By: Gina Glover, MS, CCC-SLP, Honors and Awards Committee Chair

At the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) 2025 Convention in San Antonio, eight TSHA volunteers were honored at the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation’s Annual Breakfast Event. The TSHA Honors and Awards Committee received nominations prior to Convention and, with approval of the TSHA Executive Board, selected eight nominees to receive these honors. That is the highest number of honorees in recent TSHA history! At the breakfast event, TSHA Honors and Awards Committee member Erin Bellue announced the honorees and highlighted their contributions. TSHA President Lisa Milliken greeted the honorees on stage and presented them with their awards.

The TSHA Rising Star Award is awarded to a first-time volunteer or committee/task force member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and work in their role as a TSHA volunteer. This year, there were three recipients of the Rising Star Award.

Dr. Janita Gilliam
Janita has been the Strand Chair in the areas of DEI/Ethics/Professional Issues. Janita devoted countless hours to ensure she was being thorough within her ability to carry out the reviews of the many abstracts submitted. She was able to carefully provide constructive feedback and critiques to ensure the best abstracts were accepted for the strands assigned. Janita’s effort and hard work have not gone unnoticed. This is Janita’s first year volunteering and serving on a TSHA committee. She has since joined a second committee, the TSHA Diversity Committee, as she continues to encourage advocacy, justice, equity, and DEIB in the field of speech-language pathology.


Elisa Martinez 
Elisa has been the co-chair of the SLP Supervisor/Assistant SLP Committee. Elisa volunteered to publish a live feed of the “Day in the Life of an Assistant SLP” for the TSHA Membership Committee as shared through social media for National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, and in November, she volunteered to redo the Module 4-Therapy Planning training video for SLP/SLP Assistants on the TSHA website. She will continue to co-chair the committee while she works and attends graduate school.
 

Leslie Rainey
Leslie has done exceptional work as the chair of our Webinar Committee. Over the course of the past year, Leslie has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, and dedication, which has played a pivotal role in the success and growth of our webinar initiatives.







The TSHA Executive Council Member of the Year Award is awarded to any Executive Council member (chairs, councilor) and/or a TSHA liaison for outstanding work in the areas of task accomplishments, leadership qualities, and engaging their committee or task force chairs and members. 

Ronda Polansky
Ronda possesses strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills. She is a highly motivated and results-oriented individual with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing speech-language pathologists today. She has authored and presented a four-part series in the Communicologist, presented at Convention, and was an invaluable resource, providing guidance and support to TSHA members during challenging times, such as the Change Healthcare cyberattack.


The Award of Honors is awarded to speech-language pathologists and/or audiologists who have been members of TSHA for 10 or more years, contributed significantly to TSHA, and demonstrated outstanding leadership and exemplary professional excellence. We have two amazing recipients of this award.

Corrie Cavada
Corrie is a long time TSHA volunteer and has not only exemplified exceptional leadership and professional excellence but also profoundly impacted the field of speech-language pathology and TSHA. Her unwavering dedication, visionary leadership, and steadfast commitment to advancing our professions make her an exemplary candidate for this prestigious recognition. Corrie’s contributions to TSHA are nothing short of extraordinary. She has served in multiple key leadership roles, including Vice President for Member Engagement, Convention Registration Co-Chair, and Texas Regional Association Coalition Chair. Her tenure in these roles has been marked by innovative strategies, increased member engagement, and meaningful enhancements to TSHA’s outreach and organizational effectiveness. Time and again, Corrie has demonstrated a remarkable ability to “see a need and meet a need,” ensuring that TSHA remains a strong, inclusive, and forward-thinking organization. 

Dr. Angela Kennedy
Angela is also a longtime volunteer and served as the Vice President of Educational and Scientific Affairs. Angela’s innovation and can-do attitude took the TSHA Convention to the next level with updated branding and networking opportunities. She absolutely embodies the qualities of outstanding leadership, exemplary professional excellence, and significant contributions to our organization, making her the perfect candidate for this prestigious award. Angela has an incredible ability to navigate even the most complex challenges with a light-heartedness that's truly inspiring. Her leadership style is an incredible mix of humor, grit, and a genuine ability to connect with and effectively lead people. Angela always brings the fun to any committee or project she is involved with. TSHA has benefited from her leadership skills, comedy skills, and passion for the field of speech-language pathology. 

The Hall of Fame Award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exemplary commitment and contribution in serving those with communication disorders. This year, we honor someone for her lifetime achievements in the fields of speech-language pathology or audiology who has promoted excellence in clinical service. 

Dr. Judy Rich
One could write a book about the many amazing accomplishments of Judy. She has served as TSHA President, ASHA President and chair of so many committees, including 15 years of service on the TSHA Eligibility Determination Guidelines. Judy is always on the cutting edge and has provided training as speech-language pathology in the schools has evolved, including providing training for SLPs and administrators. Longtime TSHA member Cherry Wright said, “Judy has been admired for her vision and ability to lead others to accomplish worthwhile objectives considered important to the profession and its associations.” TSHA member Nathalie Lebrun shared that after Judy asked the audience for a response during a presentation, Nathalie responded and she recalls, “Instantaneously, Judy extended her charming, cerebral, and deeply caring nature to me. From that moment forward, Judy became a champion in my professional and personal life. Judy’s generosity, wisdom, and leadership have profoundly shaped my professional path.” TSHA member JoAnn Wiechmann said, “Judy truly is an amazing speech-language pathologist, special education administrator, and person. She walks the talk!”

The Jack L. Bangs Award is awarded to speech-language pathologists and/or audiologists who have been members of TSHA for 10 or more years, contributed significantly to TSHA and ASHA, and demonstrated outstanding leadership and exemplary professional excellence. Dr. Bangs was an academic researcher, served as the first president of TSHA in 1957, and as ASHA president in 1971.

Robyn Martin
There is just so much to say about Robyn and her accomplishments for both TSHA and ASHA. Here are a few brief notes from her nominators. Past TSHA President Michelle Mendietta said, “Robyn is an energetic, dedicated. and motivational leader. She is truly someone who cares about our professions and is a go-getter who delivers driven results every time.” Longtime TSHA member Cherry Wright said. “Robyn is not hesitant to address problems, to focus on important issues, and demonstrate the commitment to making a positive difference. Robyn is a woman of many talents who has managed her work career and active involvement in the professions and its associations, plus having two precious girls with her supportive husband. Her TSHA family has been blessed in many ways and is proud of her accomplishments!” TSHA Past President Judy Rich said, “Robyn is a systems engineer. She was integral in developing the clinical education/instruction program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. She models excellence in our professions for the students in the program and no doubt has influenced quality of service in speech-language pathology to the next generation of service providers. Association leaders face a new set of challenges coming out of the pandemic, with dwindling resources and a changing world. Robyn’s leadership as TSHA President during tough times has been steady, strong, and future-focused.” For her work with ASHA committees, Judy says she has no doubt that Robyn’s collaborative leadership style, clear thinking, and thoughtful commitment to positive outcomes were influential in the work of both committees. “Robyn is a difference-maker and is drawn to excellence in all her endeavors,” Judy said. 

Congratulations to all of these deserving honorees!

For more information on TSHA Honors and Awards and how to nominate someone in the future, visit https://www.txsha.org/About/TSHA-Honors-and-Awards. The TSHA Honors and Award Committee includes Gina Glover (chair), Erin Bellue, Margarita Limón-Ordoñez, and Martha McGlothlin.