Denise Eisenhauer
Courses: Business Principles; Organizational Behavior and Leadership for SLPs; Professional Integration and Reflective Practice I & IV; Culminating Project Mentor
Denise Boggs Eisenhauer, MS, CCC-SLP, MBA, is a certified speech-language pathologist with a background in pediatric speech and language disorders. Denise worked clinically for over 15 years in both academic and hospital settings before transitioning toward healthcare enterprise management and healthcare business operations.
Denise has held leadership roles at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, NorthShore University Health System, and Northwestern University. She was most recently the director of the Northwestern University Center for Audiology Speech-Language and Learning (NUCASLL) and held that role from 2014-2020. Denise teaches courses for the MS SLL and SLPD programs within Northwestern University’s School of Communication.
Denise currently serves as the Associate Director or Entrepreneurial Leadership at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, TN. Denise is also the Owner and Founder of The Growth Factor, LLC, an educational boutique offering leadership, business, and personal development opportunities for youth, young adults, and new entrepreneurs.
Education:
- MBA, Northwestern University
- MS, University of Louisville
- BA, University of Iowa
Stacy Kaplan
Director, MS SLL & SLPD Programs
Courses: Digital Literacies for SLPs; Education and Supervision in SLP; Special Topics in CSD: Culminating Project Frameworks; Culminating Project Mentor
Stacy Kaplan is a clinical professor and director of the MS SLL and SLPD programs at Northwestern University. The mission of both her teaching and scholarship is the disruption of CSD education in service of our current & future learners, our field, & the people we serve. In the classroom, she seeks to contribute to the development of science-based, critically-thinking, creative, and compassionate clinicians and CSD educators. Broadly speaking, her research focuses on (1) pedagogical and curricular innovation and (2) approaches to faculty development as they relate to the development of CSD professionals from first exposure to the field through the development of clinical specialists and scholars. She directs the Advancing CSD Education (ACE) lab.
Stacy has been directing programs in higher education since 2000 and currently directs both the master’s and clinical doctorate degree programs in speech-language pathology (MS SLL and SLPD). Prior to her work in academia, Kaplan was an acute care SLP at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and Methodist Hospital in Gary, Ind.
Education:
- PhD, Speech-Language Pathology, Northwestern University
- MS, Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona
- BS, Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona
Zina Noel
Course: Policy in Health and Education
Zina Noel’s research is conducted at the intersection of early childhood and civic society and explores the effect of public and social institutions on young children, their families, and their communities. In particular, their current research applied developmental theory to understand the identity development among multiracial children, new parents, and early educators within the U.S. family and child policy context. Zina conducts their research with interdisciplinary collaborators and, through research-practice partnerships, explores pressing questions related to child development, family and child policy, and the day-to-day of raising a young child in America. Previously, they worked in the U.S. and abroad at early education, non-profit, and policymaking organizations dedicated to advancing equitable access to high-quality education. Zina brings considerable experience and expertise to their course “Policy in Health and Education,” which aims to develop the knowledge and skills of Speech-Language Pathologists in US educational and health policy areas.
Education:
- PhD student, Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Early Childhood Education Policy, University of Minnesota
- MEd, International Education Policy, Harvard University
- BA, International Affairs, Lewis & Clark College
Megan Y. Roberts
Courses: Advanced Scientific Clinical Decision Making I & II; Special Topics in CSD: Culminating Project Frameworks; Culminating Project Mentor
Megan Y. Roberts is a professor and associate chair of the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the principal investigator of the Early Intervention Research Group. Her work focuses on family-centered early communication interventions for young children with language delays. This clinically based line of research examines different variations of parent-implemented communication interventions tailored specifically for different populations of children with language delays. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the Institute of Education Sciences.
Education:
- PhD, Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University
- MS, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College
- BA, Spanish and Economics, University of Rochester
Holly Schmidt
Course: Operations and Process Improvement for SLPs; Professional Integration and Reflective Practice II & III; Culminating Project Mentor
Holly Schmidt is a certified speech-language pathologist with a background in pediatric dysphagia as well as pediatric speech and language disorders. She is a recognized Board-Certified Swallowing Specialist and worked clinically for over 19 years in academic, hospital, and school settings. Prior to transitioning into a healthcare operations role, Holly was formerly an owner of a private practice. Her special interests include service operations, process and quality improvement, lean healthcare, and leading strategic change. She is currently the Director of Throughput Operations at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Education
- MBA, University of Wisconsin Madison
- MS, Speech Pathology, Marquette University
- BS, Speech Pathology, Marquette University
SLPD Program Guest Facilitators
Gail Berger
Team Dynamics Workshop (Orientation Residency)
Gail Berger is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University in the Kellogg School of Management, the McCormick School of Engineering, and the School of Communication. She has over 15 years of experience working in a variety of sectors (private, non-profit, and public) and industries (consumer product goods, engineering, financial, insurance, hospitality, healthcare, and professional services). She is very experienced with the design, development and implementation of leadership development programs for clients that have harnessed coaching as a cornerstone for program success. In particular, Gail has worked with clients to foster leadership capacity by accelerating the emergence of core leadership competencies like conflict management, delegation and emotional intelligence. She also works with clients to assess key talent, and help individuals and organizations evaluate career transitions and inflection points. She coaches clients to manage key stakeholder relationships more effectively, and build effective collaborations that are grounded in a foundation of trust and mutual respect. Gail also designs strategic management retreats for executive teams and boards. She has an artful ability to initiate and lead conversations that allow for the emergence of divergent perspectives, as well as a convergence and synthesis of key ideas and interests. Her facilitation skills, coupled with an understanding of the tools and best practices for building and maintaining organizational culture, result in retreat outcomes that enhance organizational performance. For the SLPD program, she facilitates a full-day team dynamics workshop during orientation.
Education:
- PhD, Management and Organizations, Northwestern University
- M.Ed , Administration and Supervision, Loyola University
- BA/BS, Psychology and Elementary Education, Boston University