APHASIA - Key Persons
Angie Cauthorn is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others living with aphasia. Prior to 2 strokes in 2017, she was a finance professional for over 20 years. Today, She is the co- founder and President of the ARCH Network (Aphasia Resource Collaboration Hub), a "lighthouse" for people with aphasia that serves to increase awareness of and access to treatment research and other support services for people coping with this language disorder. ARCH aims to make it easier for people with aphasia to find the many aphasia-focused choirs, camps, cruises, and support groups that are available to them in their region. Its core mission is to lead as many stakeholders as possible to a place where they can be educated, informed, and effective in their efforts to aid and provide resources on all things related to aphasia.
Angie is co-host of the podcast Brain Friends and is in the process of launching a conference series called ROSA (Resource Orientation for Stroke and Aphasia). In addition, Angie is a co-leader and facilitator of the National Aphasia Association's African American aphasia support group, a founding board member of National Aphasia Synergy, and an Aphasia Advocate Ambassador at Temple University's Saffran Center for Cognitive Neuroscience.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of the National Aphasia Association
Barbara has been a long time member of the Board of the National Aphasia Association. Barbara actively promotes greater awareness of aphasia as well as supporting stroke victims with aphasia. Barbara has also participated in various research clinical trials to promote more effective treatment of aphasia. During the past 16 years Barbara has been an active volunteer in her local community. Some of her volunteer work includes: speaking to first responders, speaking to patients at the White Plains Hospital while distributing books and magazines, serving on the Board of Student Advocacy supporting children at risk, responding to phone calls and emails from around the country from families with family members having had strokes. Barbara participates in several communications groups supporting people with aphasia. Barbara has also been a member of the Adler Aphasia Center helping people with aphasia. Barbara has given speeches at local hospitals to neurologists and rehabilitation therapists regarding the challenges of living with aphasia. Barbara was a professional librarian for 35 years including working at the Columbia University Law School, local public libraries and the Ardsley High School. Barbara is married with three children and four grandchildren. Barbara actively reads to her grandchildren, sharing her love of books and literature.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Neurorehabilitation
Job Titles:
- Special Advisor
- Vice President of Innovation and Programming
Chad Ruble's introduction to aphasia was when his mother suffered a serious stroke over twenty years ago. It stoked an interest in the intersection of caregiving, communication, and technology, and led to the founding of Tapgram, an assistive messaging platform designed for people with aphasia. Before shifting into technology, Chad spent the early part of his career in television news (NBC and Reuters). He joined the board in 2013 and has helped oversee the continued updates of the NAA's digital presence. He and his wife Ann live in Brooklyn with their two children and their dog, Elsie.
Craig Robertson serves on the Board of Directors of the National Aphasia Association, having joined in 2023. Craig's father suffered a stroke early in his and his brother, Jeff's, lives. Craig's father subsequently returned to work while managing his aphasia over a 30 year career. Craig and Jeff both honor their father through their work with the National Aphasia Association, where Jeff is Treasurer.
Craig and his wife live in New York, with their daughter. He works in the finance industry.
Job Titles:
- Retired Former CEO of E - Z - EM, Inc
Daniel R. Martin is a semi-retired former CEO of E-Z-EM, Inc., an international medical imaging company, and former Adjunct Professor of Management at Pace University. A graduate of Cornell and Columbia universities, he spent his career primarily in the healthcare field, working and living in Latin America and the UK in addition to the USA, for firms including McKinsey & Company, Procter & Gamble and Merck & Co. He is also a Director Emeritus of Accion International, a leading microfinance and financial inclusion non-profit organization, and serves on several corporate boards. He joined the NAA board when his late wife, Barbara, a person with aphasia, relinquished her position as President.
Darlene S. Williamson, MA, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with over 40 years of experience working in rehabilitation for stroke and brain trauma survivors, with a primary research interest in apraxia of speech. She holds degrees from Purdue University and the University of Illinois, Her career has included work in acute care, in and out patient rehabilitation, and long term care. She served as the Clinic Director at the George Washington University, in Washington, DC and continued as adjunct professor for many years. In 2005, she founded the Stroke Comeback Center in Vienna, Virginia; under her leadership the organization grew to four locations and is recognized as a national model for long term treatment and support under a life participation approach. Darlene has won numerous awards for her efforts on behalf of individuals with aphasia, including being honored as Washingtonian of the Year in 2017. She retired in June, 2020 and continues to focus her energy on improving the lives of families living with aphasia by serving as the President of the Board of Directors of the NAA.
Job Titles:
- Special Advisor to the Board of Directors
Originally from the Bronx, New York, Doreen Mendez was a marketing and international public relations business executive, established through her work in satellite-telecommunications, broadcasting professional and consumer electronics industries. Since her stroke in 2012, she has dedicated herself to stroke and aphasia advocacy in the USA and abroad.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Chair of the Department of Speech Language
Dr. Charles Ellis Jr., PhD is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida. Dr. Ellis is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist who received his Bachelor of Science and Master's degree from The University of Georgia, Athens, GA. and Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Dr. Ellis' academic concentration focuses on adult neurogenic disorders and he teaches courses related to aphasia and cognitive disorders. His research is designed to understand outcomes associated with adult neurologically based disorders of communication and factors that contribute to the lack of equity in service provision and outcome disparities that exist among African Americans and other underrepresented minority groups. Dr. Ellis was awarded the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Certificate of Recognition for Special Contribution in Multicultural Affairs in 2011. In 2014 he awarded Fellowship of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
GENERAL MICHAEL V. HAYDEN, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Before becoming Director of CIA, General Hayden served as the country's frrst Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence -and was the highest-ranking intelligence officer in the armed forces. Earlier, he served as Director of the National Security Agency. Currently, he serves as a principal at The Chertoff Group, a security and risk management advisory firm, and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Mason University. He is also founder of the Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy and International Security at George Mason. In 2014 he was the inaugural Humanitas Visiting Professor in Intelligence Studies at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. His book, Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror, was a New York Times best-seller and was selected as one of the 100 most notable books of 2016. His most recent work, The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies, was also a New York Times best seller and addresses the impact of a post-truth world on the intelligence enterprise.
Dr. Kirshner is a professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Hearing and Speech Sciences. He also holds the positions of vice chairman for the Department of Neurology, director of the Vanderbilt Stroke Center, consultant at the Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, and chief of the Neurology Stroke Division. He formerly served as the Founding Director of the Vanderbilt Stroke Service, and the division head of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology. Dr. Kirshner is board certified in Neurology, Vascular Neurology, and Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. He has served on the Editorial Boards of Neurology and Stroke, and he serves as the Book Review Editor for Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Behavioral Neurology Editor for Current Reviews in Neurology and Neuroscience, and Editor for MedLink Neurology.
Dr. Kirshner earned his B.A. from Williams College in 1968, graduating summa cum laude. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1972, cum laude, and served as an intern in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Kirshner spent two years as a staff associate in the Laboratory of Perinatal Physiology at the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke from 1973-1975. He completed his residency in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and also served a clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School from 1975 - 1978. In 1978, Dr. Kirshner joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as assistant professor in neurology. In 1980 he also took an adjunct position as assistant professor of the Division of Hearing and Speech Sciences, and later in Psychiatry, and he became an associate professor in both entities in 1983.
Jackie Hinckley is Professor of Speech/Language Pathology in the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Dr. Hinckley is a Fellow of Person-Centered Care and is Board Certified in Neurogenic Communication Disorders from the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences. She was recently honored with the Audrey Holland award from Aphasia Access, and serves on their Board of Directors. She is Project Lead of Project BRIDGE, a research incubator that fosters multi-stakeholder research teams, particularly in aphasia. She was the Founding Executive Director of Voices of Hope for Aphasia, a nonprofit helping people with aphasia in the Tampa/St Petersburg area. Dr. Hinckley is the author of a book entitled What Is It Like to Have Trouble Communicating? A Series of Stimulation Activities to Educate Family, Friends and Caregivers, and the co-developer of the online Aphasia Simulations. As a certified speech-language pathologist for 35 years, she began her clinical and research career as Head of Aphasia Services at the University of Michigan. Her clinical work and research spans topics that include family education, treatment outcomes, and implementation of evidence-based practices.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Treasurer of the National Aphasia Association
Jeff Robertson is the treasurer of the National Aphasia Association, joining the Board of Directors in June 2023. Jeff's father (Big) Craig taught him strength and perseverance through his handling of aphasia, raising Jeff and his older brother (Little) Craig after suffering a stroke early in their lives. Jeff is proud to honor his Dad through his work with the National Aphasia Association.
Professionally, Jeff works in the commercial real estate industry.
Lynn Rozental has 25 years of experience in philanthropy. Much of that work has been in the healthcare field, including at George Washington University's Schools of Nursing and Medicine, and the Inova Health System Foundation in Northern Virginia. Her interest in aphasia began in 1978, when a favorite aunt suffered a severe stroke and was largely silenced for the last decade of her life. It continued in more recent years when she tried to help a close friend find post stroke services. They found them at the Stroke Comeback Center, where she learned more about aphasia, and the effectiveness of group speech therapy.
Lynn has a degree in history from Bryn Mawr College and an M.S. in historic preservation from the University of Vermont. Her first career included work as the Executive Director of Historic York, Inc. in York, PA, and as the Director of The Lyceum, Alexandria Virginia's History Museum. She is a native of Vermont and whenever she gets the chance, returns to help her extended family with their maple syrup business. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Speech Language Pathologist
Maura English Silverman, MS, CCC/SLP has always been passionate about helping others. Maura is a Speech Language Pathologist with 35 years of experience working along the continuum of care in the area of adult neurogenic communication disorders. Her passion for working with adults with aphasia, their families and the greater aphasia community brought her from the medical setting into that of an entrepreneur, starting the Triangle Aphasia Project, Unlimited (TAP), a nonprofit community based program based on the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). In its 2 decades of service, TAP received international recognition for its hub and spoke model of service. Maura is a founding member of Aphasia Access and has served on nonprofit boards, as clinical mentor in the field of aphasia, active in international aphasia advocacy efforts and continues to publish and speak on aphasia programming, neuroplasticity and community engagement. Maura is proud to have been recognized with the American Stroke Association's award, Triangle Business Journal's Healthcare Hero award and Aphasia Access' inaugural Innovator Award.
Despite the incredible opportunities that have been allotted to Maura throughout her career, she credits her lived experience as a carepartner for her mom as the source of her greatest lessons. Maura's mother suffered a devastating stroke at the age of 69 and lived with expressive aphasia and verbal apraxia until her passing in 2020. Insight into the true impact of aphasia on an individual, their family, friendships, life interests and goals reignited her resolve to improve aphasia awareness and the quality of life for all aphasia journeys. Maura's husband, 4 sons (and their significant others), and her dog, Joy, are her "Why" and in her spare time she enjoys serving the community through volunteer work and personal health and fitness. Maura is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the NAA, an organization that has been a beacon of hope and direction in her personal and professional life!
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center
Peter Turkeltaub, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center and Director of the Aphasia Clinic at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. He directs the Cognitive Recovery Lab, which focuses on how the brain performs language and cognitive functions, how these brain systems change in the face of injury or dysfunction, and new techniques to improve recovery. Dr. Turkeltaub has published numerous articles in high profile journals, and his work has been supported by several NIH and foundation grants.
Steve Kessler is a national advocate of rehabilitation medicine supporting stronger recoveries for stroke survivors and their caregivers. Steve and his wife, Barbara, promote rehabilitation medicine innovation including through technology, research and clinical therapy. Steve is on the Board of the National Aphasia Association and the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. Steve and Barbara support stroke and aphasia rehabilitation programs at Burke and other medical centers in the US. Steve and Barbara have participated in a wide range of aphasia programs provided by the National Aphasia Association and the Adler Aphasia Association. Steve and Barbara are interested in expanding the National Aphasia Association outreach programs in local and national communities to increase awareness and support of people living with aphasia and their caregivers/families. Increasing support of caregivers and families of people living with aphasia promotes greater independence.
Steve previously was a lawyer/compliance officer working in international banking, securities, finance, and government and regulatory relations at a global law firm, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and a global private investment firm.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Neurorehabilitation
Swathi Kiran is James and Cecelia Ying Professor of Neurorehabilitation in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Associate Dean for Research at College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University. She received her Ph.D from Northwestern University. Her research interests focus around lexical semantic treatment for individuals with aphasia, bilingual aphasia and neuroimaging of brain plasticity following a stroke. She has over 100 publications and her work has appeared in high impact journals across a variety of disciplines including cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, rehabilitation, speech language pathology and bilingualism. She is a fellow of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and serves on various journal editorial boards and grant review panels including at National Institutes of Health. Her work has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health/NIDCD and American Speech Language Hearing Foundation awards including the New Investigator grant, the New Century Scholar's Grant and the Clinical Research grant. She is the co-founder and scientific advisor for Constant Therapy, a software platform for rehabilitation tools after brain injury.