By: Marva Mount, MA, CCC-SLP, Vice President for Professional Services

Hello, Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) members! I hope this publication of the Communicologistfinds you well and doing great things in our fields. It is a great time to be a TSHA member as we start the countdown to our 70^th birthday. A quote by William Arthur Ward that I have always loved says something along the lines of “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” I am extremely grateful to work alongside such amazing volunteers that make up the committees under the Professional Services umbrella in TSHA. That gratitude only grows as I survey the incredible work they have done in service of our TSHA members this year thus far. I want to express that gratitude to the masses, because I do love to give presents, and these committees are the gift that keeps on giving for our organization.

The Business Management Committee, led by Carmen Vitton and Ashley Keenan, presented a forum at our TSHA 2025 Convention in May on the symbiotic relationship between speech-language pathology and audiology as it relates to documentation and reimbursement advocacy. The forum was well attended and supported. In addition, they are working to present advocacy opportunities for both speech-language pathology and audiology by utilizing social media and other platforms as they seek to inform TSHA members on pressing matters that require immediate membership support. The Business Management Committee is an out-of-the-box thinking machine, and they are exploring a variety of new ways to bring business-related content to our members. I look forward to seeing their insightful ideas come to fruition.

The Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CLD) Committee, led by Marivel Willingham and Vanessa Mueller, has been hard at work updating and revising available materials provided to membership in their efforts to provide evidence-based practice resources, which are designed to assist with all aspects of clinical practice as it relates to our culturally and linguistically diverse clients/patients/students. Check out the article in this issue of the Communicologist appearing in the CLD Corner, “Beyond the Bilingual Evaluation: Practical Strategies for Culturally Responsive Assessments," for updated information to guide professionals working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. They also are working toward presenting a forum addressing CLD issues for our TSHA 2026 Convention in Fort Worth next February. In their efforts to get out information to membership more quickly, the CLD Committee is sharing information via social media posts. Be on the lookout for CLD content.

The Medical Committee, led by co-chairs Lori Taffet and Teresa Drulia, is always buzzing with excitement and a desire to showcase the incredible work done in the medical part of our fields. They are liaising with the Webinar Committee in their efforts to bring you evidence-based practice learning opportunities for our medically based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). They are busy preparing for their upcoming event for graduate students that will focus on finding out about the plethora of possibilities available on the medical side of our professions. They have secured an incredible line-up of speakers, and if you are a graduate student, you will not want to miss this forum! Stay tuned for information coming out in the coming days weeks. And, if you did not know, there is a TSHA Medical SLP Facebook group!

The Public School Committee, led by Kresta Atkin and Beth Darbe, is focusing on the issues that affect our school-based members. Each year our SLPs working in the school setting look to TSHA as a trusted resource for accurate and timely information. This committee is consistently looking at all resources provided to membership that require updates or revisions as well as liaising with other committees to bring the most accurate and evidence-based practice resources forward. Check out the insightful article that Beth Darbe authored in our August issue of the Communicologist entitled “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Dismissal from School-Based Speech Therapy,” which offered practical advice and best practices when determining if a student is ready for dismissal from services.

On the Public School Advisory/Joint TSHA-Texas Council of Special Education (TCASE) Committee, led by Dalan Gore, committee members monitor all things speech-language pathology and special education and alert our membership to any upcoming changes that may directly affect our members who work within the school setting. They are anxiously awaiting the publication of the work produced by the Swallowing and Feeding in the Schools Task Force, led by Lisa Gore, in their efforts to support the dissemination and support of those guidelines as it relates to the responsibilities and recommendations for SLPs in the public schools across Texas.

The incredible team of SLP Assistants and SLP Assistant Supervisors who serve on our SLP Assistants/SLP Assistant Supervisors Committee, led by Elisa Martinez and Gillien Oliver, have been hard at work developing some training modules that can be utilized to train SLP Assistants in the many facets of the job they do. These modules will cover everything from strategic ways to cue students during therapy to managing behaviors productively to documenting and taking data. These modules are filled with practicality for certain, but what you may not expect is the amount of love and passion for the field of speech-language pathology that went into their development. We look forward to their availability.

The TSHA Telepractice Committee, led by Genevieve Richardson and Erica Ortiz, is continuing to find ways to spotlight telepractice as the incredible model of service delivery it has become. In a roundtable discussion they recently recorded and made available, the highlights from those serving as experts were filled with thought-provoking and exciting information regarding all aspects of teletherapy and why it works well. We appreciate their willingness to share that with our membership. They also are preparing a great interactive presentation for the TSHA 2026 Convention as well as reviewing current resources and updating and producing new materials that demonstrate what the telepractice of today embodies.

The University Issues Committee, led by Ruth Crutchfield, held one meeting in the spring of 2025 to bring together our university directors and clinical directors to share information and topics that affect university programs and to brainstorm ideas for advancing the professions through collaboration and partnership. They are already planning another meeting for the fall of 2025. And if that was not enough action, they are also authoring an informative article for the Communicologistyou will find in a future issue.

Finally, I want to offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to our two Councilors, who have assisted and supported my efforts to lead our team in a myriad of ways. They have both demonstrated their dedication, loyalty, and knowledge to committees and to me. Kendall Cain and Julian Garcia are the epitome of servant leaders who have made such an impact on our work. We appreciate them so very much in Professional Services.

As I type this and reflect on the amount of work produced by individuals who work full-time, have families, may be in school to obtain additional degrees, and are trying to engage in self-care to keep themselves healthy and well, it gives me pause. I am grateful for their servant hearts, for their desire to advance the professions, and for their intent to set an outstanding example by volunteering their time and attention to causes that will not only maintain TSHA but also advance it. To give of oneself as a volunteer is an exquisite gift and one that should evoke our deepest gratitude as TSHA members. My gift to them is my immense gratitude and admiration. I am sure that is a gift you would offer as well.

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