokaly earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the UW.
Leslie Kot
Leslie Kot is a lecturer in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She’s worked as a speech-language pathologist for area hospitals and agencies, including Harborview Medical Center and Rehab without Walls. She’s worked with adults with acquired neurological disorders, including cerebral vascular accident, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. Her clinical interests include evaluation and treatment of aphasia, motor speech disorders and cognitive-communication deficits. Kot now provides clinical education for students completing adult neuro treatment practicums. She earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the UW.
Kate Krings
Kate Krings is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Prior to joining the UW faculty, she provided speech-language pathology services in Seattle public schools for preschool, elementary and high school students. She has a clinical interest in serving culturally and linguistically diverse, high-risk and underserved populations. Krings has taught courses in adolescent and school age language disorders and pediatric speech sound disorders, and currently teaches public school speech-language pathology and audiology. She supervises pediatric speech and language evaluation and treatment practicums in the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic, and is the public schools placement coordinator. Krings earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the UW.
Kelsey Leighton
Kelsey Leighton is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She also serves as the fieldwork placement coordinator for the program. Her academic expertise is focused on adult neurogenic communication disorders. Leighton earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the UW.
Courtney Murray
Courtney Murray is a lecturer in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. She is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with extensive clinical experience supporting both children and adults with a wide array of communication and swallowing challenges in various clinical settings. Her areas of interest include early childhood communication, pediatric feeding and swallowing, pediatric traumatic brain injury and speech sound disorders. Murray earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Pittsburgh.
John Thorne
John Thorne is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. His research interests focus on language development and disorders in children and social communication. Thorne earned a doctorate in speech-language pathology at the UW.
Emily Wilson
Emily Wilson is a lecturer in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington. Her research interests focus on voice and upper airway disorders, laryngeal videostroboscopy and facial nerve injury. Wilson earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the UW.
Adjunct and Affiliate Professors
Program Staff
Allyson BeCraft
Allyson is the operations manager for UW Speech & Hearing Clinic. She works mostly with faculty and first-year master’s degree students in the clinic, supporting client intake and scheduling. She also supports clinical compliance and onboarding for master's degree students.
allyb@uw.edu | 206-543-5440
Chrissie Chang
Chrissie is the director of student services and provides operational oversight of the student services team. She also offers input to the strategic direction of the department’s degree programs based on student feedback and University policy. You may hear from Chrissie throughout your experience via requests for feedback and updates or information on policies and procedures.
chrissie@uw.edu | 206-685-7904
Stanley Choi
Stanley is the graduate program adviser and works with prospective and current students in all tracks of the UW Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. He’s the person to talk to if you have questions about application and entrance requirements. He also supports current students with course registration, degree program progress and the graduate student experience.
stanchoi@uw.edu | 206-685-7960
Leila Nikamal
Leila is the program assistant for the UW Speech & Hearing Clinic and supports clinic operations. She's the first point of contact for students and clients coming into the clinic.
leilais@uw.edu | 206-543-8725