By: Robyn Martin, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, TSHA Leadership Committee Chair

The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) Leadership Academy was a year‑long, cohort‑based program designed to cultivate emerging leaders in speech‑language pathology and audiology across Texas. Participants engaged in targeted leadership training, mentorship from past TSHA volunteers and board members, and hands-on projects that helped strengthen advocacy, collaboration, and strategic planning skills. After finishing the TSHA Leadership Academy, many members of these cohorts became volunteers on TSHA committees and would later chair committees and serve on the TSHA Executive Board. This was a successful program that had a positive impact on the organization.

As TSHA refined its organizational priorities, the decision was made to transition the work and objectives of the former TSHA Leadership Academy into the newly established TSHA Leadership Development Committee. For 2026, the committee is advancing several key initiatives:

• Support for TSHA Executive Board Members—Strengthening the leadership support of TSHA Executive Board members as they carry out their roles and responsibilities
• Leadership Training—Providing structured leadership development opportunities for members of the TSHA Executive Council. The first training session was held during the TSHA 2026 Convention in Fort Worth, where participants met in person to review policies and procedures, quarterly reporting expectations, budget considerations, and role responsibilities for the upcoming year
• Supporting Advocacy Curriculum Development—Collaborating with committees under the Vice President for Advocacy to create training materials that prepare new volunteers to engage effectively in grassroots advocacy efforts

The Leadership Development Committee looks forward to supporting the TSHA Executive Council, Executive Board, and the Association through these initiatives.